Heidi Chronicles: Will They Stay or Will They Go?

aw punkin. i want to help. how?

Terese,

Thanks for letting me know about that. Oops! Actually, that was a left over fragment of my 1st attempt at the paragraph which preceded it. So it really isn't any kind of evidence of missing information. I don't always write - or think - in a 'normal', linear manner. Often, I stop in mid-though (as with that sentence) and go back up to alter or add to a previous thought in a prior paragraph. At such times I leave the fragment behind expecting to come back to it. Sometimes, as in this case, when I finish the changes/additions to the prior paragraph I may just continue on rewriting the new paragraph - having forgotten all about that dangling fragment. The fragment doesn't show up on my screen, as it is several lines below the cursor. If I don't do a preview, I never see the fragment.

Except for the occasional such left over fragment, my method of thinking 'all over the place' rather than in a 'straight line' is more or less invisible in print; but can be quite annoying for the audience when I speak. :-)

'I really need to [put a webcam up back there] ...' got changed to the whole explanation of 'I have to do all of this stuff and then I hope to put up the web cam'.

summerkid,

Can you come and help me move the furniture around? LOL, That would help a lot. :-)

You know, I was just reading that those 'mutant' ducks lay eggs 3x year with 8-21 eggs per clutch. They don't migrate, yet I never see more than 2 or 3 of them around the neighborhood. Hmm. My neighbors might be serving duck...or...I was just wondering if this might be one of the things the raccoons eat - referring more to the eggs than the ducks, those '30' lb (artistic license taken) gargantuan hold outs from the land of the dinosaurs might be a bit much even for the raccoons to handle.

Edited to add that these ducks roost and nest in the trees - a place where the raccoons are quite comfortable.

This message was edited Nov 25, 2007 12:43 AM

Muscovy, eh? My my: twenty pounds is one darn big duck, not to mention it's one darn homely duck. That face looks like a cross between a duck and, well, a turkey. All of the mallards, wood ducks, etc. that I dealt with in my sheltering days were quite gentle souls (unlike geese and swans!), but being mobbed by ducks that size could be intimidating, to say the least.

I'm very familiar with that snorting sound you describe from Dennis, and you describe it really well. To me, it always sounded like snoring from someone whose room you would NOT want to share.

Love the scene of HRH racing the kit to dinner. Can just see him thinking, "that kid is NOT going to beat me; I'm not an old guy yet," and then celebrating his victory (or tie) with his trademark trick of presenting his butt and hiding the food with it and his tail. Such a funny dude.

Really sounds like Juliet has turned her kits loose on the world: no surprise there. And glad to hear that Heidi has established some distance with Blondie in her usual calm way. Don't want to jinx it by saying anything, but it's looking good that they're still there in almost December. Wonder what made the difference? Heidi's increased trust in you this year, or that wonderful pool? Or both...

Chery, I missed your oops but I do the same thing!!!! My dh finds it very annoying when I am trying to tell him something and I 'jump' back. lol

I had some catching up to do here. Had missed the start of a new thread!!!

Where will all this end?
Oh right, with scutler in the pool with the kits.

Are you sure in a pool with the kids? I was thinking in a sleepin bag under the stars....just so little Rupert wont be alone, and she can keep an eye on the "loners". They all know she is "mom" to them. Or at least Mother Nature!

Debbie

Cheryl,

I have become an avid fan of the Heidi Chronicles! I discovered this thread during the Thanksgiving weekend and had to go back to your first thread to follow your adventures from the beginning. I can't tell you how captivating your writing style is! I'm now a year into your saga & wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying reading his, before you & your raccoon family retires for the winter. My husband couldn't believe how much time I spent reading this weekend!

I also have to thank you, Ruth & Karen for opening my eyes about raccoons. We moved into our house 3 1/2 years ago & share our land with raccoons, skunks & deer (and who knows what other critters), as well as our 2 cats - one of whom is a semi-feral that we inherited, when we bought the house, (he sleeps with us now, but will never lose his feral startle response). We've rarely seen raccoons, but we obviously have them - some of the youngsters interact with our cats - ie. we see them nose to nose & we've seen our Siamese mix (not the semi-feral) run with them - not away from them, with them!

