Calvin eating a chunk of melon. At his feet is a little container. That was the frosting from my desert the day before. I ate the desert and saved the frosting for them. Last night when I went out with Widget, I took it in my pocket. I saw Heidi hiding in the brush and heard a kit so I put the open container of frosting down and took Widget back inside. Tonight Calvin was playing with that little empty container. Everything is a toy at that age.
Hi KyWoods,
It doesn't peak my interest much (frosted kibble), but if you are throwing a raccoon party, you should definitely consider adding it to the menu. Seems they will eat frosted anything. Few sweets temp Heidi, not even marshmallows, but even she goes crazy for the frosting. They will even lick it off the grass.
I'm starting to find that when Heidi runs away for some reason and leaves before she has finished her dinner, she is probably hiding in a tree somewhere up overhead watching and waiting. If I want her to come back down all I have to do is bring out a watermelon and sit it in her spot or open a can of frosting. : )
Seems like she can't resist either of those items.
Thank you so much for tonight's story.
I have laughed and laughed and it made my day (or night), now it is way late, but I had to finish reading and can sleep good maybe dreaming about raccoon kits!
Hugs,
Susan
=^..^=
So glad to hear that all of Heidi's kits are accounted for, though I share your grief at the lost kit and the mourning its mom is going through. Boy are those kids cute! And I'm glad to hear that Heidi has gotten over her anxiety around you, and especially that she's happy to have the kits eat so close to you.
Twenty pounds is about the largest you'll find in cat food bags; dog food comes in larger bags, but not cat. WalMart does have good prices, but I agree that their produce usually leaves much to be desired. If you have a wholesale club in the area like Sam's Club or BJ's, their prices are usually unbeatable for the big bags of pet food.
How adorable.. Look at them cute balls of fluff!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for getting us some pictures. This so exciting. It almost like sitting there with ya.
Maybe one of them was trying out there washing skills. Only they washed it to much. Maybe they thought wetting it and mushing it would revive any bit of juice or flavor left in the rind. Probably not the thing ya wanted to see in the basin to clean.
Maybe Heidi decided to show proper manners in your presence and whispered in Clavins ears that if he didn't come he was gonna get his ears boxed good. thinking you wouldn't notice.
Whe I ready the icky in your pcoket I thought, oh no, she done left another egg there and done forgot about it.
Ya make a list of all the things and google coupons. there some new coupon site too but can't think of the name of it. It bene advertized on tv. next time it comes on will get the name of the website.
Scutler, you made my day! Agree with the assessment of Wally World's produce. Does leave a great deal to be desired, evidently you have gourmet raccoons who recognize quality! LOL
Enjoyed all of your comments - and some very good ideas. Must get to sleep and try to be at work early again tomorrow. Should be back tomorrow night to respond and continue the story - and start working on that long weekend. Whew! Do I ever need one of those.
Until then, I'll leave you with this.
As you may recall the kits (and I) had a fabulous night last night. Last night they learned that the big, scary human that mom seems to trust isn't so bad really and even comes equipped with some very yummy treats sometimes. Tonight when mom left them in the tree as usual and came down for her dinner, they went high up in the tree like she said. From that vantage point they could survey the buffet area while they were waiting. As soon as they saw that juicy red watermelon sitting right where the other one had been the night before and that bucket of grapes on the table by the nice human who had given them some last night, they figured why sit up in the tree and make mom interrupt her meal to come back for them when, heck, they could just plop on down off the fence all on their own - now that they are big guys and girls - and they needed to hurry up about it before Dennis had a chance to eat all the good stuff.
Shortly after Heidi started munching on her cat food and while it was quite clear she had not invited them to join her, ker-plop, a little furball made a semi-crash landing off the fence post followed by another and another and...another. As they came scurrying across the lawn and through the pool on their way to the grub, they ran into big sis Blondie. Man is she grouchy sometimes. She and Calvin had words. Mostly she had words and Calvin said, "Mom said to tell her if you bother us, and she's gonna beat you good."
Just to be sure things got off to a good start, I tossed some grapes behind me after showing them to Blondie. That sent her chasing after grapes and away from Heidi and the kits.
When Calvin made his way over to Heidi, she growled at him such that he backed away a bit as if to say, "What did I do?" and for a minute there I was wondering if these really were Heidi kits after all. Apparently, she was just expressing her unhappiness at not having her rules followed on this particular evening.
