This is the ongoing story of Heidi and friends, raccoons who frequent my backyard buffet. The photo is and older one showing one of the yearlings licking a container.
The prior thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/982165/
The original thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/603944
Edited to add description and links.
This message was edited Jun 17, 2009 12:33 AM
I hope you start feeling better SOON, Cheryl!
Cheryl, I cannot imagine you 'not living right'! And neither can your racoon family, I'm sure. Take care of yourself.
get you to a doc Cheryl before it runs wors e on you and ya end up with boncitis or somethign worse, if ya don't already have it. Take care of yourself. Hope it passe s quickly.
Well, i am certainly not the story teller like Cheryl is.... but.... i was coming back from planting flowers at the two 'common area' flower beds that i am taking care of - up here at the Park. I was back by the shed putting all my garden tools away, and i was hearing this sound [it is normally very quiet up here during the week] so the sound caught my attention, especially since Buddy was in the house.... i turned around to see, much to my excitement, the raccoon -- i'm hoping it's the same Momma from last year. she was snacking on the black oil SF seeds....
if you recall from last years photos, the squirrel feeder is right by my front door... i was at the back end of the trailer .... so she was only about 30' away when i first noticed her. I called out to her and she looked up, still munching. Knowing the camera on cell phones are not that good, plus i have no idea how to get the images off.... i was glad that i left my back door unlocked.... went in and grabbed my camera.... now Buddy was alerted to "something" as he knows that when i grab the camera, there is a critter.
I probably got about 10 feet from her and she was not phased at all... though now Bud was barking in the window... and again - if you recall from last falls photos... the window is only about 2-3' from the feeder. She climbed up the tree a bit... i took a few images, but many were not very good, as it was dusk.
i have to admit i was surprised she was out so early... .but again, the park is quiet.
I have to admit.... the past 3 nights i had left a broasted chx carcass in the dish on my back deck only to find it untouched in the AM. i just tossed it this morning. BUT it did rain the past 3 nights too.
Since Bud was barking at her.... i went to the shed and grabbed one of those one pound deli salad buckets and filled it with seed. i was shaking it, talking to her, hoping she'd climb down to get it. I put it by my hostas for a bit of shelter. She climbed down the railing, only to cross the street and wander off. She wandered the same direction as the "mom" and kit from last year... .so maybe it's the same one. A trailer stwo away from me [across the street] does not have any 'skirting' around it... many do that to keep the larger critters from nesting ... so maybe she lives there or near by. We are very wooded and do also have a st. park about a quarter mile away.... so who knows. I'm hoping she will come back tonight for the seeds. The park will be noisy and filled with more people by Friday night.
I was trying to think of other things i may have for a 'buffet' -- but i am no where near 'stocked' like Cheryl is.
here is one of the images i got of her.....
OH i forgot to add.... while she was up at the feeder and i was on the ground trying to lure her down to the lil seed bucket... i was probably about 5' from her. no sense of her being uneasy, no hissing or anything... she seemed totally unafraid of me.
I just peeked, she's not back yet. but i also have the lil bucket where i can see it from the window. Hopefully she will come back for a midnight snack.
Cheryl, forget about posting for a while: just rest, take care of yourself, and feel much better soon!
Congrats, tcs, on the close sighting of your neighborhood friend!
I will ask before I do anything....as I have gotten in trouble (big grin) before doing it....do you want me to lighten that picture for you?
Debbie... that would be great. I dont have Photoshop up here in this laptop, so i can only do minimal editing.
Thanks,
Terese
Tcs... cool. at least ya got one. I ha d wanted a chipmunck ba d and seems i have one that has foudn its way here , now all i need is a raccoon a nd will have a little bit of everything.
I just came in, and i dont think she came back last night... though something had it's paws in the seed dish, probably a red squirrel. I'll put it out again tonight.
Star -- i havent seen the chipmunks here yet this year, but last year they were so cute... stuffing their faces, literally, with the black oil SF seeds - then running off, only to come back a few minutes later to do it all over again. Hopefully they stock piled for the long winter.
Here you are. I lightened it a bit, you can see her pretty well. She is a nice size.
I sort of wish I had them around here, but there has been so many rabies in our area....I would be afraid for the coons themselves.
Wow, Debbie, that looks great! I enjoyed the way you fixed my KittyCoon pic, too. Somebody got mad at you? Maybe they were afraid you were trying to steal their pic. There's so much of that going on elsewhere on the 'net, maybe it happened to them on another site.
