Heidi Chronicles - Almost Spring 2010

Oh, I'm so glad Heidi is back! I can imagine you were thrilled to see her again.
Tonight I went outside to fill the food dishes, and my little raccoon friend, who had been eating, ran into the kitty house behind me. The kitties must've chased the poor thing out, because a second later, he shot out across the porch, brushed against my leg, and ran down into the hole under the porch. Poor baby!

About an hour after I filled the dishes, I heard a squabble and got to the door in time to see a very pregnant raccoon chasing off an un-pregnant one, lol. Those Mamas sure need their nutrition!

Hurray: Heidi's back!!!

Yippee! Heidi is back and happy to see you! I know that you were glad that she was the first one to come to you. So glad that all is well with her after this cold, cold winter.

Spring - I am so very happy to learn of Heidi's return. What an amazing old gal!! Her 2010 litter alrady growing! How cool is that! She is surely a geriatric mom by now! No doubt your safe haven and food court have made a big difference for her over these years. How many is this now? About 7 since you initially tried to "scare" her away? Hahaha, What a hoot that must have been for her. "A crazed human"....wonder if she thought "?rabies?"
Since you have that rebuilt camera now, I will be waiting dily for my "Heidi fix"

Hugs and best wishes,
Sheri

Wonderful news. I am so glad Heidi is still with you(and us). I can only imagine how happy you feel and hopefully it will help carry you through whatever is going on with you. Theres nothing like old friends to get us through bad times.

Yayyy!!! ^_^

It really was such an extraordinary moment. I wish I had a video of the whole thing, me walking out there a few handfuls of cat food in a bag, head down, eying the ground for snakes, feeling a little down about things in general and not expecting to so much as see a raccoon on this my 1st night at the buffet for the 2010 season. Heidi is a very wise and cautious raccoon, traits, no doubt, that have helped to keep her alive and well for so many years now.

There existed a laundry list of reasons why the raccoons should be cautious about revealing themselves to me on this night. It had been some 4 months since I'd closed the doors of the buffet for winter vacation. The raccoons are always especially cautious after a prolonged absence. They still know me for sure, but they wisely choose to hold me to a brief probationary period after an absence just to be sure nothing has changed between us. They never come to me readily after a period apart. There is always a period however short during which I must prove myself once more after each prolonged absence.

Whenever strangers come to the backyard area, the raccoons smell the scent of unknown humans and become cautious. Once when I hired a man to do some odd jobs around the house, he was at the backdoor for a very brief interval for a repair. He spent most of his time either inside or at the front door but just that short hour or so at the back door was enough to keep the raccoons from visiting the buffet on the evening of his visit. This time, several strangers had spent days in the backyard transforming the landscape. These strangers had not only left their scent, they had effected the 3rd and next reason why the raccoons should have been cautious on this night. They had drastically altered the environment of the buffet and removed much needed cover.

The raccoons are always on hyper alert for even the slightest change. Even the most minute change in environment or routine will evoke caution and send them back to the forest. If I so much as rearrange the furniture, move my seat to a different location or change the position of the pool, they will approach with extreme caution. And who can forget the day the pool 1st appeared at the buffet. Hungry raccoons stood on the fence eying it with extreme distrust. What was this giant purple thing? It had not been here before. Why was it here now? Perhaps it was a trap. And so it goes with any change however slight. That night the entire backyard had been changed quite dramatically, transformed from cottage garden to lawn, weed, plants, underbrush, all slain to the grown leaving behind only the flat, open terrain of an ordinary lawn. Given the extreme changes to the environment of the buffet, the raccoons had every reason to be cautious, hold back, hide in the forest, and watch to see what might happen.

The raccoons have always cherished the cover provided by the plants (and weeds) in the cottage garden. At any given time they had only to run a few feet to find dense cover amidst the plants. Getting over the fence takes time and involves the risk of being seen and even caught on the fence. Hiding amidst the flowers and weeds is often the best choice when danger strikes. Now all cover was gone from the backyard leaving the buffet a stark and barren place with no place to hide. This should have made the raccoons nervous.

