West Seattle coyote sighting: 2 roaming Gatewood

| Coyotes | Gatewood | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Been a while since the last coyote sighting. Just got a text that two are currently “roaming backyards” in Gatewood, 3600 block of Webster/Othello (map) – and the tipster says one appeared to have killed a cat (black with white paw) – so if you’re in the area, might be a good idea to round up your pet(s) for a while. (P.S. As shared in the comments, here’s the state’s Living With Wildlife advice regarding coyotes; also, you can browse 2 1/2 years of WSB coyote-sighting coverage, with many photos, by starting here.)

Concerned Person January 3, 2010 (10:35 am)

We see them on a regular basis! Dusk and Dawn … several stray cats are “gone” and sadly some pets too … we live between Webster and Othello and above Home Depot. Still woodsy around here.

I. Ponder January 3, 2010 (11:12 am)

I think just because you don’t see or hear them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They are WILEY, right?

After one of our beloved cats disappeared a year ago, our other cats are now house cats. He was likely taken by coyotes.

WSB January 3, 2010 (11:20 am)

They are definitely always there. I think that’s why most don’t consider sightings big news any more, but if someone texts us (a) that they saw two and (b) that one appeared to have already killed a cat, a reminder to keep the pets inside is a public service announcement … One of the “coexisting with wildlife” tenets that we reported on previously was to remove obvious food sources. Garbage and outdoor pet food are among them, but so are outdoor pets … TR

TK January 3, 2010 (11:39 am)

I think we all should let our dogs out more often, it would be great pest control. But of course it would pose a danger to motorists…

FrogBaseball January 3, 2010 (11:46 am)

people should always keep their cats in their homes.

WSB January 3, 2010 (11:52 am)

We’ve certainly had the indoor/outdoor debate/discussion here over the years, mostly in conjunction with coyote reports. Here’s the Humane Society’s take:
http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/safe_cat_happy_cat.pdf
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I also should include the state’s Living with Wildlife information regarding coexisting with coyotes, in matters beyond pet safety – we’ve linked to it many times before but there’s probably someone who hasn’t seen it yet:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/coyotes.htm

funkietoo January 3, 2010 (4:57 pm)

My cats have 24 hour access to two outdoor enclosures. Working on designing and building elevated tunnels for them throughout the backyard too. That way they get to enjoy the great outdoors and are safe from cars, dogs, raccoons, coyotes and mean people.

CB January 3, 2010 (7:44 pm)

Has there ever been talk of trapping the coyotes and moving them to the wilderness?

Deeno January 4, 2010 (1:22 am)

Sorry CB, I’ve only heard the coyotes talking about doing that to us.

WSB January 4, 2010 (3:13 am)

Which reminds me that I meant to note – the only case of coyote relocation that we found ourselves covering was this one from one year ago:
https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=13682
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And as that item notes, the animal control officer relocated the coyote all the way to … Schmitz Park.

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