I'd have to consult scriptures. Might raise both arms to the sky, and command in a soft voice like the rushing wind "begone" and the raccoon vaporizes.
Or, he might chamber a round and shoot the pest.
No, some one across the river trapping and returning them.
For someon who wants to teach me about Jesus, you seemed a bit gleeful about ways to kill one of God's creatures. Now, I'm pretty agnostic so I don't really need to consult holy books, but the original problem wasn't the raccoon, it was that the raccoon was coming in through the cat flap. So killing one raccoon might not even solve the problem since another raccoon could do the same thing.
Seems that a Home Repair newsgroup might come up with a better answer. It's tough when the budget for solving the problem is apparently zero, but if the OP doesn't have enough money to spend a bit on the issue, then perhaps there is a problem with wealth distribution in our country.
But as for a fix, my cats all have collars with RF chips that I can locate with the Loc8tor.
That's pretty clever and the same sort of gadget can be used to open a particular feeding bowl for different cats. If you have multiple cats eventually you will have a problem with feeding one and not another.
On Mon, 18 Aug 2014 05:54:05 -0700, dgk wrote:
We used to live in 'downtown' of the 7th largest city in US, about 5 blocks from main street and one block from City Hall, Police Dept, Federal Buildings, meaning very urban area. In an old Victorian style home, separate garage. One night as I drove into the drive along the back yard I could see a family of raccoons 'gleaning' for something in our lawn. They were taking their little hands and feeling for something in the grass, then would place what they found in their mouths, and kept moving along, like 'grazing' [later I found out they were pulling all the slugs and grubs off the grass, great!] I purposely ignored them as I parked in the drive to carry in groceries. One juvenile of the group came over towards me, so I 'talked' to it. In response, it stoodup on hind legs and swayed back and forth, like a greeting. The other members of the family kept clear, but this one would always aproach me when I'd come home. So,I bought him a can of cat food, opened it in front of him, and set it out. Wow! friend for life here. After eating the cat food, being a juvenile, he'd run around, grab low hanging branches and swing back and forth in play. I guess that means thank you in raccoon. Finally come back to me, stand on hind legs swaying back and forth with those outstretched arms, then leave with his family. This kept going on until, you guessed it, he kept getting 'too' friendly. Started following behind me as I carried groceries to the steps of the back door. While following me, he'd reach out with his paw and swipe my heel causing my foot to deflect and lock/catch on my other foot almost causing me to fall [This raccoon must have gone to the same high school I did, since that was also a favorite sport amongst us]
After time, they all grew quite large, the siblings evidently moved on, but that one precocious one stayed around, until one day when I came home, there he was right in front of me, but now about hundred feet away I could see he was accompanied by a female and three very little ones of his own. So I stopped and gave full attention, and one by one the little ones came from distance away to come up close and parade in front of me, like trying to gain approval. Each passed 'carefully' by. The female would not leave her safe distance, but acquiesed to have all her offspring be paraded in front of me. Looked like a small May Day parade. So I rewarded with the can of cat food, and they all played around the lawn for awhile. except female who was quite happy to 'hide' in the open under her tree.
Don't know what happened to the original, got old, died don't know. But the three little ones slowly grew and adopted our lawn as 'home' I guess.
Over time, and many cans of cat food, they'd now started to congregate up on the steps beside the back door waiting for me to bring groceries up. All three would stand on their hind legs while waiting, like small children. As I would turn my back to pick up sacks from the car; they would intently claw at the back door trying to open it [all while up on hind legs], then as I would turn carrying the sacks, they'd all stop, quickly turn their attention away from the door, back to me, drop their arms down to their sides, and all start milling around, some looking up, another looking down, all trying to look innocent, like "we weren't trying to get in" but turn my back and they'd all be back at that door clawing away. Like a scene from a film.
Ok, ok. So one night I opened the door for them, and they dropped dwon from their standing positions to the level of the top step, staring intently into the 'forbidden' space. Actually, one got head over the threshold, but that was enough, with curiosity satisfied, they all turned and ran out to the lawn to continue their grazing, and never clawed at the door again.