And then, after a brief lecture, everyone enjoyed grapes, watermelon, and...today the now less scary and very intriguing human brought a new thing...miniature cupcakes with the always crowd-pleasing vanilla frosting! A good time was had by all, well, except maybe Dennis since today mom had to spank him for not obeying her request that he stay away from the babies. After that, both he and Blondie stayed well away from the kids - while they sulked.
Here is the 2nd [in terms of bravery] kit, the one that follows Calvin. He/she is enjoying a miniature cupcake, just the right size for a little guy or gal.
That's a great shot!
I just knew the kits were going to come on down one of these days; the temptation would just be too great. I'll bet they get an earful from Heidi tonight, though, about disobeying mom's order.
It has to be tough for the yearlings, to suddenly be raccoon non grata in mom's eyes. Just one more life lesson in the long process of growing up...
Ya did it now! There goes the healthy wildlife diet out the windows. hehehehehehe I can just see ya now at the grocery store. You pull up with your cart and start unloading can after can of frosting.
You pile on th ebelt cans of dark choclate, milk choclate, vanilla, strawberry, butter cream and a host of all other kinds of lfavors, talking to yourself mentioning names like heidi, Dennis , Calvin, trouble.
I see the cashier thinking you must be making all kinds of birthday cakes for a bunch of folks, not realizing that all them cans of frosting are going for a whole family of "prefered preference" racoons. LOL
What I really fasanated with is their hands. They look so soft and so delicate and while they holding food it looks like they hold each piece very gently and like it will break if not holded carefully. There hands so tiny ya want to reach out and stoke one of them or hold out a finger for them to hold on too. They so tiny and dexterious, yet they can do so much damage. Amazing to me.
I felt so quilty last night. I got the munchies and had picked up a huge cantelope that wa slike the size of a small watermelon and cut it open and up and the entire time I was wishing I was in your backyard and could share the rest with the kits.
I know I don't have any racoons round here, but was wondering if I started throwing like the rinds and pieces of melon and such out, do ya think some racoons might find it and show up. Wonder how strong their sense of smell is.
Cheryl -- what a great story.
and can you just imagine what they were thinking while up in the tree .... seeing the fruit and knowing mom had not 'asked' them to come down ... or they just threw caution into the wind and when they saw the watermelon, just said "heck with it" we're going down....
what a hoot. Hope they didnt get in too much trouble.
and that is just so funny about frosting.... who would have thought....
"Mom said to tell you if you bother us, she's gonna beat you good!" ROFL
It happens - happens even in science. There we are going blindly along knowing what we know, all blissfully naive and then, boom, we wake up one day to find that it was all wrong. One second we are secure in our knowledge of the facts and then with the single tick of a clock's hand, our world is cast into disarray by the sudden unveiling of some new information that casts dispersions on the 'facts'. For generations upon generations the whole of physics could be explained by Newtonian theory and all was well in science, and then along came Einstein to demonstrate that while still quite valuable, Newtonian physics was but a subset of a much, much larger picture, a picture in which Newton's laws were accurate only within a narrow context which just happened to be relative to the place and time where we humans typically 'exist' and of which we are most aware.
Tonight started out much like any other. Things were going well. Everything was normal and expected. And then something happened which cast a major part of my paradigm into chaos. Could much of what I thought I new be wrong? Would I now have to go back and rethink and adjust my 'facts'? Or did I just need to start getting more sleep? I mean, maybe I was confused now rather than then. Either way, something earth shattering had happened. Either way, the old facts could no longer be aligned with the new facts. This was BIG. This would force a rethinking of many things I absolutely knew that I knew - until now...
While I'm pondering this, can you tell me. Do you recognize this raccoon?
Here's another pic, same raccoon. Look familiar?
Just go with your 1st impression whether your conscious mind thinks it's right or wrong. Who is this?
OK -- you've got me really curious now... hope you dont leave us hanging til morning.......
I'm still pondering the raccoon.... trying to think of someone we have not seen in a long time, or one that we assumed was gone.
Juliet... but it do not look like her markings.... so i'm still thinking.....