I've always been frightened of the raccoons & glad that we see them rarely, especially the big ones who are well over 50 pounds & show no fear, when we meet them on our back porch - we leave cat food & water out there (maybe that's why they don't bother our garbage) & are happy to share it with the raccoons & skunks. After reading this thread, I know that the raccoon I saw lumbering down the steps was obviously pregnant & that the screaming, when I feared for the cats (who were peacefully sleeping inside) was their mating dance. Now, I know that they are not aggressive animals and hope to be able to enjoy their presence, instead of fearing it, and look for them instead of hiding my head in the proverbial sand (by NOT looking for those eyes in the darkness).

Recently (about 2 weeks ago), two LARGE raccoons tried to come in our cat door. It's at the top of a spiral staircase, leading into our master bedroom - we thought that location would deter the critters. The cat door is a necessity, because the semi-feral must have an escape route or he completely freaks out... we've closed it at times, when the cats start bring critters, (some dead, others not,) in during the spring time, but we do that at the expense of our sleep, because the semi-feral cat will head butt the door until he wakes us. Anyway, the raccoons must have followed our kitties up the stairs, and were using their paws to open the door, but couldn't figure out how to keep it open long enough to get their head inside - I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they watch the cats closely enough to learn the technique..... needless to say, we're alarmed at the prospect of waking up to a raccoon in our room. As an aside any suggestions are welcome....

But mostly, I wanted to say thanks for brightening my week & opening my eyes to the world of the raccoon! (Now, my husband knows I'm nuts) :-)

Liz

Hey, being nuts is at least entertaining, if not downright fun! LOL Don't think I'd want a coon in bed with me, though, no matter how much I love 'em...don't know what to tell ya 'bout that! Welcome to our thread, Liz!
The coons in our neck o' the woods are having leftover turkey tonight--and lots of it, so they should be happy.

Hi, Everyone!

Unfortunately, this is 'heck' week at work. The software product on which our team has worked for some 2yrs is due on Friday. Eeeek!!! Does anyone know where that 'Pause' button is?

Needless to say, it's been a very hectic week already and will undoubtedly grow increasingly intense with each passing day. (Today I realized I may have misinterpreted something and may have to redo it. Whaaaa! That's me doing the Lucy, of I Love Lucy fame, ear to ear cry.) So while I will, no doubt, check in with you from time to time during the inevitable sanity breaks - because I'll likely need a lot of cheering up - I may not be able to do a lot of writing until it's over. (Last night as I stumbled to bed at 2AM I SO wanted to write of recent events and had to be quite firm with myself about the necessity of getting right to sleep.)

(I'll try to take a few minutes to night to update you on the raccoon antics before my meeting with 'Abe and the Beaver'.)

Hi Ruth,

Those ducks are the size of small ponies - ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but they dwarf the Canada Geese. Moreover, while the large flock of Mallards mostly kept back 1 to 1.5 ft from me and were totally non-threatening, the 2 Muscovy ducks stayed right 'in my face' the whole time and were sufficiently 'assertive' that I felt compelled to feed them as a sort of protection fee. The one that 'covered' me stood above my knee and brandished a 6-7" long x 2" wide beak. They never did anything overtly threatening, but I found myself taken aback by their sheer size, not to mention their complete lack of concern about being pushed (gently) by my foot. However, from what I've read they are among the best if not THE best ducks for the dinner table: very large breast, minimal fat, non greasy, etc. The literature indicates they are only able to with stand temps down to 10F; so those of you in colder regions may be less likely to see them around. (If you need a duck for the holidays, LMK.)

Your description of HRH as "Such a funny dude" made me chuckle. So true.