They never touched our garbage, and always grazed our lawn for slugs and grubs. I had long ago given up spraying for the slugs, to not hurt the raccoons. And always greeted me when I came home, all three standing on their hind leges with arms up in the air swaying back and forth.
This little guy lived around our house for a while
That's a nice story, thanks. I had a pet raccoon when I was a kid,,,weighed 1.5 pounds when I got him, became my good buddy. I still have a soft spot for them, would never hurt one.
Yes, they are really smart. I avoid harming them also, but feeding them is probably not a good idea. Possums will move on even if you feed them. Raccoons don't, they stick around.
But we feed the local feral cats (we've had them neutered) and I'm sure that some of the raccoons get the food also.
Has everyone seen the commercial where the vision-impaired older lady lets in the raccoon thinking that it's one of her cats? Pretty funny, and likely true.
Replace your pet door with a more secure model. There are pet doors that have sensors built into them that detect a matching sensor you attach to the pet's collar, or the microchip embedded in your cat. That way, the door opens for the pet, but not for any other animal. Here's one to consider:
What they meant is that racoons are game animals. And as such, they are protected by game laws, which you have to abide by in order to legally deal with them.
Look up the game laws for your state, or phone your state department of natural resources. Most states have clauses in their game laws that permit homeowners to legally eliminate a game animal that is posing a nuisance to the homeowner. Usually, those laws require the homeowner to give the DNR advance notice of their intent to do so. That's not because the DNR is playing hardass; it's to protect the homeowner in the event that somebody gets mad about the killing and reports the homeowner to the DNR, who will then have to treat it as an unlawful taking of a game animal.
So - talk to the right people to find out the right way to deal with your problem. Then replace your cat door with something more secure, or you will continue to have animal incursions.
Exactly. Because nature abhors a vacuum. You remove one wild animal, you've created an opportunity for another one to move in.
What is it with you right wing nut jobs? Claim you love this country, but you hate having to abide by its laws.
Why is it that you RWNJs insist we need the world's largest military to invade other countries to 'protect' ourselves, but complain about paying the taxes needed to pay for your wars and your casualties?
And then you RWNJs let the veterans languish and die for lack of proper care after they - unlike you - volunteer to do the fighting you called for but refused to do yourselves.
CY: I think if you do some research, you'll find Obama and the lefties have many more incidence of law violation and scandal.
CY: We don't complain about taxes for military. But we do get a bit upset when our "elected reps" throw buckets of money at illegals.
CY: Why don't you do some research, and see when the VA is better funded and run? I've not researched, but my guess is during Conservative admin, much better care. My family has at least a couple veterans. Not me, due to medical problems.
Per dadiOH:
There's a documentary movie out called "Raccoon Nation".
I enjoyed it.... and it points out that at least one person studying raccoons thinks they are evolving intelligence-wise right before our eyes - as they adapt to city life.
I had that same thought last night about the family of raccoons that has been living under our shed for as long as we have (30 years!) They certainly haven't ceded any territory to us and when you watch them work their very human-like "fingers" you realize that they are evolving. We may have just evolved first but I suspect we won't be the last.
A while back, I thought someone was sending an ominious message. I found a package of ground beef on the hood of my car! Turns out it was the raccoon family raiding the neighbor's garbage. They had thrown out some expired hamburger and the raccoon stole it but apparently got frightened by something and dropped it on the way back to the den.
They have chewed through the very heavy plastic of my neighbor's rolling trash can, gnawing a raccoon sized hole in the area just below the lid.
Going to HF to buy some motion-sensor "stick up" LEDs to put around the can area to film them. I have a CCTV system so it should be easy to fast-forward through a night's worth of video to find the spots lit up by the raccoon tripping the PIR. I never knew how many were back there until we had a snowstorm and the backyard was criss-crossed with dozens of pawprint trails - all leading back to the shed. You have to admire how invisible they are most of the time. Probably the most important of their many survival skills.
I'll check Netflix for "Raccoon Nation" although I seem to recall seeing it on Nova or Nature. They have a "Princess Raccoon" and a "Rodney Raccoon" but not "Raccoon Nation." )-;
Per Robert Green:
It's a Nature film.
