Set up to be a coyote meal

I went into my garden the other day and made a gruesome discovery. My neighbor’s cat, who has been a long-standing companion whenever I garden, had been killed by coyotes.

When I went to notify the neighbor of my disheartening find, I found a large bowl of kibble on the front porch, and nobody home. It was several days before the kitty’s owner contacted me. She had been out of town and brightly asked, “Do you have my kitty?” Well, I did, and the kitty was dead.

As a lifelong resident of the foothills, I know to never leave out any kind of food that could attract coyotes, let alone leave my pets locked out. This poor, but certainly loved, cat was set up to be a coyote meal by the very humans upon whom she depended.

Please be responsible pet owners in these wildlife-accessible areas. Just because you live in an apartment complex with everything paved over doesn’t mean it’s safe from coyotes, or even bears. We are just going into the prolonged season when coyotes roam our streets and yards. Fences are not barriers to them, and they are stealthy. Please use common sense with regards to your pets. I will not quickly forget the sight I came upon.

Tracy Weed

Montrose