The raccoons are most comfortable when I am seated and relatively still. Any time I get up and walk around they go on alert. In mid summer after weeks around me some learn to accept certain moves, usually the ones with which they are most familiar: me standing to walk slowly away, me reaching toward them to toss food, etc. New and unexpected moves, moves which are not part of the normal routine evoke the "be cautious of anything different" rule. Last night, thinking I was alone, 'knowing' there were no raccoons nearby, I walked past my usual spot, picked up the garden buddy seat, dumped the water out of it in mid air and with a giant "whoosh", then carried it back to the spot where I put it down and sat upon it. 'Knowing' I was alone, I made no attempt to move slowly or cautiously to avoid sudden moves that might scare the raccoons. I just walked over there, snatched the thing up into the air, dumped a gallon or 2 of water out of it, and continued on my way. This should have made the raccoons cautious. At the very least they should have hung back hidden in the branches along the fence line to watch me for a time before venturing out.

For all of these reasons and probably more I've not thought of the raccoons should have been cautious and probably shouldn't even have come out to see me at all. If they did they should have made me wait for a time while they scrutinized me to access my behavior. Heidi of all raccoons, being older and wiser, not given to the kind of rash moves that might have cut her life short long before now, should have been cautious. But she wasn't.

I wish that you could have been there to see the chubby raccoon sitting on the fence for a second before rushing down and running toward me. She didn't wait in the forest edge to observe me. She didn't hide out for a while. She ran toward me like a pet dog. It was wonderful. It was everything you read about in children's books and know can never be real. She not only remembered me. This year my old friend trusted me enough to come rushing to meet me despite all the reasons why she should have been more cautious.

Yet another thing that really surprised me last night came later, about 30 min after my post when we were hit by a nasty line of thunderstorms with hail. Within 10 min of my arrival back inside from feeding Heidi and even as I was typing my post to you, the rain began to come down quite hard. I remember thinking how lucky I had been to pick that brief, dry interval between the earlier drizzle and then the downpour.

Within the half hour the wind picked up, hail began to pummel the roof, and the electrical activity became such as to send Widget scampering under my coat tail for shelter. The storms lasted another hour or so before calm was once again restored.

This is significant because for 4yrs I have consistently noticed that Heidi never comes out when a thunderstorm is approaching. Rain doesn't bother her. She will eat in a downpour although she certainly prefers to eat under the chair where I often put her food on such days. She's iffy on wind. Up to a certain point it doesn't bother her, but she knows the point at which it becomes hazardous and avoids coming out when there is considerable danger from falling branches and the like. Yearlings, on the other hand, are quite unpredictable with respect to wind. Some will hide from relatively minor gusts, frightened by the sights and sounds of things blowing about while others will come out to eat even as trees are bending sideways and small limbs are crashing to earth.

Lightening has always been the one thing that would keep Heidi away from the buffet. There were times when her absence coupled with a few clouds far in the distance told me what no weather reporter need, an electrical storm was on the way. Last night the lightening was upon us within 30min of her departure. That's cutting it close for her. I would not have expected her to show up before the storm. She must have been quite hungry.

Heidi was alone last night, and I was glad of it. Right now I can't afford the massive quantities required to feed the groups I've seen out there in years past. I suspect they will show up in time, but I was glad they were not there last night. I had only gone out with a few meager handfuls of food, more than enough for Heidi but nothing for a crowd.

It was also nice just to be able to spend some quite time alone with her. Sometimes the huge crowds of younger raccoons can be a bit raucous. I wasn't really in the mood for all of that last night. It was just nice to see my old friend again.

Midway through our time together another raccoon face did appear just above the fence, but that raccoon disappeared back into the forest behaving more as I had expected them all to behave at this point in the season and considering all of the 'negatives' delineated in my prior post. Although I wasn't really eager to see a crowd gather, I did make an effort to call the other raccoon and make her feel welcome, "Come on, it's ok." Still neither head nor body ever reappeared that night, and, quite frankly, I was glad of it.

Heidi ate several good handfuls of cat food and then left. Before leaving, I tossed a little more onto the scant pile that remained just to leave something for the other one which I figured was probably hiding out in the trees watching us and hoping for a bite or two.

Ok, are you sitting down? Tonight was amazing!

I was running a little late. These days I have to work out the tricky logistics of feeding cats and raccoons both of whom wish to be fed about the same time, but they have to be fed separately, and I need to sit with both groups while they eat, each for different reasons, and there is only one of me to go around. If I go to feed the raccoons w/o feeding the cats 1st, the confused and hungry cats may venture into the backyard looking for me and following the scent of food especially if the raccoons happen to be late that day. If I feed the cats 1st, the hungry raccoons waiting out back may smell the food and come running to the front door...

