Some residents who live along Cox Avenue and Fredricksburg said they've spotted coyotes prowling around their neighborhoods in broad daylight on different occasions, looking for food.

Alice Kent, who lives along Cox, said she was pulling into her driveway in the middle of the afternoon when she noticed a gray animal walking along her sidewalk. She misidentified it as an "interesting-looking dog" at first and thought it was missing from its owner. But when she got closer to the animal, she realized that it was an "uninvited creature." Kent said she was aware that Saratoga had wildlife but never expected to see one within close proximity. As a cat owner, Kent said that she will keep a closer eye on her pet, although she doesn't anticipate having much problem since she keeps her cat indoors most of the time.

But Alden Heintz, who lives on Fredricksburg, considers coyotes to be a major threat to his calico cat, who likes the outdoors.

Heintz had two cats, but a coyote took his 12-year-old orange tabby cat when it was sleeping outside in the front yard one afternoon. A nearby resident said her painter noticed a coyote carrying Heintz's cat by the neck in its mouth and was heading back to its dwelling toward the railroad track area, where there are many power lines and water pipes.

Heintz said he's seen a couple of coyotes in the area but knows that there are a lot more hiding based on the hundreds of coyote droppings and prints he has spotted near the tracks. In addition, he said he suspects there would be more coyote sightings at night since they are predominantly nocturnal animals.

Dan Soszynski, who is the operations manager for the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority, said that just because an animal is mainly more active at night does not mean that it will not appear in the daytime.

"Wild animals have the ability to adapt to human environments," said Soszynski. "Coyotes, in particular, are especially clever animals. If one knows that a resident has a tendency to put trash out at a specific time during the day or leaves food outside for their pets, it will keep coming back to that area."

Soszynski and John Cherbone, Saratoga's public works director, said that they have not heard of many reports of coyote sightings or pet attacks. However, Jeannine DeWald of the California Department of Fish and Game said that it is an ongoing problem that mostly occurs during the fall due to a shortage in the wildlife food supply.

According to Soszynski and DeWald, sightings of coyotes, as well as other wildlife such as deer, are not rare in areas like Saratoga, which is up in the hills. He said that pet owners should take measures to protect their four-legged friends such as building fences and making sure that the fence is high enough so that the coyotes cannot jump over and low enough so that the pets or the coyotes cannot squeeze through the bottom opening.

DeWald said that coyotes generally weigh 30 to 35 pounds and can climb a chain-link fence as high as 6 feet.

Soszynski also urged residents to keep pets and their food inside their homes. If the pet needs to go outside to exercise, he said, they should be supervised at all times.

"Keep the area as clean as possible so it is not inviting to wildlife," said Soszynski. "That includes picking up fruits that have fallen off of trees."

Despite these suggestions, Heintz said he will not keep his cat indoors.

"Cats need to be out and about," he said. "That's what they do." However, he does have a fence in his backyard, where his cat mostly stays.

Soszysnski and DeWald said that coyotes are typically not aggressive toward larger animals, including humans. However, they advise that if one does encounter a coyote to remain calm and to avoid direct eye contact. According to Soszynski, coyotes interpret eye contact as a sign of aggression. He said that the person should back away calmly without turning their back to the coyote.

If a coyote should attack, he said, a person should do what they can to make themselves look big and intimidating. He said they should make loud noises or throw rocks.