Terese,
Don't limit yourself to any group, new or 'old'. It may just as easily be someone we see every day. Upon seeing the pics, did you have any kind of 'gut' reaction, however 'ridiculous' it may have seemed to you?
in the facial shot ... i see that big nose... so i want to say Rupert, and it does look like his markings... and he's quite a bit bigger than the last time you got a good photo of him.
But then, by your previous post... it has to be "someone" earth shattering ....
To be honest, I'm trying to sort out what happened 1st before I try to tell it to anyone else. I'm honestly now sure what happened. All of the 'possible' explanations are 'wrong' regardless, so now I'm double checking some of my 'facts'.
The identity of the raccoon in the pictures is part of the mystery - and again, I'm not implying the raccoon is a 'stranger' by any means.
No, I don't think it is Rupert. Anyone else come to mind?
Cheryl -- was Diva [Rupert's mom] one of Heidi's `06 kits? or was she just one who wandered into the Buffet?
I'm going thru older photos ... this 'coon does look familiar, but i can't place it.
and i'm hoping the coloring is correct like i see it on the monitor.
You definetely have the benefit of seeing them visually, plus seeing their 'personality' to make up that connection.
So it may be a bit harder for us to say.... "oh, that's so and so.... "
...but i'm still thinking.
edited to change Juliet to Diva
This message was edited Jul 3, 2008 11:20 PM
Terese,
If you are still waiting, I apologize. I know it is getting late. I need to take a little break after which I will be back to type the story. I've decided to just type what I know and what I think I know, and then we can all sort it out later. It may take another day or more to get to the bottom of this - I mean another visit or two with the raccoons. The OMG moment occurred at the end of a long evening. It was very, very dark out by that time. The bulbs in my flood lights are all 7+ yrs old and probably fading fast; they are 22+ft high so it's not easy to find someone who is willing to change them. Also some of the once small trees are growing taller and blocking more light, that plus my eyes are a few years older. Lately it seems much more difficult to determine who is who out there once it gets totally dark out.
As difficult as it may be, you might want to save this 'discovery' for your morning coffee though because a lot happened tonight and the cliff hanger came at the very end - and it is still a cliff hanger since I don't know which of two possible 'endings' is correct. One is definitely earth shattering and can't possibly be correct. The other, while less earth shattering, also borders on the unthinkable.
Oh, and I think I may have some Rupert info, too, but that involves a revelation of sorts that came some time back, something I didn't cover at the time both because I lacked time and wasn't sure. Moreover, there was 'something' about the information that was going to get me in 'trouble' (well, just a minor thing really, nothing earth shattering), so I wanted to do some investigating before I made that potential revelation. But I will get back to that soon. Ok, I guess this is just my night to be vague.
LOL.... OK. i am tired, and heck, you are an hour later than me... I just usually turn into a pumpkin around 10pm ... though i am an early-ish riser. I'll be up around 6:30am for coffee. L O N G day tomorrow.
We believe Diva was an outsider who either wandered in perhaps having smelled the aroma at the buffet or was brought to us by our dashing HRH during their brief whirl wind courtship. She does not appear to have been one of Heidi's. In fact, they shared a distaste for one another.
You are right that I have the benefit of a lot more sensory input upon which to base identification that you do. A lot gets lost in the photos, not just personality but also relative size. Color information, as I have recently learned while viewing the group in daylight, is lost to the darkness. Until I viewed them in the light I hadn't realized some were liver colored, some were very light in color, some had white masks, some had salt and pepper colored foreheads, etc.
Late at night, however, I often reach a point as I did tonight in which I can actually see considerably LESS than you are seeing. Sometimes, especially with a raccoon who is off to one side eating quietly in the shadows and not doing anything to show personality, I have to snap a photo in order to ID him or her later or confirm the suspected ID.
Tonight, when the Wow moment 1st started, I thought I knew who the players were. Then something happened to cause me to do a double check. That's when I became all befuddled. It was dark, very dark - and then it was over very quickly and the players departed leaving me wondering what the heck just happened. So in this particular case I may have a little more info but not very much.
Another think I considered, however, when I posed that question about the identity of the raccoon in the picture is that over the past 2 years after spending so much time with the raccoons I have developed the ability to really 'see' them where I could not do so before. Now, with a few exceptions, they all look quite different to me. But I've seen them for an hour or so a day whereas you guys have only seen a photo here and there. Our abilities to see them may well be at different places along the continuum from "they all look alike" to "each is so unique". I was hoping you might be able to help by confirming or denying my suspicion, but I realized it might be an unfair question.
