"It's been an extremely frustrating situation," said Charles Aring, a resident on Mendelsohn Lane. "We're seeing more coyotes in the daytime on a regular basis and can't do anything to stop it because of state laws."

Aring said he fears not only for his family and his pets—which include three cats and a dog—but also his visitors. Not knowing when a coyote may sneak up, Aring said he always tries to walk his guests to their cars to make sure that they are safe.

Unfortunately, Aring was not present when one of his cats was attacked by a coyote in midday. His cat suffered some injuries to its paws, leaving it disabled for approximately a month. On another occasion, the cat could have been attacked again had it not been for neighbor Mark Weisler, who scared the coyote away.

Cathie Thermond, another resident in the same neighborhood, who lives approximately 25 feet from a creek, said she used to see one particular coyote almost every other day. She described the coyote as being "unhealthy looking, yet brave."

Thurmond said she was startled by the coyote one day while entering her driveway in broad daylight after having not seen it in almost three weeks.

"The coyote did not want to move even though the car was coming closer to it," Thurmond said.

Thurmond's children are older, but she said she is concerned about the safety of other neighborhood children.

"Coyotes look similar to big dogs," she said. "Smaller children who like to pet animals may be petting a coyote thinking it is a dog."

Coyotes have become a nuisance in other neighborhoods as well. Quito Road resident Dave Scott first noticed the problem in the summer of 2002. He and his wife were sitting in their living room when they noticed one walking past their yard. He was able to chase it away, but later found feathers, the skull of a dog and other bones around his drainage pipe, which he suspects a litter of coyotes were using as shelter. He said that some of the remains may have belonged to his neighbor's pets.

Scott said he's had fewer problems with coyotes on his property since he covered his drainage pipe with rags soaked in ammonia, advice he said he received after speaking with someone from the Department of Fish and Game.

According to the department's wildlife biologist, Alan Buckmann, coyotes don't like anything emitting a strong odor. However, he said that although coyotes do tend to walk away from anything odorous, they will stick around and look for food if they are really hungry.

Aring's daughter Gretchen, who works at Petco, said that residents have even called the store to ask for advice on how to handle a coyote problem.

"On average, we receive three to five calls a day," she said. "The only thing we could do is refer them to vector control."

According to the Santa Clara County Vector Control District's public education officer, Kriss Costa, there were approximately 30 calls made by Saratogans regarding coyote sightings in 2003. In addition, she said that vector-control authorities recently discovered a site where several pet collars and bones were found next to a den of five to seven coyotes hiding in an area in Saratoga. The coyotes were taken and euthanized.

Costa said there are a number of preventive measures residents can take to protect themselves, their pets and infants.

"Oftentimes, humans invite wild animals to their property whether they like it or not," Costa said. "One way is by leaving food outdoors. Make sure that there are no food sources, including pet food, fruits and vegetables laying around outside."

In addition, she said that pet owners can put fences around their pet's play area. These fences should be fairly high since some coyotes can jump as high as 8 feet.

If a coyote does attack, which it would if it feels threatened in any way, Costa said that residents should fight back and make loud noises.

"Keep pets and small children nearby," she said.

Costa also said that a call to vector control doesn't necessarily mean that they will go to the site. However, authorities will respond if the coyote appears to be getting violent.

But Aring said that waiting may not be the best option.

"Why wait until something happens," he said. "Do we have to wait for a child to be killed before someone takes action?"