Okay folks. This should be pretty straightforward, but for those who are unaware: We have many critters in our urban environment. Critters like crows, skunks, raccoons and coyotes. The thing about wild critters, especially raccoons and coyotes, is sometimes they like to fight or hunt. They like to fight or hunt animals that are their size or a little bit smaller. Animals like your pets. 

If your pets go outside--and I know the animal welfare orgs. advocate that they don't, but I also know that cats in particular tend to be happier if allowed to roll in the grass and hang out, as my 3 outdoor/indoor cats do--then please, please, please be aware of the potential for raccoons/coyotes in your neighbourhood and please keep an eye on your animals when they are out. 

This was prompted by a recent walk through Hastings - Sunrise. In a twenty block stroll, we saw the following:

 






That would be 4 lost cats, 1 FOUND cat, and 1 lost dog. Not to blame every disappearance on the coyotes. But in my six years in this neighbourhood, I've noticed, at regular intervals, a sudden flurry of missing pet posters. Then nothing for awhile. Then a bunch more. It seems like a no-brainer.