I'm pretty much convinced that Juliet has tossed her kids out on the street. They are rarely here at the same time and on the rare occasion that their visits overlap, they keep their distance and act like strangers. Lots of differences between Juliet and Heidi. Heidi and her kids are clearly still together. Some days all 4 arrive together; some days they don't. I can see that Heidi is encouraging greater independence among the kids. But they all still eat side by side like a happy group of domestic cats.

I'm actually beginning to think they may stay this year. If they do, I'm not sure what to attribute it to. Compared to last year, this year I really did a lot to try to make them comfortable here: food, treats, toys, pool. Maybe it worked. So far so good.

Hi nanny,

LOL, It's comforting to hear that I'm not the only one who jumps from one part of the story to another! Drives people crazy, doesn't it? Do you stop mid-sentence to work on another thought for a while like I do? Funny thing is, when I write the 'problem' goes away; by the time the story gets 'published' most of the parts have fallen into the proper sequence. : )

Glad to see you found the new thread!

Hi summerkid,

Who says it has to end? If summers here get much hotter I may be tempted to get in that pool.

Hi, Debbie,

Awh, how sweet. I can just see me in my sleeping bag on the lawn with the kids all around. (One thing is for sure, with those guys around for protection I wouldn't be afraid to sleep outside.)

Hi lizzipa,

I'm so glad that you found us! It's wonderful to hear how much you've enjoyed the story, and you couldn't have picked a better day to write your post. I was having one of those days. You know the kind where nothing horrible happens but somehow the world just doesn't seem to embrace you, the kind of day where a few friendly words (not to mention some great compliments) make a world of difference. Thanks very much!

Since you went back to read the whole story from the very beginning, then you know that what I know about raccoons I've learned in the past year and a half. I'm no expert on the subject. In thread #1 of this series I was afraid Heidi would attack me without provocation. I only know what I've learned in my experience with Heidi and the gang along with what I've Ruth and the other members here. As you know, I've found the raccoons to be amazingly non-aggressive - as long as they don't feel cornered with no escape route, of course (sounds a little like your feral kitty, huh).

I've also found them to be quite intelligent; so I suspect they will figure out that pet door all too soon. Will the feral cat consent to wear a collar? If so, you might want to consider one of those pet doors that will only open for an animal wearing the matching collar. That would seem like the best solution. It would open for your cats but not for the raccoons or any of the other critters outside. If interested in something like this, I would check out user reviews online at places like Amazon and Epinions. (Also Google the product and 'reviews' or similar words)

Although we joke about it sometimes, I wouldn't want to find a raccoon in my house either. For starters, being confined by the walls of the house would break the 'escape route' rule. However, if the worst happens and you do find yourself in the house with a raccoon, by all means stay calm, don't panic (easier said than done, huh?). There was a thread here maybe a year ago (Later I'll see if I can find it in my 'tracking' threads and post a link) where a raccoon came into a woman's house (several times) via the pet door. She posted a couple of photos, one with the raccoon standing at the foot of the bed and looking quite calm. I inquired as to how she managed to get the raccoon out of the house to which she replied that she used food to lead it out the door. I spoke with another person here at DG who repeatedly noticed that the pet food (in a dish in the kitchen) was going much faster than usual. Eventually, she found that a raccoon was coming in (opening the back door I believe she said) to eat the food, and then going back outside again leaving no evidence of his/her visit other than the missing food.

If you are anything like me - or like I was before this adventure began - you might feel a little threatened by the idea of using food to lead a wild raccoon out of the house. I expected raccoons to behave more like dogs. I thought they would attack me to get the food or otherwise try to grab it away from me. As you now know from reading the prior threads, many times I've held food while in close proximity to raccoons, sometimes quite a few of them at once. None have ever attempted to take food away from me - well, except for the babies who sometimes gently reach for the bag of grapes or peanuts while I'm feeding them but even when they have the bag in their grasp they willingly release it when I tug gently on it. The adults - even Diva who always seemed a bit psycho - never tried to take any food that wasn't tossed to them. (The wild adults won't take food from my hand. Even those that will come near me to eat from a dish or from the ground will back away from food held in an outstretched hand.)