So I fed the cats 1st and sat out there with them to keep other critters away. It wasn't perfect though. The kittens were, at times, distracted by my presence, and 1/2 way through the meal a confused raccoon was seen scurrying across the front lawn. I gather the raccoon had smelled the food and sneaked around the house by way of the shrubs only to get confused and go running across the lawn upon finding a human there on the porch with the kittens. Nonetheless, the appearance of the raccoon on the scene however fleeting and far away still disrupted the meal causing the kittens to hide in the shrubs for a time further prolonging the meal.

As soon as the cats were fed, I brought the dish in, changed hats, and headed for the back door to turn on the outside lights in hopes that by doing so I might signal the raccoons to be ready by the time I got my boots on and got outside. Well, LOL at my plans, because I turned on those outside lights to see Heidi standing at the back door alone and waiting for me.

I was shocked to see her there, but now I fully expected that upon seeing me appear at the back door and seeing the lights come on she would head back to the buffet. I figured she would be there standing at her usual spot when I arrived. But I was wrong.

When I stepped out the door, Heidi was still on the patio. She stepped off the patio and stood by the camellia bush a mere ft or so away looking at me as I walked out. I spoke to her and like any pet dog, she turned to face me. At this point Heidi and I were standing side by side, me still on the patio just outside the door and her right beside the patio and on my left side. As I started walking across the patio on my way to the buffet heading along the same route I've taken every time I've ever done so, Heidi could easily have walked beside me there on the left and/or followed a few feet away in the safety of the shrubs. In fact, that's what she normally does, but not this time...

As I walked across the patio on my way to the buffet, Heidi walked behind me fairly close, I'd say maybe a foot from my heels, to cross over to my right side. I had never seen her do this and it unnerved me momentarily. Heidi always stayed on the left usually keeping close to the shrubs. Sometimes she would walk closer to me but that was when others like Dennis were around and also walking at my feet. Tonight it was just Heidi alone, and I would have expected her to take the safe route, but, again, I was wrong.

As I mentioned, Heidi walked around behind me ending up on my right side where she was out in the open on the newly cleaned patio. So unexpected was her behavior that I found myself frightened momentarily. I stopped and looked at her standing there beside me on the patio. I hadn't seen her in a long time. She was acting strange. OMG, was she rabid? Was she about to attack me any moment now? An actual terror arose within me for a moment during which I learned that raccoons are not alone in seeing safety in routine and feeling threatened when those routines are broken. I had been concerned that my behavior might cause the raccoons to feel threatened, and now in an instant everything had changed. Now Heidi was feeling comfortable enough to change the routine, and I was feeling threatened, questioning the meaning of the changes.

I gathered my courage, told my inner 'scardy cat' to get a grip, and walked on Heidi walking beside me like a Labrador retriever. When we arrived at my seat and before I could even sit down, Heidi was standing in front of me, facing me, about a ft to a ft and a half from my toes. She was talking to me, "em hem EH hem." I'm not entirely sure, but I think it she said something about hurrying the heck up because she was very hungry and something about why was I acting so strange and skittish all of a sudden and didn't I remember her.

As she stood there at my feet talking and somewhat animated I reached into the bag and tossed her a few handfuls of food. By this time she had pretty much ameliorated any concerns about keeping my distance so as to avoid scaring her. I actually tossed her food a little further back from where she stood, 2 ft away rather than 1, to give MYSELF some space. Then as she was eating, I sat down in front of her. I would have expected her to be intimidated by all of this movement up close so soon after our spring reunion - except that she had clearly drawn the line a lot closer already.

After Heidi had eaten a bit, another raccoon, this one clearly a yearling, arrived. The yearling was a little unsure at first. She came down the fence and stood back until I spoke to her before coming to the buffet. Within seconds another and yet another appeared until finally all 4 of the 09 kits were assembled in a large arc around and a short distance behind Heidi. Luckily, this time, fearing that others might show up, I had thought to grab the bag of Alley cat food for extras on my way out the door. I gave Heidi the Purina cat chow and scattered a combination of Alley cat and Purina in the arc around the yearlings. Everyone seemed quite happy to get the food. They ate with enthusiasm, and there were no complaints about brand or flavor.

I still haven't replaced the patio light (argh! What can you do when the annoying person is yourself?), so it's pretty dark back there especially in the shadows. At this point, I don't recognize the yearlings as individuals. I can't tell who is who. I know from how they behave both with each other and with Heidi that these are her 09 kits. They are still capable of eating close together and sharing food without arguing. There are 4 of them, so the number fits. Heidi even talked to them, giving directions I gather, as they arrived and made there way to the table.