Yeah, but I'm a night owl by nature and tomorrow is a holiday - although I too have much to do tomorrow. Sorry for the big mystery. I will do my best to have the 'copy' in in time to make the morning paper - and your coffee. See you then.
Oh, and to anyone else who might be pondering the identity of the raccoon in the picture. If the answer is not readily apparent, it's not likely worth digging for.
sigh...
see ya in the morning...
=^..^=
Try bringing up 2 browsers and putting this pic side by side with the unidentified raccoon above (the shot with the angle closest to this one). Don't they look identical? But surely I must be wrong.
Sorry, Susan.
Dream of furry kits since I think they will play a prominent role in the breakfast story. : )
Ok, I'm back. Now I'm going to respond to a couple of recent posts, then tell tonight's story. Some time tomorrow I will switch threads and respond to some more posts.
------
Ruth -- I was shocked to see the kits disobey Heidi by coming down on their own. I don't think I've ever seen that before. I've even commented to my self in the past the Heidi's kits are often better behaved than most human kids - and she has them 3-5 at a time. Now I may have to rethink that.
Last night I think Dennis and Blondie were most upset about being pushed out of center stage where treats distribution is concerned. The whole reason Blondie was over there by the pool in the 1st place was to get grapes. I was tossing them to the yearlings (planning to hold back a good portion for the kits when they arrived). Seeing all those grapes flying about might have been the last straw in helping the kits decide to come on down. Dennis was standing on my feet and up against my legs essentially guarding me to keep the kits away. Ever since Heidi started roping off her territory in preparation for the kits' arrival, Dennis and Heidi have been arguing over who gets possession of me - which means the treats. That's what the argument was about last night. Heidi wanted Dennis to move out of the way so the kits would feel safe eating the watermelon near me, and Dennis wanted to guard his spot at my feet. When Heidi lunged at him, Dennis fought back and they actually went at it for a few seconds or so, both at each others neck. Naturally, Heidi won, and Dennis went elsewhere to eat.
starlight -- If you start putting left overs out - and I mean any little scrap - I can't imagine a scenario in which raccoon won't show up and fast. They know when I arrive with the food no matter how much I vary the time between 5PM and midnight. Furthermore, it is difficult for me to hide anything back for the kits because the others can smell it and will beg for it. If I have a grape in my pocket, Dennis will try to put his nose or hand in there to get it. If I bring out the jar of peanut butter with the top screwed on, Dennis will take it off the table, ditto with an unopened can of frosting. Clearly, he can smell these things even in their closed and sealed containers. If there is one single grape in the grass 10 or 15ft away, a raccoon who is looking for food will walk right over there and get it. They obviously have a well developed sense of smell.
Their 'hands' are extremely dexterous. I find that fascinating, too, and have often gone out of my way to show the hands up close in videos of them eating and in some photos just because I find them so intriguing. When he was a tiny baby, Dennis was curious about me. He kept wanting to touch my finger. At 1st I was afraid to let him. Then one day I acquiesced. It was amazing. He held my finger between his two little hands, gently running his hands up and down the finger very slowly as he read it like a blind person reading braille. The feel of his paws was amazing. They felt like velvet, oh so very, very soft. It took him a while to finish his discovery of my skin and finger. After that, he would often reach out and grab my finger with his hand and hold it for a minute or so - reminded me of the way babies tend to hold your finger. Another thing I find quite incredible is how, despite the fact that they have large claws that are 1in or so long and do not retract, even now Dennis can touch my arm or leg without his claws coming touching me. When he grabs food (or used to), rubs my leg to ask nicely for food, etc. all I feel is the velvety pads on his paws, no claws touch me, not even gently. To me that also shows amazing dexterity and control. My dog's claws are always cut as short as possible but I feel them the minute he puts a paw on me.
One day I ran in the store for 4 cans of frosting, a watermelon, and a large bag of peanuts. The cashier looked at me like, "snack attack?" Reminds me of the comedy routine I heard once about the odd combinations of things people run out for in the middle of the night.
