When you mentioned coyotes, definitely keep your kitties inside. When I lived in Central Calif. on a ranch, we lost many furkids to coyote raids. A cat is no match for a hunting party of coyotes. Even now, since I live close to the Virdigris River in southeastern Kansas, I still hear coyotes howling from the river bottoms at night. My furkids are scared of them, and rightly so. I believe one of the main reasons cats like to go outside, even if they are primarily inside furkids, is to nibble on grass or some other green plants. Perhaps it would be proper to keep a box of lawn grass growin in the house all year, so they can eat some now and then.

........wayne