Flickr Photo originally uploaded by haikuluke.

Coyotes have spread to every county in Virginia, and they lack natural enemies here. They will eat whatever is easiest to find, including plants, sheep, cattle, dead animal carcasses, house cats, and even small dogs.

Read (Roanoke Times)

I haven’t seen any coyotes here in Salem, and I didn’t see any when we lived in rural Madison County, VA . I did have a coworker who had a photo on his desk of one he had killed while he was hunting for deer. With all of the cats in this neighborhood, a coyote could eat well here for a couple of months.