It was just before dusk when I ventured out. Had I known what awaited me, I would have gone earlier. Heidi and several of the others were already waiting. Heidi came right up to me and reached into the bucket to pick her own kibble as I stood there pouring it into her dish. As she fished around in the bucket, she looked up at me. It was not an apprehensive face at all but a calm one. I actually did a double take to be sure this was Heidi, but it was. I started filling the other dishes, and as I turned to walk back across the grass I was surprised to find a bunch of miniature raccoons walking around under my feet. They were Heidi's kits on their way over to eat with her. They had been in the yard with her since before I arrived and had been hiding in the brush over by the bird bath. I was especially surprised to see them come out of hiding and walk toward their mom while I was still standing up and walking in the area.
The kits were a delight as always. Tonight I gave them peanuts. I think they were a little disappointed that their was neither fruit nor frosting, but, oh well, there is always tomorrow. I didn't want to give them frosting too often lest they get tired of it, but I'm starting to think that may be akin to the idea of humans growing tired of sugar. In my pocket, I did have 2 little packs of syrup left over from a fast food breakfast but I couldn't figure out how to get it over to them. I opened one packet and set it down on the ground near my feet, but Blondie rushed over to scarf that up. Finally, I pulled the seal off of the other packet of syrup and just tossed it over by one of the kits hoping he would find it before it all spilled out. I needn't have worried as immediately he licked his leg where the stuff had apparently splattered on landing and then went in search of more of that tasty goo. In no time the kit had devoured the syrup, and as testament to their amazing sense of smell, when it was gone he marched directly over to the empty one at my feet, the one Blondie had eaten earlier, to lick that one. Then he looked up at me as if to say, "Got any more?" Sadly, I did not.
Even at their young age, as soon as the 1st peanut plopped down beside them, they knew right away what to do with it. They and Heidi ate lots of peanuts - and the others ate their share as well. Today I had opened the bag of Special Kitty I got when I was at WalMart - not sure what I was thinking. It was virtually the same price as the Purina Cat Chow, .52/oz vs .55/oz, not much of a savings. The Purina was $9.98 for 18oz. Had the SK been in the same size bag it would have been $9.22. Heidi hated it, and made no attempt to hide her contempt. She turned her bowl over and not in a dainty manner either. She slung it aside with obvious contempt for the contents, and after searching about on the lawn for some hint of the 'real' food she had been expecting, went back to sling the empty dish around some more before coming over to see if maybe I had something better to offer her. (I don't know what I was thinking when I bought that stuff. I will definitely go back to the one she likes as soon as this one is gone. Tomorrow I think I'll take her the Cat Chow since I have another bag.) She did eventually eat some of the cat food along with a lot of peanuts.
I gather that Heidi must have had a little chat with everybody before I came out because everyone behaved quite admirably. No one even so much as growled at the babies. Blondie spent the whole time eating peanuts right in the middle of Heidi's area with the kits, and Heidi didn't seem to mind. Of course, this time Blondie was careful to be nice to the little ones. Tonight, the kits spent a lot of time in the pool for a change - eating peanuts - and Blondie was right in there with them most of the time - with no squabbles. Amazing.
Strange thing, but Dennis did not show up. Last night he arrived very, very late. Tonight, not at all. I guess maybe he's growing up and starting to be interested in going off to do what the big boys do. Either that or Heidi forbade him entrance to the yard while the kits were there.
To be contined (after a brief break for our sponsors) ...
My, how far you've all come in a couple years: from Heidi raiding and stealing bird feeders for any nutrition she could cadge, to flatly rejecting with obvious editorializing the generic kibble. LOL, the lady does have impeccable, not to mention expensive, taste.
Cheryl, sitting here reading your posts in absolute amazement! These guys are better than a soap opera and have more class! LOL
I was snorting coffee on the "snack attack" comment! I should know better, LOL
Can hardly wait to hear more. Your mystery coon looks like Rupert to me. The head shape is rather distinctive, and I went over and compared against your YouTube shots. His head between his ears appears to be broader and slopes down into a narrower snout area with that distinctive nose. It may just be the markings causing an optical illusion.
Big Ooops! I fell asleep before I got to the REALLY 'good' part.