Can't remember where it was, but I found a freebie download for it.
Having fooled around with IP cameras at home, I found the detail/resolution of the night-time photography especially impressive.
That and when they showed a raccoon opening an overhead garage door.....
-)
If a raccoon ever teamed up with a bear, there is nothing you could keep them out of.
I would love to use the sensor route, but thought it was only for collars. I long ago gave up trying to keep a collar on him. After about 3x buying collars and having tags engraved with his name & phone #, and having him "l ose" them pretty quickly, I realized he is even more of a "free spirit" tha n I thought.
However, I am glad to learn that the sensor can be linked to his chip & wil l look into that.
On the matter of tolerating or eliminating raccoons: I can understand why some people tolerate, but everyone's situation is different. To keep him o ut, I have to change my whole life style! I would love to eliminate painle ssly by purcha$ubg a trap and hoping it works to run him out of town. But i t's iffy. OTOH, maybe it's a good investment in case there's another.
Dither, dither, dither...
HB
through cat door; scarfs up cat food; messes his water dish. We blocked u p cat door; cat has to use window giving on dark yard; have it open minimum , but anxious-making.
ing past my legs; no injury fortunately. So can't leave computer room door open for air at night.
big and fierce they are. Also, first have to catch it!!
hey said haven't done this for years. Gave me info about "protected" statu s. I'M THE ONE WHO NEEDS PROTECTION!
t of materials - have to be VERY strong. Ever see the CLAWS on those critte rs!
a product?******
Funny, brings back memories of my encounter with raccoon. I made mistake of rescuing a baby raccon after its Mother was road kill and the little baby kept running into road to be next to dead Mother, pretty sad, so I let my e motions get the most and saved it from death. Took it home, as an animal l over, just wanted to give it a fair chance, so fed it until it was big enou gh to go out on its own, but didn't. lol
Long story short, I couldn't get rid of him for they are always looking for the easiest meal, and I was it. He would break into house, pulling screens off windows and doors, amazing how cunning they are when it comes to getti ng free food. I ended up taking him deep into the woods for he wouldn't le ave, actually would sleep up on my roof at night as safe as it was and easy not to leave his food source.
So lesson learned, get rid of raccoon if you can, just buy a safe trap and catch him, then take him to woods a couple miles away and your problem is o ver. Easy to catch as they will eat just about anything, so bait your trap with maple syrup which was my raccoons favorite snack. lol A more expensiv e option is to get an electronic pet door which activates from reciever on pets collar, works great and only opens for your pet. By the way, raccoons stink to high heaven if they get into your home and start marking their te rritory as food source, so if you notice a smell, try Green-Homes.com air o dor purifier, worked great in my home.
Success to all,
raccoon. I made mistake of rescuing a baby raccon after its Mother was road kill and the little baby kept running into road to be next to dead Mother, pretty sad, so I let my emotions get the most and saved it from death. Took it home, as an animal lover, just wanted to give it a fair chance, so fed it until it was big enough to go out on its own, but didn't. lol
they are always looking for the easiest meal, and I was it. He would break into house, pulling screens off windows and doors, amazing how cunning they are when it comes to getting free food. I ended up taking him deep into the woods for he wouldn't leave, actually would sleep up on my roof at night as safe as it was and easy not to leave his food source.
just buy a safe trap and catch him, then take him to woods a couple miles away and your problem is over. Easy to catch as they will eat just about anything, so bait your trap with maple syrup which was my raccoons favorite snack. lol A more expensive option is to get an electronic pet door which activates from reciever on pets collar, works great and only opens for your pet. By the way, raccoons stink to high heaven if they get into your home and start marking their territory as food source, so if you notice a smell, try Green- Homes.com air odor purifier, worked great in my home.
I'd think you would say to trap and kill. Moving is about as effective as taking a bucket of water from one side of the boat to the other side.
BTW, that raccoon baby was second generation Democrat, public assistance raccoon.
Yes, KILL the little monster...all of them should be eliminated from this earth.
And now we hear from the environmental types, who want to save the cutsie wootsie wittle second generation democrat kids.
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