The 2nd and 3rd yearlings arrived more or less together. As I tossed them food and they began eating, I had an incredible realization. At that point there were only 3 of them plus Heidi. I was still struggling to place them. I was thinking they were probably Heidi's 09 kits, but I wasn't sure yet. Then as I was trying to get my bearings, I realized that the one barely visible in the shadow of the composter was small, very small.

Small. Small. What was I supposed to remember about 'small'? Precious! OMG, the little one was Precious! I never expected to see her again, but here she was in front of me, still small but still very much alive. She had even survived the winter without my help. She isn't hanging onto Heidi's skirt tail now like she used to do, nor is she lying around sleeping. She did appear to arrive with her sister rather than on her own, but she ate by herself at the buffet and ate the whole time like the others. She is larger now than she was when I last saw her but is still noticeably small. I'm not all that skilled at this so realize that I'm offering a barely educated guess here, but I'd say she looks like about a 6mo old kit, something like that.

Precious stayed in the shadows, so I couldn't see her well enough to see if her leg is better now. You might recall that she had a bad or injured leg, a back leg I think although I'm hazy on that part since another kit was favoring a front paw at the time, too. I think when I last saw her she had been limping badly on that one back leg and holding it high in the air. The leg appeared motionless to me at the time and I had been concerned about possible atrophy. I can't say for sure at this point how the leg has fared. I can only say that I didn't notice any limping as the yearlings were coming down the fence and making their way to the buffet.

As I mentioned, everyone ate with fervor, and there were no complaints about the menu, but a couple of the yearlings did look at me inquisitively as though wondering when I would be breaking out the treats. I might wait a bit before adding to the menu. It's nice to see them eating so well without worrying about who has what. Later when I do break out some of cookies and such left from last year, I'm going to try to keep it to 1 each. I try really hard.

Wow, that's excellent news about Precious; like you, I thought you'd probably not see her again. I wonder if it's her presence that's causing Heidi to still be emceeing/directing the yearling's actions; I don't remember her doing that in previous years once she becomes pregnant again.

What exciting news! I wonder if Heidi has been around for awhile and maybe was getting worried that you have moved on. Sounds like she was sure happy and relieved to see you. I was worried about little Precious too. Bet having a good Mom like Heidi helped her survive. Can't wait to see what adventures the season brings.

Susan

Hi Ruth,

Remember, I don't know for sure that Heidi was actually directing the yearlings. I'm convinced she was 'talking' to them as they arrived. I just assumed she was probably greeting them and possibly giving directions of some kind.

Even more important, I don't know that we can safely assume that she didn't do this in prior years. I may not have mentioned it. I may not even have noticed it, but that doesn't mean she didn't do it. Over the years I have learned (and am still learning) how to observe the raccoons. I guess what I'm really learning is how to open my mind as well as my ears and eyes.

It's an incremental thing. It took me years to even realize that Heidi was talking. Before that I had dismissed her vocalizations as meaningless 'noise'. Then one night as I watched and listened I suddenly had the groundbreaking revelation that her vocalizations actually resembled words and possibly even sentences, that the 'sentences' were not all the same, and that the other raccoons appeared to be responding to these vocalizations.

It's odd how this works. Fairly early on I realized that the kits used a particular sound to call Heidi when they were afraid and she used another sound to call them to follow her when she was ready to go. At that point I recognized that certain 'simple' sounds had specific meanings, but somehow I had assumed the entire communication of raccoons was limited to a handful of these simple 'words' like "Help" and "come here". It probably took me another 2yrs to realize that the more complex series of rather throaty sounds Heidi was making from time to time appeared to be modulated and to contain potentially more complex information than the simple "Help" and "Come" sounds I had learned previously.

To those who firmly believe animals incapable of language, this all probably sounds crazy, but, call me crazy, I think it makes a lot of sense, simple monosyllabic sounds for potential emergency situations like "help" and "come", situations in which life may depend on rapid communication, and more lengthy and complex vocalizations possibly combining 'words/thoughts' for use in communicating more complicated information in situations that are not life or death.

Learning to observe the raccoons has been an ongoing process for me because I started out with a set of preconceived and firmly held beliefs, some conscious others unknown to me at the time. I've had to learn (and am still learning) to reexamine and suspend those beliefs in order to fully observe what's going on around me when I'm with them. At any given time I am all but incapable of seeing or hearing that which conflicts with firmly held beliefs.

