Cats and Raccoons

My cat is an indoors/outdoors cat. Ever since winters ended, she has
insisted on sleeping in the porch. She also prefers not to use the
litter-box and like to go outdoors. She has never strayed beyond our
lawn: one neighbor has a loud dog, the other one loud workmen and
machinery 8 hours a day; and those are the two outlets. :-) Frankly she
just prefers to be in our porch and lawn to anywheer else including our
house. The whole arrangement has been safe. While we await winters and
inevitable indoor life, we have even started feeding her on the porch.

OK, this neighborhood has a few raccoons as well, probably a mother
with a few kids. I had seen them a few rare times prowling a neighbor's
lawn, and besides scrounging for food they have not harmed or attacked
anyone. So far I had not even seen them on my property.

This evening a big surprise. I was dozing on one patio chair and the
cat on the other, when I woke up to some noise. A raccoon had finished
the few morsels of food the cat had left and was drinking out of her
bowl. He paid no attention to the cat. She kept dozing as well---some
alert hunter I have!

I was in some panic and got up, which startled the raccoon who ran
away. I picked up the cat, who didn't know what happened, and brought
her in along with her feeding bowls. In about 15 minutes I saw the
reccoon reappear on the porch, sniffing the floor for food crumbs. To
my amazement he also sniffed the chair on which the cat had been lying.
This time I decided to chase him away real good, with a broom, and he
ran off into shadows.

A few hours later, my cat was restless to go out again. I decided to
allow her but only supervised, ie, she can stay as long as I am there
too. As soon as she got out, she started sniffing the feeding area
where the raccoon had been.

This was the only (indirect) interaction between them---to sniff where
the other had been, while the other was absent.

I have decided not to feed her outside from now on, because she
scatters crumbs around and those smells can attract unwelcome guests.

However, I would be curious to know if those raccoons pose a real
threat to my cat? I have never heard of them to hurt any pet in this
area and he certainly showed no interest in the cat today. However, as
with people, fights can start by misunderstanding: the cat may growl to
defend her turf, which the mother raccoon could interpret as threat to
her kitten, etc. I am only speculating, I have no experience with
wildlife, and would like to hear what the experienced people think.

Kiran

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:08:41 GMT, Kiran wrote:

I have decided not to feed her outside from now on, because she
scatters crumbs around and those smells can attract unwelcome guests.

The standard solution is a platform on a three-foot center post, with
aluminum skirting around the rim - cats can jump, and so can reach the
food, but coons can't jump snd so can't.

However, I would be curious to know if those raccoons pose a real
threat to my cat? I have never heard of them to hurt any pet in this
area and he certainly showed no interest in the cat today. However, as
with people, fights can start by misunderstanding: the cat may growl to
defend her turf, which the mother raccoon could interpret as threat to
her kitten, etc. I am only speculating, I have no experience with
wildlife, and would like to hear what the experienced people think.

Mostly, they ignore each other, though I do have one that will
challenge a coon trying to come in through the cat flap. The only
significant risk, other than just getting beat up, is rabies, but you
probably should vaccinate the cat against that anyway (if you live in
an area where rabies is present).

--
T.E.D. )
SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D."
somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected.

You better get your cat a rabies shot. Personally, I'd be terrified to have
my cats interacting with any wild animal.

--
Barb
Of course I don't look busy,
I did it right the first time.

Ted Davis wrote:

: On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:08:41 GMT, Kiran wrote:
:
: I have decided not to feed her outside from now on, because she
: scatters crumbs around and those smells can attract unwelcome guests.
:
: The standard solution is a platform on a three-foot center post, with
: aluminum skirting around the rim - cats can jump, and so can reach the
: food, but coons can't jump snd so can't.

Thanks. The price of edcating an ignorant person is more questions:
What is center post? Wouldn't any 3' high table do?
Also, what is aluminum skirting, do you simply mean Al-foil and I cover
the surface with it?

Kiran wrote:

My cat is an indoors/outdoors cat. Ever since winters ended, she has
insisted on sleeping in the porch. She also prefers not to use the
litter-box and like to go outdoors. [snip] I am only speculating, I have no experience with
wildlife, and would like to hear what the experienced people think.