I have also seen a number of [often amusing] video on YouTube, Google Videos, etc taken by people who have raccoons coming inside. In most of them, the raccoon comes in via a window or door, eats the pets food, and then leaves the same way he/she came in. There was one in which the raccoon got a bit startled and climbed up onto the curtain rod. The home owners had some difficulty getting that one down, but I don't think all their laughing and playing helped much, and in the end now real harm was done other than a dislodged curtain rod.

On the other hand, I've read (but have no real evidence of) horror stories about raccoons getting into houses when the owners are away. If the raccoon can't get back out again - I think this usually happens when the animal enters via a chimney with displaced or missing cap - it panics and ends up doing considerable damage in its attempt to claw and chew its way out. If it enters via a pet door, however, I think the raccoon would just go back out the same way it came in.

As a disclaimer, I should add that I don't want to encourage others to do the things that I have done. Nothing - and that includes getting out of bed in the morning or even sleeping, for that matter - is without danger. But I do want to relay my experience and try to change the bad rap raccoons have gotten.

Best of luck resolving the pet door problem. Thank YOU for making MY day/week!

Sorry, looks like I didn't leave a lot of time for recent events.

I didn't see the raccoons tonight - although I could clearly hear them in the forest nearby. I could hear the crunching of leaves as they walked on the forest floor, the snapping of dry, Autumn twigs as they moved through the trees, and the battle cries of turf wars in the distance. Still, during the 20 minutes or so I was out there, none showed up for dinner.

My take on recent events...The turf in and around the buffet is very much an organic thing, constantly evolving, ever changing. Now with the kids nearing young adulthood, the dining area is suddenly a seething cauldron of squabbles, bickering, and turf wars. For quite a while after I moved Juliet's dishes farther away from Heidi's, boundaries had been clearly defined and undisputed, and harmony prevailed. Now, the rules have changed, everything must be renegotiated, and dinner is punctuated by considerable discord.

Perhaps because the 3 newly emerging adults (the kits) each need territory of their own, Heidi and the kids seem to be trying to drive Juliet and her kids out of the region entirely. Whereas, it is true that Juliet and the other adults don't always yield to Dennis; Heidi commands whatever she wants. When Heidi walks calmly over to Juliet's area to eat, Juliet's kits (if they are there) make no attempt to deter her. When Heidi and the kids waltz over to Juliet's area, everyone, Juliet included, vacates quickly and quietly before the advancing gang. Heidi and her kids remind me of an inner city gang. As a group, they command great respect. They go where they please. No one questions them. Everyone yields to their advance.

Two nights ago, despite the fact that they had adequate food in their own dishes, Dennis and Cissy who were there alone wandered over to taste the food in Juliet's area. While they were doing so, Rupert arrived and headed straight for the food in Juliet's area. As he approached, Dennis began snorting and Cissy snarled menacingly. Rupert never paused, never flinched, just went straight to the dish where Cissy was eating, walked right up to it as though he owned it, his pace quick and self assured. A fairly nasty brawl ensued with fur and raccoons flying every which way. For a few seconds as the 07 kids struggled for supremacy I could only see an ever changing mass of snarling fur. When it was over, Rupert stood eating from the target dish. Dennis quietly resumed eating a foot or so away. The displaced Cissy stood for a moment looking almost bewildered before retreating to the comfort of her old home turf, Heidi's area and the pool. I was more that a little amazed by the changes in Rupert. Perhaps, if he was to be abandoned so early in life, a little of Diva's aggression would serve him well, after all.

Last night, there were no major battles, but Heidi and the kids managed to push Juliet into the bushes where she spent the remainder of the evening lurking about to grab the peanuts I tossed to her and run back into the veggie patch to eat them. Minor skirmishes occurring here, there, and everywhere about the area were the order of the day, and Dennis walked about snorting almost endlessly and seemingly without provocation and in a manner reminiscent of the days when a very pregnant Heidi grumbled constantly with every move. Dennis and to a lesser degree, the other kids, seem to be testing their limits, trying to assert their authority, learning in the little time that remains how to rule their world to the best of their ability.

