Anyway, we had a raccoon in our garage yesterday. That’s nothing new in and of itself. Raccoons often find there way in through the cat door and eat whatever cat food our cat didn’t finish, or maybe go over to the trash can and dump it over looking for a quick snack. They usually run out the cat door as soon as anyone enters the garage. This happens from time to time.
What doesn’t happen is a raccoon coming into my garage, finding the round little cat bed (our cat is indoors during the winter months and outdoors the rest of the year), getting in and curling up for a warm(er) nap. Well, that’s what was going on yesterday when I went into the garage to get into my truck and go to work. As I approached the sleeping raccoon, it lifted its head to look at me but wasn’t willing to get up. OK. I need to get to work, so I just let it be.
Sometime during the morning I got a call from home from one of my daughters about this, this CREATURE that was sleeping in our garage. I told her to just leave it alone and it would go away. When I came home for lunch the lazy-ass raccoon was still sleeping in the garage and someone had locked the door leading into the house. Yes, because the raccoon might get up from his/her nap, walk over to the door to the house open it, come in and devour everybody. At least that’s the explanation I got for the locked door.I tried chasing the raccoon out of the garage but all it would do is run into a corner behind some folding tables. There was no way I was going to reach in and try to grab a cornered raccoon. When I would leave, the raccoon would go back to bed. And so it went until Mrs. TEH decided to call animal control. Too late, I figured out if I got rid of the cat bed while the raccoon hid in the corner, it might leave when it found its bed had been taken away. But animal control was already ion its way and I needed to get back to work.
And while I wasn’t there, I’m told the big we t spot on the floor of the garage is where the raccoon peed itself while the animal control guy snared the creature and put it in the back of his truck (it was too big for the cage he brought). I’m not sure what happened to the raccoon from that point; hopefully he was just released into the wild. I mean, he was just looking for a warm bed.
4 comments:
I hate those mothereffing things. We had a raccoon swipe through our screen window in the attic in fall of '06. It took to hanging out in a back corner of our attic behind some knee walls. It of course took a bunch of dumps back there that yours truly had to clean up. With this warning from the vet: raccoons carry serious roundworm that can cause death in humans. So, of course, I was super paranoid.
Additionally, my parents have been known to invite raccoons into their home and make pets of them. I am not kidding.
Wow! Amazing post. The image of this racoon making itself all cozy in your cat's special place is sort of disturbing. Also, it shoots my theory that neighborhoods and houses that have outdoor cats (and dogs), won't have visiting raccoons.
John, when I was a kid, the only raccoons we saw in town were on leashes.
One last thing, raccoons sleeping during day time hours is a very good thing. 'Cuz, if they're up and about, there's a very good chance they're rabid. Unless, maybe, someone's scaring the piss out of 'em.
Well as a hunter I must tell you that if you have never had bbq coon you don't know what you are missing. A friend who I work with at the state decided beings we both hunt and had quite a bit of coon meat, to bring in some bbq coon for the potluck. Not telling anyone what it was. Well to say the least, it was the hit of the potluck. Everybody wanted the recipe for this delicious bbq.
Now I will say that I also can my own so that helped but coon has a greasy touch that makes bbq so much better. The animal control officer probably took it back to check for rabies or diseases. If it passed then they will release it back in the wild. But remember Dave...where there is one there is 2. I had a family of opposums in my shed last year. 4 babies and a pissed off momma. I trapped them all and took them farther out in the country. But Dave you really need to try some good ol bbq coon. It is delicious.
We have a similar problem with our home in the country. Mr. Coon really loves cat food and has begun to treat himself with both brunch and of course the evening meal. He virtually cleans the cat bowl and always leaves a little liquid treat in the bowl that looks like urine. Have not got the courage up to do the old "sniff test" but wonder if anyone has experienced a similiar problem.
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