I started out believing that animals cut their young loose at a very early age and then had nothing else to do with them or saw them just as other animals. This ridiculous notion grew out of the things my parents told me when, as a very small child, I got a new kitten or puppy and I worried that it missed its parents as I knew I would. My parents assured me that animals don't think and feel that way, that they are just very simple. As ludicrous as these ideas sound to me now when I question them openly, when I was young and impressionable, my [at the time all-knowing] parents convinced me that animal mothers and babies forget all about each other as soon as the baby is weaned, which is awfully convenient since that's when we like to give those babies away.

In the beginning I didn't expect Heidi to continue to interact with her kits as long as she did. The 2nd year when I watched her push Dennis and Cissy away, I thought that was it and she was done with them. That belief made it difficult for me to see subtle interactions between them. It was another year or so before I realized that even though she had long since pushed them out on there own, she was still interacting with the yearlings in some capacity when they returned the following spring. I couldn't see and hear her talking to them and possibly directing them when I was so sure that by this time she had forgotten they were even hers.

I hope this makes some kind of sense. Learning to learn is a process, and I'm somewhere on the path. Recently as I've watched Kitty interact with her kittens I've marveled at how much richer their relationships are than anything I'd dared to imagine - at least since I was 3 and my parents taught me animals don't feel what we feel. Even now when her 'teen' daughter is rapidly approaching the dangerous years, I notice Kitty paying attention to the actions of the kids. Last week the gardener stacked the branches and trimming at the curb. That evening the kittens finished their meal early and ran off to play in that pile of branches while Kitty was still eating. As they walked away, Kitty turned her head around 180 degrees to see what they were up to, and it was clear that she didn't approve of them going so close to the street to play (actually in the edge of the street). She knows the cars are dangerous, and she wasn't at all comfortable with them going out there to play. She took another bite or two and quickly headed to the curve in the walkway where she sat watching over them like any worried mother. And I was shocked. All along I've been shocked by her relationship with those kittens, but I would probably never have noticed all of this had it not been for all of the time I spent with the raccoons learning how to really see.

During the time the raccoons were at the buffet I didn't observe any interaction between Heidi and Precious, BTW. The only thing I did notice was that Precious arrived at the same time as a sibling whereas the other 2 arrived individually. Whether the sibling is helping to watch over Precious or it was just a coincidence, I don't know.

All this said, it is just as possible that Heidi really is interacting more with the yearlings this year and that it is due to Precious' special needs.

Hi Susan,

I do think Heidi had been around for a while before I went out the other night to open the buffet, and she probably was starting to wonder about me. I figure she probably knows I'm here. She can probably smell me, both the scent I leave in the yard and that which escapes small crevices in the house.

With all that has been going on lately, I had actually forgotten about Precious - until I saw her again, and then I lit up when I realized she was actually still alive. Suddenly it all rushed back and I remembered how tiny and frail she had seemed last fall; how I had watched her sleeping against Heidi's hip while the others were eating and playing; how she had held leg so high and how it had looked so atrophied; and how I had been sure she would never make it.

That she is still alive is pretty amazing really. From what I've read, statistically some of the perfectly healthy kits shouldn't make it to yearlings, but so far Heidi has managed to keep every one of her kits alive and healthy at least until they grow up and go off on their own. Every one of them the last 4 yrs has managed to become a yearling at the very least. She has definitely defied the odds in many ways, but then she is anything but average.

Hi Lady! oh to, read your Raccoon stories once again. And the preciousness of ittle Precious!
You have such a magical way with words ad an absolutely enthralling ability to weave a tail..er tale!!


Ah, to happy days of racoon dailies once again!

Awaiting the next chapter.

Sheri, Elvis and the felinery

I took no offense. I have seen many of those shows and am familiar with the wide range of people covered. I know that I could fit in somewhere.
I also know that you were describing the shows, not me...so...no problemo!! ^_^

Thank you SO much, Sheri!

Thanks for the wonderful and encouraging compliments. I'm so glad you are enjoying the story.

Oh, and, whew! Glad you understood that I was just giving you the info I had on the shows I had seen, not assuming you met any of those particular categories. I've never seen the one Terese mentioned, the Oprah one. I never watch her show. I'm not at home then. I need to record her now and then just to see what her show is like.

I dont watch Oprah -- but i LOVE the container store, get their emails, and they mention the show.