Eventually, and it was quite dark by this time, the kits started to get pretty full. Oh, and I neglected to mention - and this really blew me away no pun intended - but the folks in my neighborhood had gotten started well ahead of time on the celebrating such that fireworks were exploding everywhere all around us non stop the whole evening and nobody seemed to mind at all, neither Heidi nor the kits nor anyone else. Well, every now and then some sound would cause a kit or two to look around, but as soon as they saw that mom and all the others were fine with it, they just went back to what they were doing. But finally, after they had filled up anyhow, one of those loud, low flying military planes went by. This time a few of the more timid yearling ran for cover and that was enough to send the 2 timid kits back up the fence and into the trees.
Heidi and the other 2 kits went on eating for a while. In time the 3rd kit decided to join the others leaving only 1, probably Calvn. He was in the pool still eating peanuts while Heidi was on the lawn sifting through through the grass for that kibble she had thrown away so hastily earlier in the evening. Then the sound of kits frantically calling their mom began to emanate from the forest. I wondered why the kits would be calling mom so insistently and half expected to see Heidi grab up Calvin and leave, but I did not expect what was about to unfold.
Instantly, Heidi's head flew up and whatever she saw sent her into emergency mode such as I have never before seen. She rushed over to the pool where Calvin was eating calmly, but then as he approached her she sniffed him and growled menacingly as though to warn him that he was not her kit and must not follow her. "Mom, mom, it's ME, Calvin!" he cried as he stretched his little nose towards her. "Grrrrr!" she said recoiling from him still insisting that he was not her child as she turned and hurriedly climbed the fence to go to her [real] kits. Maybe the 4th one was up there. Maybe she had missed his exit.
Once up on the fence Heidi began frantically collecting and counting her kits. There was all manner of whoop-whoop'ing and trilling. In the dark I couldn't tell exactly what was going on up there, but the area from the top of the fence to the edge of the forest was suddenly plunged into chaos.
More to come, still typing but thought I'd let you start reading if you are out there...
Meanwhile, even as all heck was breaking out up on the fence top and Heidi was freaking out because try as she may she could not find that 4th baby, poor little Calvin, who I might add handled his newfound situation quite admirably, was still down in the pool looking for his [real] mom. Before the chaos began, Blondie had been in the pool with him, and as soon as Heidi left, Rupert (or the furry, red yearling whoever he is) took advantage of the opportunity to hop in the pool, too, to eat the remaining peanuts.
Well, that raccoon he really thought was mom had insisted she wasn't, and he was starting to feel a little small and lost and alone now, even a little frightened. He had better find his mom. He'd feel a lot better once she gave him that reassuring hug and kiss. But right now he was beginning to feel pretty scared. Slowly, gingerly he stretched his little nose toward Blondie. "Are you my mom?" he asked, but she said, "no" Then where was mom he though, a panic rising within him. Now he really was lost. Here he was just one tiny little baby alone in a yard with a human and a bunch of raccoons who were not his mom. He didn't know what to do. That other 'mom-like' raccoon had insisted he not follow her, so he couldn't, shouldn't go up the there, but...oh, what the heck, he knew that was where his sisters had gone and if he could find them at least he wouldn't be alone.
With that, Calvin jumped from the pool and ran for the fence. As he scrambled up the fence, fighting back the tears and trying to be strong like mom had taught him, at the top of the post he saw that raccoon he had been so sure was mom earlier. She was pretty frantic, too, and was leaning down towards him, looking to see if he was her lost child. What now, he stopped part way up still clinging to the fence. She had told him earlier to stay away from her. Should he turn around? Now she seemed to be calling him.
Slowly and with great uncertainty, he climbed the last few feet up the post toward her. "Calvin, come on!" she yelled at him in her own familiar way, "Come quick! Where have you been? You just wait until we get back to the tree!" She just droned on and on and on, and it was music to Calvin's ears. He didn't care how much she fussed at him now. He was just so glad to have found his mom and his family - and thank goodness mom was acting normal again. Now he wasn't alone anymore.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. You so bad Cheryl. : ) Sitting here with my coffe and reading away all absorbed in the sotry and the drama and .. and.. and.. jeez.. what a cliff hanger. LOL
That coon in the pic looks familair alright, almost like e seeing a pic we saw before, but can't place which one it is.
Could it possibly be Cissy had a kit?
Just had a thought, wasn't it Diva that had lost her kit last year? LOL love a good mystery. heheheheh
HAPPY 4TH everybody and little racoons!!!!!!