If my memory serves me right......which doesn't happen often,I think in lightening a photo of Cheryl's(I think)it showed a bit of "disarray" in the background of the picture that Cheryl had preferred no one see. Something like that anyway. Am I right to think this was the instance you were referring to DebbiesDaisy?
Wonderful picture! Maybe the next time you will be able to take more of her. I have some I was able to take of my guys and girls out back. I haven't seen an adult in some time though. There were four kits but I think one was from another litter as it kept being chased off by one of the other three.
Judy
Yes, this is the instance I was referring too. Cheryl "thought" her porch looked a mess....and by me lightening the pictures...it showed her "well loved porch" a little too well too her liking. Apparently that is why she didn't lighten it herself. She still teases me about that! LOL
Oh, that, lol. I remember!
Hi Everyone,
I'm feeling a little better at least for the moment, although frankly, I fear the night. Nights have been particularly miserable. Anyhow, while I'm feeling a little better, I just had to write to tell you what happened.
For days now I've been indescribably miserable, so much so that I stayed in bed and did my best to sleep through as much of it as possible. I haven't fed the raccoons for days. I thought of them out there but just couldn't find the strength to take them food.
This afternoon around 4PM I went to the back door to let the dog out, as I approached the door I had the most surreal moment. From 10-15ft away I could already see a clear 'hump' of raccoon fur pressed up against the glass. There was a raccoon sitting on the very narrow doorway facing board, a spot where tiny Widget often sits when waiting for me to let him back inside. When I see Widget there pressed up against the door he always looks like he just wants to be as close to the house as he can get - until I come to let him back inside. Now here in the bright sunshine at mid afternoon a raccoon was sitting in that very same spot, pressed up against the door just like Widget.
I put Widget away and returned expecting to see Dennis or maybe Bast as they seemed like the only ones who might be so bold as to come to the house in daylight, much less sit on the door facing like a pet; but when the raccoon turned to face me I was surprised to find that it was Heidi.
I went out with a bucket of food and a handful of cookies. Another raccoon, one of the yearlings was also out there waiting in a tree across the fence. Once I sat down and gave Heidi some food, the yearling hopped down and came over to me, too. Heidi protested. I gave them puppy food and s/w cookies. Heidi likes those since they have frosting in them. She ate about 5 of the things, and against he wishes I talked her into letting the yearling have 2. Heidi kept telling the yearling to stay back, so I had to toss the cookies over to her. The yearling was so cute as she sat there holding the cookie between her two hands and taking bites out of it. I laughed out loud at her antics, so clear n the daylight. After days of feeling so rotten, it was good to see humor in anything again.
When the cookies ran out, Heidi came over to look in my bucket. She wanted more, so I went back inside and returned with bread and frosting, but the raccoons were no where to be seen. I had feared this might happen. I called Heidi a time or two, and just as I was about to give up, she and the yearling ambled out of the weeds and shrubs where they had been hiding. I gave them each a sandwich.
When I returned to the house I was sweating badly. I took my temp and found that it was 101. Back to bed.
Terese,
I wanted to take a moment to tell you how happy I am that you are able to interact with your raccoon. She is very lovely. Your photo of her, although of much, much better quality, reminds me so much of my 1st pic of Heidi, the one of her hanging off the fence and looking back at me much as your raccoon is doing.
BTW, does your raccoon have a name?
Oh, I wish I had my camera yesterday. KittyCoon's best racoon friend came up to one of the kittens while it ate from the dish. The racoon reached over with it's hand to touch the kitten, clearly just curious to know what a 'kitty coon' felt like, lol. The tiny furball quickly arched it's back, hissed, spit and swatted, and the poor racoon turned and ran in terror. ROFL
>>BTW, does your raccoon have a name?
Not yet Cheryl.... and the cutest thing... i was out washing the layers of pollen dust off of my black car... and one of my neighbors pulled up and she her GD's had something to tell me... of course i couldnt hear them... so i walked over to the car. There were two lil cute grandchildren in the back seat.... the older one, about 6-7 [the younger one was about 4] she told me how the other day she saw a cute raccoon eating and how it climbed up the tree, and they had their dad take pictures..