I watched ONE of her shows... and she was going on and on about this dinnerware set she has, it was sickening... and when she mentioned what she paid for Salt & Pepper shakers... which was probably more than what many of her audience makes in half a year... i got ill, and vowed never to watch again.

Yea -- she's wealthy, made 'her own way', does good for some.... but i feel she does get too much credit ... dont even get me started on that Pontiac giveaway a few yrs back....

can't stand the woman.

**rant off**

LOL, Terese,

Ok, then I won't bother DVR'ing it. You know, I think I might have 'sampled' that show some time back in the late 90's when 'vegging' a day or so post surgery. Seems like maybe the cable was out temporarily leaving me camped out on the sofa with nothing to watch. I don't even recall what she was talking about at the time just that I was quickly bored and moved on. I haven't watched it since.

Then when I saw your post, I though "hmm. organizing. container store. that sounds interesting. Terese must like it. maybe I should check this out. I suspected I still wouldn't like the show, but figured it wouldn't cost anything to 'tivo' a few episodes just to see. Thanks for the input. Now I won't waste my time re-sampling the show. (I'm not interested in fancy, expensive dinnerware nor do I care about what celebs like Tom Cruise (sofa scene called out on the news) are doing.)

Thanks, Terese. Sorry if I touched a nerve. :-)

Terese,

Going back to your post of Friday night to which I failed to reply previously:

Thanks. That made me smile all over again!

LOL.... I had to think... Friday night?? sometimes i can not recall what i did the day before, much less 2 days ago... it was just heart warming to know you had a good evening with your "Old Friend".

KyWoods,

Awwhhh. How cute.

Please be careful not to accidentally get the critter feeling trapped - referring to the scene I imagined of you in the kitty house when the raccoon ran in with you. I've always been careful not to get between the raccoons and the escape route (forest), although it's often not a big deal with the buffet regulars lately. I know you know not to get between them and the exit (even accidentally), but just had to mention it again.

Oh, yeah, those expectant mommas are a force to be reckoned with always. When I think of this, I compare it with the human condition and imagine eating for 6. Then I think maybe I better understand.

LOL, Terese,

Yeah, I have difficulty remember what I did yesterday, too. Thankfully, here at DG we have those stored posts with dates and times to keep me straight. In that post, I decided to mention the date because sometimes I read a response someone left me (after a period of time) and can't recall what they are referring to. In fact, someone [I didn't recognize] once sent me a very brief dmail in response to a post I made somewhere on DG (not one of you guys and not here on Heidi threads). The person didn't include any information I could use to 'place' the post to which they were referring. I had no idea what they were talking about. Never did figure it out.

I was very giddy that night after seeing Heidi again and having it go so well. I was sitting out there last night wishing I had managed to get a webcam setup so you guys could see how the 5 of them, Heidi and the yearlings act almost like pets. Sitting there at the time I felt there was no way I could adequately convey what was happening. Of course, I know that you aren't all that shocked that the raccoons remember me and are acting this way.

Hi June,

You're right. There is no raccoon I would have preferred to see greet me at the start of the season than Heidi.

Now that that's over, I would love to see Dennis, Fraidy, HRH, and Bast one more time but highly doubt that will happen. I'd love to see Dennis because next to Heidi she is probably my favorite just because we got so close. I'd love to see Fraidy again both because she was so adorable (in her own way) and to know that she is still ok, and with Bast, although by the end of the season she seemed to be doing great, after all that she went through last year it would be nice to see her one more time just to be sure. I know we would all like to see the big guy again, so I won't even bother explaining that one. It's always possible some of them could drop by, but with the recent overcrowding, I'm doubting Heidi will let such 'older' raccoon hang around (HRH excluded), so I just imagine them all doing great out there somewhere in raccoon land.

Judy,

That is SO true. Heidi and the other raccoons do help to lift my sagging spirits and so do each of you. : )

Hi Marylyn!

Sheri,

Yes, Heidi really is getting pretty mature now. I the extremely dim light out there at the buffet she looks fabulous - hence the benefit of being viewed by candlelight - but when I take close up photos, the camera flash flooding her with light, she looks pretty rough - and that was last year. If you look at photos from last year and compare her to the others, she is definitely showing her age. It's also interesting to go back to the 06 photos to see how young she looked back then and how much she has changed in just 4 short years.