It's not the calmest or happiest time in the garden, but I think it's an important if not necessary step in the kits' paths to adulthood. Life in the wild isn't all about peaceful tranquility. If they are to thrive, the kids must learn to posture and to fight. This is a vital part of their education.

On a different note, Trouble still shows up from time to time as he did last night. If there was any remaining doubt as to his identity the events of last night put that to rest for in the midst of all of the 'kit wars' Trouble quietly walked up to eat from a dish which was wedged in a narrow crevice my bench and the spare chair. The dish was quite literally pressed against one side of my small bench (it's a 24", single seat bench, BTW) and was so close that the arm of the bench concealed it from my view. Even the adults that have been eating around me for a year or more would not venture that close to eat. A new comer, having only appeared a month or so ago, would never have done so. Only the kits who have been raised around me are that comfortable near me...

Welcome, lizzipa! It's wonderful to have another member of our "raccoons are not the enemy" community. I'd echo Cheryl's suggestion to get the kind of pet door that only opens for an animal wearing a collar that "keys" it. I used to recommend them, in my days of working animal control, to people who had problems with wildlife accessing their pet doors; and from all reports, they worked well. Hopefully your semi-feral kitty will tolerate a collar; I certainly understand the need for a pet door with him/her in the family.

I've seen the "you tube" videos also, but feel strongly that people who encourage, or find it humorous, to have wildlife in the house are ill-advised at best. Just like your semi-feral, wild creatures can truly panic when confined and unable to escape. I've personally seen the damage raccoons can do when confined in a house with no means of escape; it is not pretty, believe me. Granted that, in present circumstances, the raccoon could exit as he entered, through the pet door; but animals in a state of panic don't think clearly. I would not worry about being attacked; I would worry about damage to the house.

Cheryl, wish I could send you an "easy" button for work this week; don't you wish those things really worked?? What you're seeing with the kits these days is typical behavior for post-adolescents: testing their chops, learning to establish and defend territory, etc. It's not the most endearing behavior; but as you said, it's a necessary and important developmental phase. Rupert is turning out to be quite a toughie: inevitable, given his upbringing. A big part of me is cheering him on, since he's such a survivor against all odds; another part dreads the thought of a battle between him and HRH next spring if he is a male. One thing Rupert did not learn from mama Diva is how to fight by posturing rather than by blows. So glad to hear that your occasional visitor is definitely Trouble; way cool that you're getting to see him again during the off-season, as it were.

Ah, the kids are growing up, sigh.

The squabbling sounds like my human kids fighting over their domain and snacks. I would trade them in a heartbeat! LOL

I wonder if major hunger plays a role in Ruperts sudden dominance. As you said, he needs that right now to survive. I bet they are all getting "cranky" as the hybernation period grows close also.

I am just amazed at how they have grown, and how we have all grown at understanding these wonderful animals.

Debbie

I'm at work, so must be brief - well, as brief as is possible for me. Brevity it obviously not my strong suit. : )

It sounds like I may not have expressed myself so well last night. I just want to clarify that in no way am I advocating letting the raccoons in the house. Even I who sit amongst them in the back yard nightly shudder at the thought of having one in my house - for the reasons Ruth mentioned, fear that it would destroy the house before I could get it back outside. I only mentioned the folks on DG who had raccoons come inside and leave again without great difficulty and the online videos of similar things in the hopes of helping you to keep calm if one does come inside; after all, if the human panics it certainly won't help the situation; and to provide some ideas as to how to handle the situation: keep calm, don't do anything to block the escape route, try to use food to coax it back outside. I definitely don't favor the idea of letting them in for 'fun' or to make a video while laughing at their antics or anything like that. Both Trouble and Dennis have stuck their cute little noses through the crack in the door hoping to come in for a look around; but as cute as they are, I've always had to 'just say no' to that request.