Heidi took Calvin with her and disappeared into the forest, and just as I was sitting there still trying to make sense of all of this, trying to understand what had sent Heidi into such a panic as to make her get so confused about who was and wasn't her kit. I had never seen this happen before. Heidi was getting on in age. Did raccoons suffer from Alzheimer's? That's what her behavior looked like as I had stood helplessly watching her growl at her own child and insist that he get away from her. I had so wanted to tell her, "No, Heidi, really, he is yours! That's little Calvin. Don't you remember Calvin?" But that human to animal communication gap had gotten in the way leaving me helpless to do anything but watch in horror as Heidi had left without her baby even while telling him not to follow her or else. And then seeing the pour little waif alone in the pool with Blondie and that yearling male, both of whom were clearly not his mother, I had been so afraid one of them might pounce on him especially when he started putting his nose to theirs to ask if they were his mom.
And then I caught a glimpse of something that began to explain the chaos and panic that had just transpired as an itsy, bitsy kit tumbled clumsily from the bottom of the post and scampered into the brush followed quickly by at least one more. How wonderful! More kits! Their unexpected arrival on the scene at a time when some of her kits were in the tree and others on the ground must have given Heidi a freight. Unlike these yearling moms, she was old enough and experienced enough to know how easily small kits could get mixed up and end up waddling off with the wrong mom only to never be found again. She knew that it was never good to let two or more groups of small kits get together as soon kits and moms alike might end up confused. Mom's use smell to detect their little ones, mostly looking for their own smell on the baby, but once the kits start hanging around with the other kits they can pick up all kinds of confusing smells (my theory here) and who knows what might happen.
The new kits, now safely hidden away in the brush must belong to Cleo (I decided to name the liver one Bast and the small one, Fraidy's double, Cleopatra). Blondie was the only other [known] nursing mom and she had been in the pool the whole time. So these must be Cleo's. I had seen her earlier eating over by Cissy's birdbath. Now I sat waiting, camera ready, hoping for a glimpse of these new little guys. These looked much smaller than Heidi's kits which probably made sense since Heidi was known to be very careful about finding the right moment to bring her kids out in public.
After a few minutes I saw a tiny little face peak out of the brush and then disappear again upon seeing me there. After a very long wait that had me wondering if I would actually get to see these kits after all, 2 little kits finally began to appear over near the birdbath, crying, purring, frantically looking for their mom - who, strangely enough was wandering around behind and beside me looking for peanuts (which were long gone except for any left on the ground and in the pool still). This was even more odd since Cleo is afraid to come so close to me. Normally she would stop 2 to 3 feet from me and refuse to budge even for a treat. Now here she was walking up beside my bench in search of peanuts, her tiny babies over there alone and afraid looking for her. New moms! What can you do?
Cleo went back over to her kits for a moment to reassure them then returned to my area again searching or peanuts. For a few minutes she went back and forth as the kits continued to cry for her. Then, giving up on the peanuts, she went back over to the spot by the birdbath to eat, the kits hiding behind her. Cleo was visibly nervous as she vacillated between eating kibble and tending babies. Heidi always seemed so calm when she brought her kits, her own demeanor no doubt a calming effect on the babies. When they cried and called to her, most of the time she ignored them, not even looking up from her meal (as she surely already knew everything that was going on around her anyhow from her mom radar) Ultimately her failure to give in to their fears and rush to their side at each little 'problem' helped to reassure them that everything was fine and they should just get over it. Cleo, on the other hand, was a study in contrast to Heidi. She was a nervous reck, her own anxiety constantly telegraphed to her progeny serving only to heighten their own fears even as their fears fed her own.
(still typing)
: ) heheheh you keep typing. Darm. Cleo was my first choice when I saw the photo but we never really hear to much about her and didn't hink she had even hung around with any of th eguys, but guess somebody must have tickled her fancy.
I got so much to get done outside and yet I can't leave the puter. Hooked big time on todays story and to impatient to wait til later tonight.
LOL You thinking how wonderful, more kits and I thinking, your grocery bill just tripled. Ya definately got get coupons.