She is definitely defying the odds. The lifespan for wild raccoons is like 6 or 7 yrs, something like that. The lifespan for raccoons as pets is much greater. Don't recall the exact number now, but it's well into the teens, close to 20, I think. Big difference. I'm hoping that the Heidi's smarts (to avoid predation and other untimely injury) and my nutrition will help to buy her some of those extra 'pet' years. I have to admit that these days I consider every new year with her a gift.

I forgot the camera in all of the excitement the last few days. Each night once I got out there I wished I had it, the 1st night to be able to show Heidi to all of you and last night both to show the 'family' group together again and most of all to get a close up, lighted pic of Precious as a yearling. Hopefully, I'll remember to take it out soon.

Spring - How about a necklace type hook to attach the cam to!? (tucked inside an overtank or something to keep it from dangling, yet ever ready (recharging batter is necessary -- that's what I was forever forgetting when I had a functioning cam...and O how my heart aches for any type of functioning cam again--it will be a very long time till i can even afford a cheapy by Costo standards... oh well)

On to the racoon buffett and of course never to forget the Widget or Kitty tails er tales

Sheri

Sheri,

By 'cam', if you mean my camera, it's huge. Not one of those tiny, thin deals that slips in a pocket. Heavy, too. If you put your hands in front of you palms facing with fingers extended and curved slightly inward as though to grasp a 5-6" cube or maybe a quadruple decker burger, that's about the size of the camera. It has a neck strap, but being so large and heavy, it's uncomfortable to wear that way. It definitely won't fit under my clothing. Even when worn externally, it conflicts with my 'chest' since both want to occupy the same space at the same time. This causes the camera to want to bounce around. Getting difficult to describe now. LOL. The worst part of trying to wear it that way is that when I get to my destination, if I reach down, say to fill a dish or something, the giant camera on a strap goes flying forward to wallop anything (like a raccoon) that gets in the way.

Thanks for the idea though. Naturally, I forgot it again tonight, but I'll surely remember it eventually.

**** IMPORTANT QUESTION about trapping kittens ****

Sorry to switch topics on you, but I plan to set the trap(s) tonight to try to catch one or both kittens. Tuna worked really well last time. Don't think I have a spare can of tuna right now. Worst case, I do have some foil pkgs, but I was thinking of trying salmon. I have a small can or salmon in the cupboard. Curious to hear your thoughts on salmon vs tuna, but that's not the big question which follows:

Should I put Kitty back in the upstairs bathroom (where she may or may not behave herself this time around) while I try to trap kittens??? I don't know if she will behave up there again - I say this because she shows signs of not wanting to go back in there - but if she will, it seems like that would resolve some problems.

If I set the trap this late, there's a chance I'll catch the something after I go to sleep. If it's a kitten, no problem. If it's Kitty, then I've lost time and forced her to spend the night in the cage again and the kittens to watch. Also, if I catch a kitten, I have concerns about having Kitty out there all night standing by her trapped 'baby', worrying and fretting, but unable to do anything to free him/her.

Edited to bold caption at top

This message was edited Mar 14, 2010 11:21 PM

Well, for what it's worth, Kitty is back upstairs and quite for now. I carried her up there along with an open can of cat food which I left for her to enjoy. While I was up there, she looked around a bit, sniffed the food but declined to eat it, hopped in the litter box and squatted as though to urinate, then hopped back out again leaving no sign of actual use. After that she went and sat at the door demanding to be let out. I managed somehow to push her aside and get out - or maybe she gave me enough of a 'handicap' to make it.

I gave the kittens a few bites of the regular dry food and then set the trap with a bit of canned salmon. If the snack and/or bad memories of their prior experience with the trap prevent them from going in their tonight, I'll try again tomorrow w/o feeding them.

So now, it's on. Here's hoping I could be as lucky this time with the trap as last. Is that even possible?

Surely salmon will be as tempting as tuna! Good luck and I hope you catch a kitten soon!

Ihope that you can catch them. Moving Mama into the house was good. Unfortunately, cats who learn what traps do are increasing less likely to get caught again. Repeated experiences usually increase their "savvy" and thus warriness of getting trapped again.
I know you are doing the best you can and applaud your plan to take them in the very next time that you atch them. If it were me...and I caught only 1, I would seek a place inside the garage to store that one, setting the trap oiutside in the hopes of catching the other one too.
Praying for a good outcome here and hungry cats!!

Sheri

Thanks for the input, KyWoods,

Fingers crossed.