Above all, if you have a pet door and live in an area where raccoons or other creatures are likely to use it, I would think it prudent to invest in the type of collar 'keyed' pet door described above - just in case.

: )

I am really enjoying this thread and hope to get time to go back to the beginning and read the entire thing.

Susan
=^..^=

I know that is something we have had to learn since moving out where there are critters. I was so used to stepping out the sliding doors, leaving them open to put something out or bring something in. Not here!! Don't know what might dash in while I'm not looking!! Squirrles, chipmunks, mice etc.

If we have the door open with the screen door come dark we slide the glass door shut so the raccoons don't come on up and let themselves in! lol

Cheryl, I think we all know you don't advocate letting the wildlife in. Hope all goes well with your work and then you get some rest!

Susan! Welcome aboard! I think you will love Scutlers writing and antics of her back yard. It is one of the updated threads I so look forward too.

Debbie

Oh, yeah! And do take the the time to read it all, it's a total hoot!

Hi, guys,

Once again, as the stress increases on the way to the proverbial finish line (at work), your wonderful comments are a fabulous treat at the end of the day. Thanks.

Tonight I am definitely not going to stay up until 2AM again. It took a lot of strong coffee to restore my sanity this morning. (One of my colleagues worked at Starbucks while in college. He usually makes the coffee. He makes great coffee, but he makes it unbelievably strong. His rule is 'spare the beans, spoil the coffee'. Today I swilled it black, but if you want his coffee to look and taste like coffee with cream, you have to start with a cup of cream and flavor it with coffee. Today that was a blessing.)

I didn't stay out there very long waiting for the raccoons tonight - time being at such a premium. Rupert dropped by briefly while I was out there. He nibbled a few pieces of cat food from one dish, grabbed the egg I rolled to him and carried it a few feet before dropping it again, nibbled a few more pieces of cat food from another dish, cracked the peanut I tossed him before dropping it uneaten, turned up his nose after sniffing the Cabot's Greek Style yogurt I offered him, and then left.

It's far to warm here right now for the raccoons to be hibernating, so this sudden lack of hunger had be perplexed. Just as I was pondering what 'crop' might be plentiful in the forest about now, I learned that since I was a bit late getting home from work today 'someone' (and likely Rupert) had gone ahead and helped himself to the self-serve bird feeder buffet. Well that explained his total lack of appetite.

Ruth, I could really use that Easy Button about now! Actually, I have one, but I guess mine is broken because it doesn't seem to work quite like the one in the commercial. I know what you mean about Rupert, but I've acquired a lot of confidence in HRH. With time the reason for his and Heidi's supremacy in their areas has become very clear. Those two seem to always land on their feet.

Susan, it's great to have you with us. This thread is like one of those multi-sequel movies where you come in on the nth in the series. If you get the time to go back to the beginning you will see the full progression both in me and in the raccoons and will understand the origins of some things that otherwise seemed obscure. Thanks for the compliment!

doccat, Yes, they are almost grown, but the great thing about the cycle of life is that we get to do the whole thing over again in a few months! And each group of kids is a unique set of personalities, as different from as they are similar to the ones before them. (Thanks for the compliment.)

Debbie, Yes, I do think that Rupert has been forced to toughen up in order to survive. I never see him attack or even threaten any of the others 'unprovoked' or for any reason other than food. Dennis and the others (while honing their own survival skills) try to take ownership of all of the food even when they can't eat it all. Rupert only fights for the rights to eat. We really have learned a lot through observation of the raccoons, haven't we? I know I certainly have. (Thanks for the compliment.)

nanny, I know just what you mean. Around here I'm afraid to leave the door ajar even to take the bird feeder out in the morning for fear a snake will slither in looking for a warm winter home. Some nights when I let Widget out, I sit at the back door, leaving it open so that I can watch him; lately, I've become very much aware of the need to watch for little masked faces trying to sneak in.

