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#31
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A couple of our cats would bother racoons and I'm afraid the racoons would win. And rabies is scary. There are great videos of dogs playing with bears and cats that get along really well with horses and dogs nursing pigs ... but it scares me to think about cats being outside with racoons. "patga" wrote in message ... Raccoons don't bother cats. I've had them in the woods behind my house for 30 years. They come up onto the porch to eat any leftover cat food. "Kiran" wrote in message ... 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 |
#32
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I live in Huron National Forest and the coons and cats tolerate one another
well. No problems with the baby coons either. I do however keep the cats up to date on their rabies and other shots. I have observed at night, a coon, porcupine, deer, opossum and skunk all feeding on bird seed in the back yard while the cats observed from the deck. Stone Some pic's http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stoneman72/my_photos "AKA gray asphalt" wrote in message news:NVJPe.5169$ct5.2682@fed1read04... A couple of our cats would bother racoons and I'm afraid the racoons would win. And rabies is scary. There are great videos of dogs playing with bears and cats that get along really well with horses and dogs nursing pigs ... but it scares me to think about cats being outside with racoons. "patga" wrote in message ... Raccoons don't bother cats. I've had them in the woods behind my house for 30 years. They come up onto the porch to eat any leftover cat food. "Kiran" wrote in message ... 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 |
#33
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Gary Stone wrote: I live in Huron National Forest and the coons and cats tolerate one another well. No problems with the baby coons either. I do however keep the cats up to date on their rabies and other shots. I have observed at night, a coon, porcupine, deer, opossum and skunk all feeding on bird seed in the back yard while the cats observed from the deck. Stone Some pic's http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stoneman72/my_photos What's the pic of the dude in the tree with the bear cub? -L. |
#34
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Gary Stone wrote:
I live in Huron National Forest That's paradise, man. But how can anyone live in a National Forest? Are you a ranger perhaps? |
#35
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Well just to play devil's advocate, many people's children would have a
preference to eat candy all the time and never have a decent dinner, but as grown ups we have to make the decision for them and what's best for their health. Maybe keeping your cat inside is best for her? It's ultimately up to you, not me. I'll keep mine indoors as I feel they're safer there (from wildlife, from traffic, from people that dislike cats, from other sick cats, etc.). However, I think you should take some precautions regarding raccoons. They can be very aggressive animals. Rabies, distemper, and topical parasites are all concerns, and I believe even giardia can come from raccoons (assuming they're washing food in your cat's water dish). Holly "Kiran" wrote in message ... AKA gray asphalt wrote: : It is irritating to see someone say that a person who cares : enough to write a ng about her pet ... being called lazy. How : would anyone know whether the cat has a preference or not? I have no idea why any intelligent person would think that a living creature cannot have preference. Cats have always had a reputation for being finicky, picky etc., what is that if not "preference"? A funny footnote is that we do have a litterbox inside. The situation has nothing to do with litterbox, but with my cat wanting to spend all the time outside. If she is outdoors, she is not going to come inside to "go". If last winter is any guide, she'd always want to step out for a while but one day she will decide on her own it is time to start sleeping inside. |
#36
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"223rem" wrote in message news:JEOPe.282404$x96.187725@attbi_s72... Gary Stone wrote: I live in Huron National Forest That's paradise, man. But how can anyone live in a National Forest? Are you a ranger perhaps? There are areas within that are set aside and/or were preserved for private ownership. Stone Some pic's http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stoneman72/my_photos |
#37
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wrote in message ups.com... Gary Stone wrote: I live in Huron National Forest and the coons and cats tolerate one another well. No problems with the baby coons either. I do however keep the cats up to date on their rabies and other shots. I have observed at night, a coon, porcupine, deer, opossum and skunk all feeding on bird seed in the back yard while the cats observed from the deck. Stone Some pic's http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stoneman72/my_photos What's the pic of the dude in the tree with the bear cub? -L. That would be an animal rescue worker. Don't know him. Stone Some pic's http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stoneman72/my_photos |
#38
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Love your pics! Gretchen looks like two of our cats whom are tigers(Mama and
Hobbes). "Gary Stone" wrote in message ... "223rem" wrote in message news:JEOPe.282404$x96.187725@attbi_s72... Gary Stone wrote: I live in Huron National Forest That's paradise, man. But how can anyone live in a National Forest? Are you a ranger perhaps? There are areas within that are set aside and/or were preserved for private ownership. Stone Some pic's http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stoneman72/my_photos |
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