Kiran


Have you ever seen a raccoon under attack? Esp. a mother. It can and
will kill your cat. They are vicious and have needlesharp teeth and
claws AND paws that work like human hands.

As for your cat "preferring to go outdoors" she does not have a
preference, you just dont want to clean a cat box. But its either
that or keep getting awakened each time your cat has to go. Is this
animal neutered? Does it have shots? Are you gonna care when the neighbor
backs over it?

Richard Underwood wrote:

: As for your cat "preferring to go outdoors" she does not have a
: preference, you just dont want to clean a cat box...Are you gonna
: care when the neighbor backs over it?

I appreciate your good intentions but you are only projecting the cats
you have known, I know my cat better than you are likely to.

She does have her own preference. Except on extremely cold days, she
just wants to be in the porch all the time, even in slightly bad
weather (the porch is covered). She cannot escape to the street. She
can go to the neighbor's yards, but shows no inclination to do so. She
stays in our porch, leaving it only to relieve herself.

Of course I can forcibly confine her indoors, and I am thinking of
doing so in the night.

Richard Underwood wrote:

As for your cat "preferring to go outdoors" she does not have a
preference, you just dont want to clean a cat box.

Did you pull that out of your ass?

Is this animal neutered? Does it have shots?

This "animal"?

Are you gonna care when the neighbor
backs over it?

You're a selfrighteous busybody prick, arent you.

Our cat Neko used to go outside nearly every evening. When it got dark out
she would go to the door and meow until my hubby let her out. After she got
bite he decided to keep her in. (YEAH!!!) It took a few weeks for her to
understand that she was never going out except in her travel taxi. Your cat
will adapt too. You are the owner, you are the caregiver it is up to YOU to
protect your cat.

KEEP IT INSIDE!!!! 24/7

We have two boxes to clean, but I would rather clean to boxes than to have a
sick cat or worse a dead one.

"Kiran" wrote in message
...
Richard Underwood wrote:

: As for your cat "preferring to go outdoors" she does not have a
: preference, you just dont want to clean a cat box...Are you gonna
: care when the neighbor backs over it?

I appreciate your good intentions but you are only projecting the cats
you have known, I know my cat better than you are likely to.

She does have her own preference. Except on extremely cold days, she
just wants to be in the porch all the time, even in slightly bad
weather (the porch is covered). She cannot escape to the street. She
can go to the neighbor's yards, but shows no inclination to do so. She
stays in our porch, leaving it only to relieve herself.

Of course I can forcibly confine her indoors, and I am thinking of
doing so in the night.

Kiran wrote:
Ted Davis wrote:

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 07:08:41 GMT, Kiran wrote:

I have decided not to feed her outside from now on, because she
scatters crumbs around and those smells can attract unwelcome
guests.

The standard solution is a platform on a three-foot center post, with
aluminum skirting around the rim - cats can jump, and so can reach
the food, but coons can't jump snd so can't.

Thanks. The price of edcating an ignorant person is more questions:
What is center post? Wouldn't any 3' high table do?
Also, what is aluminum skirting, do you simply mean Al-foil and I
cover the surface with it?

Actually, a center post means just that: one post in the middle to support
the table. the post can be drivin into the ground or sunk into a bucket of
concrete so that it will stay upright. The 'table' would need to be high
enough off the ground that the raccoon can't just stand up on it's hind legs
and reach it.

Aluminum skirt is more like a stip of aluminum all around the outside of the
'table' top, just wide enough to keep a climbing raccoon from reaching the
top of the table when climbing up from the center post - similar to a baffle
used to keep squirrels out of bird feeders. This is why a regular 4-legged
table isn't all that practicle

I'm assuming a cross section of the finished product would look something
like this:


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223rem wrote:
Richard Underwood wrote:

As for your cat "preferring to go outdoors" she does not have a
preference, you just dont want to clean a cat box.


Did you pull that out of your ass?

Is this animal neutered? Does it have shots?


This "animal"?

Are you gonna care when the neighbor
backs over it?


You're a selfrighteous busybody prick, arent you.

And some days you just gotta wonder what kind of drugs people take
before they get on Usenet.




pat