Thanks. In retrospect I realized that I had spent so much time stressing the positive accounts of raccoons in houses that by 'weight' alone I may have appeared if not an advocate then at least somewhat cavalier about it. In truth, I could relate to the fear of finding a raccoon in the house, and was relaying the stories that had helped to calm my fears a bit. This morning I just wanted to clarify things; but as I wrote a hasty post before my 1st cup of coffee had kicked in, it may have seemed more strained than I had intended - the tone likely reflecting the stress of my (work) environment at the time. Hence the addition of the smiley as punctuation.

Hey, Cheryl, the work stress is more than enough: don't stress about this thread which everyone loves so much! I do think we all knew you weren't advocating indoor raccoon adventures; if anyone's tone was strained, it was probably mine. I've seen enough disasters in my animal control days to find the online videos anything but funny, charming or cute. They DO seem to encourage indoor wildlife as fun and harmless entertainment, and it is frankly a dangerous and stupid thing to do. Your point is also well taken: if a raccoon does gain entry by accident, the very worst thing you can do is panic. If you stay calm, it's more likely the animal will do so as well.

The aspect I love most about these threads is that we are all basically on the same page: respecting the raccoons for the beautiful wild creatures they are, and preserving that wildness while trying to help them survive.

Well said, spartacusaby! Scutler, I doubt any of us got the impression your are doing anything other than trying to help these "cute" but wild creatures survive.
Btw, does Heidi like younger men, do you think? How about Rupert? grin

ditto!

I panicked when I came downstairs & found 6 raccoons in my kitchen one night, but all they did was hide behind the piano & climb a window screen to get away from the banshee & her broom.

scutler, I'm really enjoying this thread as well. Makes for some fantastic reading. We have raccoons around our place too but haven't had the opportunity to meet up with them yet. The only thing I came close to meeting face-to-face with was a coyote on my walk one morning. I saw it cross the road up ahead and it started trotting down the road towards me, at first I thought it was a cat, then I thought no that's a dog, then I realized it was a coyote at 10:00 in the morning! So, here we were walking toward each other, it stopped for a moment and I thought it was going to turn away but no, it started trotting towards me again and I thought now this is going to be interesting! We got about 40 ft. from each other and he was still coming towards me without hesitation and my #$%@% cellphone rang!! He turned away and ran into a pasture, ran across the pasture until he felt it was safe and just stood there and looked back at me. I could have choked my daughter! When I told her what had happened she was stunned and actually thankful she had called and scared the coyote away. I wasn't, I wanted to see what was going to happen. I saw it a couple days later in my neighbors pasture when I was leaving for my walk around 10:00 in the morning, it lives around here somewhere. That was in Sept. I haven't seen or heard any for awhile.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! I'm so happy to helpbrighten your spirits on a difficult day, Cheryl - I know how much that can mean! Interesting that you & Ruth both had the same suggestion. Unfortunately, it's one that I didn't have much success with, in my last house - my Siamese mix (a rescue who I raised from 10 weeks old) has a freak out reaction to any collar & I suspect the semi-feral would be the same way - fortunately, they both let me comb them & put Frontline on them... Looking forward to following this thread, avidly, once I catch up! LOL!

Liz

P.S. It's fun to see some names here from the other 3 threads, where I've lurked for a while - KyWoods, 9Kittymom, & Summerkid

gardener -- I too have a local coyote that seems very curious. I've had him [i believe it's a male] just stand and watch me mow the lawn once... i was not afraid at all -- and i was curious of him too.

if in deed, the female that has been here for years, is not longer around [they say ave age is 4 years here] then this new one is a lil more skittish when I come outside ... though i do think he is curious of Buddy [the pooch] ... i've seen him get about 3' from the back of our fence ... and they were just checking each other out.

terese

tcs1366, When my Malamute was still with us he held a conversation with a coyote one night. Czar was sitting in the nw corner of the yard and the coyote was just across the road. After about 10 minutes of howling we decided to end the conversation before the coyote decided to cross the road. That was the only time I was concerned as I didn't want a face-to-face encounter with them.

