Neighbors say coyotes are killing their cats in Ponte Vedra Beach

Families living in St. Johns County said coyotes are killing their pets.

Cellphone video was taken of a coyote running through a Ponte Vedra Beach neighborhood as the sun was rising.

"It's something that's obviously going on in Sawgrass and Ponte Vedra. Little did I know how bad they were," resident Wendy Patton said.

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Patton said her cat was one of several pets that have been killed by what residents believe are coyotes. She said her cat was found in her neighbor’s yard.

“We figured out it was my cat in his yard that morning, apparently mutilated," Patton said.

And next door, three cats were found dead, their remains scattered throughout the lawn.

"I was shocked and when I saw what was going on and saw the cats, I was disgusted by it," neighbor Michele Smith said.

A picture of a coyote was captured by cameras from a property on Roscoe Boulevard after two pets were killed.

Brian Payne, a wildlife consultant for First Coast Wildlife Services, said this is not unusual to hear and he has removed several coyotes from the area. Payne said the building of new developments is pushing coyotes out of their habitat and into neighborhoods.

"We have a lot of natural preserves in the area and there is a population of urban wildlife and coyotes being one of those," Payne said.

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He said cats are prey animals for coyotes, but neighbors are also worried about children.

"There are a lot of friends of ours that have cats and we have grandkids that play out in the yard and they're young," resident Scott Smith said.

Payne said that people shouldn’t leave out food or trash and they need to look after pets.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages anyone who spots coyotes to call the commission at 888-404-3922.

Cox Media Group