In today’s morning roundup, we linked to a story about a Maryland community being hounded by a pack of wild dogs. But those aren’t the only canine marauders Washington-area residents are currently worrying about.

Numerous suburban areas have reported coyote attacks on pets, WTOP reports. The head of the Wildlife Center of Virginia says that just about every county and municipality in the commonwealth has experienced feral coyotes attacking domesticated animals like dogs and cats as they forage for sustenance.

Adult coyotes weigh about 40 pounds, and most are scared off by humans, but they pose very real threats to housepets, and are often drawn into populated areas by the scents of food left in garbage cans.

The Wildlife Center’s Ed Clark tells WTOP that increased sightings of coyotes are the new normal:

“In nature, you are sometimes the hunter and sometimes the hunted,” he says, in a warning for people to keep their cats inside.

“This species are now part of our landscape and people just need to learn to live with them,” he says.

In addition to the spate of coyote attacks in Virginia, Maryland communities are seeing a spike, too, such as an incident last month in which a coyote attacked a cat in Anne Arundel County.

D.C. residents aren’t immune to coyotes, either. The species is one of many that inhabits Rock Creek Park, having first been spotted in 2004. The National Park Service advises that while coyotes are not likely to attack humans, they should not be approached or fed by any park visitors. And people who bring their pets to the park should keep them leashed; a tethered pet is less likely to be attacked.