I told my teacher today that we gave the raccoons our leftover turkey, and he had a fit. He said he had a raccoon family living in his attic once and found their entrance, and shot each one (kits, too) as they came out! I was horrified. He could have called a nuisance wildlife removal service, who relocates them. I will have a talk with him.

Oh good grief, KyWoods, aren't you blessed to have as a teacher such an upstanding macho protector of home & hearth. He surely will not be teaching you or anyone to respect life on this planet. He didn't even need to call nuisance wildlife: just spraying Ropel or scattering a couple boxes of mothballs in a closed attic will drive out raccoons quite peaceably. Then you seal their entry, spray it with Ropel to prevent further chewing, and the problem is over. We are the only species to kill without provocation, and with no desire to eat what we kill; it drives me crazy!!

Lizzipa, I was afraid your semi-feral wouldn't tolerate a collar; that is usually the case, but I was being hopeful since that pet door is the simplest solution. The only other thing I can suggest is to see how your cats respond to the smell of Ropel; it's a smell and taste repellent for wildlife that's completely non-toxic and lasts outdoors through weather. Try spraying it on a piece of fabric and see how your cats react; don't test it on the pet door since they need to be comfortable using it. If the cats aren't bothered by the smell, you can spray it on and around the outside of your pet door; most coons I've encountered hate the smell and will avoid it.

Well, I've caught myself just lurking again and not posting......sorry. Welcome to those of you that have got caught up in this wonderful thread and I agree you must go back to the beginning to better understand all that has been happening and to also see all the wonderful pictures Cheryl took the time to share with us.
We also have a dog door for my cat and dog but have been closing it at nights since becoming aware of the racoons on the deck. Lately its stayed closed and I open the door to let our pets out.
Kywoods,that is a terrible thing your teacher did. I still hear the babies that were screaming and crying as my neighbors two houses down were trying to chase them out of thier attic. It went on for such a long time. They were going to get someone to kill them. Luckily the mom got at least 3 of the kits under my next door neighbors deck and they are the family I have been feeding in my back woods.(I Think)

Judy


This message was edited Nov 30, 2007 1:26 PM

My teacher is probably just like a lot of other people who have been raised in the city and never learned to appreciate wildlife. I was shocked when he told that story, as he seems to be a really good guy otherwise. He's a retired cop, and used to dealing with thugs--maybe his cop's instinct kicked in when he heard the racket in the attic, but it was misdirected. I still plan to give him a list of wildlife lovers that can help in a humane was if it ever happens again. There is no reason to kill the poor little things.

Cheryl,

Thanks for the Ropel suggestion - I'm not familiar with the product, but will try it... maybe, if I put ropel around the door, followed by catnip spray? LOL! Except I'm not really kidding...

Now, I'm thinking that I should be putting leftovers out for the raccoons, (except the stuff I need to compost - they can't be too hungry, since they never raid my compost pile or garbage,) instead of throwing away old or freezer burned items. And I should probably get a bigger outside water dish for the "cat"...

lizzipa,

Sorry, but that was Ruth (spartacusaby) who gave you the tip about Ropel. Oh, just realized. Maybe you don't have the names mapped to the right screen names yet: spartacusaby is Ruth. I'm Cheryl. With her background and experience in wildlife rehab Ruth has been our resident expert and an indispensable resource.

I need to get some of that Ropel stuff myself to put up close around the house, not for raccoons but for the squirrels. They are cute but they run around on the roof a lot and that makes me nervous. I've heard and read too much about the problems they can cause. I'd like for them to stay in the back part of the yard like the other critters.

When I met Heidi I started purging my fridge and freezer of those things I knew would never get eaten. Suddenly, items that had been destined for the landfill have new purpose, and now I remove the items sooner (before they turn green).