Coyotes are quite common in many urban areas in the US. They aren't seen very often but are there. The threat to domestic pets is pretty low overall. The bigger threats with leaving cats/dogs out at night is that you leave food out for them which then attracts this kind of urban wildlife.

Then there is the fact that domestic cats kill an estimated 1 billion wild birds plus many millions of native mammals, reptiles and amphibians every year. If a few urban coyotes could help reduce that number, that would be a good thing....and I am and have always been a cat owner.

We think the coyote was checking out the back yard, looking for cats, dogs, or available food for them. The coyotes are the reason many cats "don't come back" in our neighborhood ... or the great horned owls.

Don't be so quick top blame cats: We have a local grey fox that leaves feathers from about one bird a night in our back yard. We know it's a fox because we have her on video with a bird in her mouth. They climb almost as well as a cat, and see as well in the dark, so a perched bird is vulnerable.

On the plus side, she's doing in a lot of the darned pigeons - all the nests tucked under eaves are empty if she can get to the roof from a tree or fence.

And the tree rats are gone

I took this photo circa January 2000. Handsome fellow, isn't he. I still see coyote prowling my gardens, and wonder how many generations back it goes. The shot isn't too clear because I my camera lens wasn't a zoom back then.

I live in an area that's between suburban and country, mostly country. Every home in the neighborhood is on at least a half acre.

The only animals I've seen around here are domesticated cats, dogs, ducks, chicken, geese, donkey, goat, monkey, and a rather large turtle. A few feral cats.

One neighbor continues to say that coyotes are matting down the tall grass in the yard of an unoccupied house. The grass is near a well-traveled road that is near houses.

No one else here (that I know of) has recently seen coyotes. There are no missing chickens, ducks, cats, etc.

Do any of you know if coyotes matt down grass and, if so, why?

For the past 14 years I still regularly see the coyote and I live in the suburbs. It always follows the same route around the neighborhood. So far no neighbor has reported missing pets. It's a very skittish fellow who quickly disappears when a human is present.

Thank you for your quick response, Janet!

Does "your" coyote mat down grass in the area?

I would guess that a coyote wouldn't bed down so close to a street that has motorized traffic until 3am and morning traffic beginning at 5am.

Some urban areas (in California) get more than their share...

Here is a link that might be useful: Coyote pack chases man and his dog

Sooze -
You could try putting up a trail cam and see what's doing it.

If the coyote is getting enough food from other sources, they tend to eat what their mother brought them, and hunt what she hunted - if it grew up on rabbits and field mice, it will keep hunting them.

Tulsarose ...
Looks like a litter of young ones romping through the neighborhood.

A supersoaker with ammonia water usually teaches them that humans taste bad.

Thank you for your responses.

Only one person in the neighborhood has "seen" any coyotes (frankly, she's seen other animals no one else has seen either).

The yard with the matted-down grass is now occupied and the grass has been cut.

We need to put up video cameras around the house for other reasons so, if we catch something interesting (coyotes, bears, deer), I'll post here.