Cleo's babies were oh, so tiny and, to be honest, more than I reveled in this opportunity to see them, I felt sorry for them. Perhaps Heidi had just forced her over-protective side off onto me, but these babies seemed to young to be out so far from home. I had never seen babies this young except in photos and videos from rehabbers. They looked so different at this age, cute but kind of - well, the way newborn human babies do - like ET. They weren't eating and they were so wobbly. I just wanted to scoop them up and hold them close to comfort them and make them feel safe. They stayed so close to their mom, right up under her skirt tail, that I couldn't even get a decent photo of one of them.
After a bit, Cleo started walking about the area, wobbly kits trailing behind her. And then, my heart skipped a beat as she brought them right over beside my bench so incredibly close that I could just reach out and pick one up in my hand, and oh, how I wanted to almost more than I could bare, but I forced myself to remain utterly motionless, holding my breath even for fear that I might frighten them away. They were so close now that Cleo's head was hidden by the arm of my little 24", one person bench. Oh what a treat! I was tempted to get that close up photo, but again stopped myself for fear of frightening them away.
And then, just as I knew things could not get any more intense, Cleo walked around the front of my bench and right over my feet, kits in tow! OMG! Those itsy bitsy babies were now so close around my legs that I could not actually see them anymore - and Cleo herself was rubbing up against my legs like a cat asking for food. This was certainly odd. Cleo was always afraid to come close enough to take a treat from my outstretched hand. Now here she was, with her infant babies no less, walking on my shoes! Suddenly, Cleo reached up and nipped at my finger which had been draped over the edge of the armrest. She didn't hurt me, no teeth involved. She seemed to be looking for treats still, but this sure was odd behavior for Cleo! Instinctively, I jerked my hand away. Even this move did not effect her as she stayed there at my feet, her babies standing on my shoes.
Then finally Cleo gave up on the peanuts once and for all and wandered off across the lawn, babies behind her. What had just happened here? Only Dennis ever, ever came that close to me. Only Dennis sat on my feet and rubbed up against my legs like a cat. Only Dennis had the chutzpah to nibble my finger. What the heck was going on?
In the darkness, I looked at Cleo again as she and the kits walked about on the lawn in search of treats. Was that Cleo? Hmm, now that I thought about it, she looked a lot like Dennis, and Dennis hadn't been with us all night. OMG, could it have been Dennis' entrance that brought the kits and drove Heidi to panic? It really did look like Dennis. I needed to start getting more sleep. This did not make sense. Was Dennis babysitting. No, surely no mom out there anywhere would hire Dennis as a nanny. He was hardly competent to take care of himself. But now as I looked closer I realized that this raccoon did not look like Cleo at all. Cleo, like Fraidy, had been a bit behind the growing curve as a kit and, perhaps as a result, had a rather oddly shaped head with a rather long and oh, so slightly crooked nose. This one had that short face with the turned up nose - like Dennis. Moreover, Cleo's coat had a slightly mottled effect that always left her looking a bit frumpy as though she were wearing someone else's old, thrown away coat. This raccoon had a smooth coat - like Dennis.
No, surely I was mistaken. Of course, this wasn't Dennis. He was a male, after all, and he hadn't been pregnant - and for heaven's sake Dennis had always been way too immature self concerned to be a mom. No, this had to be Cleo, had to be. I knew for sure that she had a kit somewhere as some weeks back I had spied a nipple hanging beneath her tiny body and had immediately begun a silent project to feed her more, especially more of the fruits and eggs and such. But only Dennis had ever come up to me the way she did tonight. Only Dennis had ever faux-nipped me in search of treats. And would a new mom bring her babies so close even when she herself had never had the courage to do so?
And then, just as I was snapping pics and frantically trying to make sense of this mystery, she gathered her little ones and disappeared up and over the fence. Still I was no closer to an answer. One thing I knew for sure, whoever this was she had brought her kits over to me for the treats I am known for - even thought I could see that the kits were not interested in eating. Sadly, not knowing they were going to be there, I had nothing at all to offer them or her - not this evening, but I would in the future. Now I was left with this mystery and 2 impossibilities as Cleo would never come up against me that way even without her kits and Dennis couldn't possibly have kits.
Thanks, starlight.
So glad you are enjoying the story. I, too, can relate to the need to get out there and get stuff done before the sun sets everything to broiling. Wanted to let you know that I'm through typing for now. That's the end of the story. It, by necessity, ends in a cliff hanger of sorts as I suspect that we will have to wait for future events to unfold and solve this mystery.