Thank, Sheri,

I actually have 2 traps. If I manage to catch anything before I go to sleep, I plan to put that one in the garage cage and all and set another trap. I can't set them both at the same time, in case you're wondering, because there is isn't sufficient room at the front door w/o placing the trap in view of the street. My experience from setting a trap at the back door last time was a bit much as I caught an opossum, a raccoon, and 2 kittens back there in a very short time. I'm not feeling that energetic tonight.

Just made a quick check. Both kittens are sleeping on the bedding I left in the corner of the porch. No activity with the trap yet. I may add some tuna before bed if the trap is still empty. I think the kittens may be waiting for their mom to return. She comes in from time to time whether on her own (uninvited) or by invitation. After a relatively brief stay, she goes back outside, again either of her own volition or with mild encouragement. So to the kittens her disappearance into the house wouldn't likely seem like a crisis. They would just wait for her return as they are doing now.

By this time the younger kittens had both already been caught (weeks ago). Clearly, this time won't be as easy as before, but I'll bide my time and keep trying. Last time, it was early morning before Kitty fell for the trap. Oh, wait, I guess it's early morning already.

Good point, Cheryl, on the difficulty determining whether raccoon behavior you're observing for the first time is actually new, or just the result of greater observation skills over time.

Salmon is perfectly fine for bait; some cats seem to prefer tuna over other fish, but those who like salmon LOVE it. Applause for putting Kitty in the bathroom while you're trying to trap; that is by far the best idea, for a variety of reasons. If you don't catch anyone tonight, I'd definitely try again tomorrow without offering food outside the trap. If that bath rug they've used for bedding is still out there, you could try covering the trap with it before you catch anyone; that makes the trap look less like a cage and more like a cave, and has a familiar comforting scent by now. Good luck!

Well, I did get a kitten in the trap, which is a good thing; however, much as I had feared it's the black/brown male. I need to get rid of both of them either way but had hoped to get the tabby girl 1st for many reasons. Not only is she the one most in need of intervention, but she is also the brains of that outfit. The boy would have been pretty helpless without her and thus presumably easier to catch. I fear that she may be ever more difficult to catch after having seen her brother snared this way.

But victory is victory. Right? One down, one to go.

Now among other things I have to try to get myself into and back out of the upstairs bath w/o letting Kitty escape, and trust me that's a tall order.

Just returned from taking the boy kitten to the SPCA. Bad news. They say despite the fact that I've petted him and even picked him up, he's too old for them to work with. They won't be able to place him in a home. So, being the "you pick the noun" that I am and rather than see the kittens put down, I said I would pick him up tomorrow and return him here as a TNR. It's not what I wanted, but Gladys will be happy, I guess. I said I would do the same for the girl. I'll set the other trap for her tonight. Since these are strays and we are calling it TNR, they aren't going to charge me which is good because I'm a little short on funds right now.

After seeing the size of the boy who, btw, is a bit smaller than the girl, they urged me to hurry to get her in. As many of you cautioned, they say she is at the dangerous age. They also said that they are seeing a slew of pregnant cats right now, and virtually every one they get about that age right now is already pregnant. Like I said, I was hoping to get her 1st, but she's the smart one. I'll try again tonight with tuna.

This is the 1st time I've used the trap since Kitty's spaying. When I got it out, I found that it still had the few sheets of newspaper in it, paper the SPCA had used to line the bottom before returning Kitty to the trap the morning after her surgery for pickup. The paper appeared clean, no sign of urination or drainage from her surgery. Don't know to what extent it may have helped or hurt, but last night when setting the trap I left the few sheets of newspaper in the trap hoping the scent of the mother might still be on the paper and might serve to make the cage seem safer. Later that night recalling things Ruth had said, I thought maybe that was a bad idea since the paper might also contain scent information indicating the mother's fear at the time and/or her [post surgical] 'injury'. I guess it's all moot now though since I did catch a kitten.

On the TNR thing, I would prefer more community involvement in feeding the cats/kittens. I'd prefer they didn't think of my home as their home. Also, I'm not going to have the time to sit out there 30min or more every night to protect them while they eat - so opossums and raccoons and the like don't take the food. I think I'll start bringing the mother inside for feeding and then put a small amount of food out for the kittens and let them work it out. If the food here gets taken away, they can always go to the neighbors in search of food. According to Gladys the mother used to take them to her house (and I imagine others), so they know the way.

whats TNR ?

and that is really sad that they wont try to work with him and get him placed in a home.