I was telling them about the ones i saw last year, how it was a mom and kit ... the lil girl in the back seat said that how it could be the kit now coming to the feeder... she was so cute the way she said... you never know.... it could be the baby from last year.
they all were saying how much they loved raccoons.
the gramma was saying how she will now look for the mom during the week days .... when i explained how they probably do not come out on weekends.
we shall see how much i see of this raccoon this year, to see if i give her a name.
they are beautiful creatures though.
hope you get back to feeling better.
Yes, Cheryl, please take care of yourself so you feel better soon. Maybe you could hand Heidi a bag of treats at the door so she can distribute them....think she'd do it? Nah, probably not, lol.
LOL KY! nope... she'd keep them all for herself, unless they were not her faves... then she's turn her nose up them and come looking for something else.
KyWoods -- Your description of the exchange between the kitten and the raccoon is quite adorable.
Terese -- How sweet that the children also enjoyed seeing the raccoon - from a distance. How about your son. Is he there with you (to see the raccoon)?
As for me, the mere fact that I am sitting up typing this means I am feeling better. Right now I mostly have a major headache and fever. Mostly, I'm just impatient, hating to waste all this time.
Everyone -- As soon as I feel better, I will go back and address all of your comments - which I greatly appreciate.
Cheryl, do I need to nag you to go to the doctors? Remember last year, when you kept putting it off...then ended up on antibiotics for quite some time (nag nag nag).
They already have "swine flu" out there, we don't need the "coon cough" going around!
Take care, and please feel better soon!
Debbie
ROTFLOL, KYWoods!
You actually had me sitting up in bed laughing - and, Ow, that made my head hurt worse! The image of me shoving a goody bag out the door to Heidi and her distributing it at the buffet was too cute. Not too many things have struck me as funny the past week, but that was a winner.
Terese, you are close. If Heidi doesn't like it, I suspect she will act like she does when I put the wrong food in her dish. She flips the dish over and into the air in a manner than makes her unhappiness clear and which sends food in all directions. While this may sound a bit spoiled and unappreciative of her, it is always funny to watch.
No == Alex is actually at home a lone. DH and #1 son are in Atlanta... will be home tomorrow ... Dh should be up here by Tuesday - i think.
Alex has the cat to keep him company... I have the dog to keep me company.
Debbie,
I am the worst when it come to Drs, so I probably do need a push now and then. If I don't show clear sign of improvement by Monday, I will consider going to the Dr, esp since I can't afford to stay out of work forever. But, again, the fact that I went out to feed the raccoons and have been talking online a bit tonight is a very good sign. For at least 3 days now I've been in bed, sleeping or trying to sleep (the whole 3 days). I woke up roughly every 4hrs when the Sudafed, Benedryl, and cough suppressant wore off. Then I'd take more cold meds, get something to drink, let the dog out if necessary, and go back to sleep. I've been living on chicken soup and cough drops, mostly the latter.
I'm not sure what I have. It seems a bit extreme for a cold, yet rather mellow for the flu. I know that we have a high incidence of Swine flu in SC. I've read that any many cases it has been rather mild which makes me wonder if that might be what I have.
And you have us, too, tcs! Heidi sounds like my sister's maltese, who, when she is angry about being left alone, will flip her food bowl over just so they have a mess to clean up when they get home. Animals have ways to let us know they're upset, don't they, lol.
Just to clarify - and then I need to lie down again:
I think I have failed to call attention to the significance of Heidi being on the door facing at 4PM in broad daylight. I know everyone has grown so accustomed to the raccoons being almost tame, that everything they do now seems almost common or ordinary, but I really did a double take when I saw ANY raccoon out there much less Heidi.
I don't believe that I have ever seen any of the raccoon sitting at the door in the day time (that was more than 4hrs before sundown), not even Dennis. Last year they were coming into the edge of the backyard just before sundown to eat. That's when I took the video clips, but I usually didn't get much footage before it got too dark. Even in darkness, Heidi prefers a more secluded position in which to wait for me. She will either sit in the Heidi tree or if she come to the house (after dark) will wait on the other side of the hedges. When she 1st came back from having babies she stood on the patio (after dark) looking at the door.
But today she was out in the open, exposed, and in daylight. Unlike the nights when she has waited for me in the past, she had no reason to expect me to come out at 4PM - and I have no idea how long she might have been there before I saw her. She wasn't even looking through the glass panes on the door. She was perched on the 4in (approx) facing board at the doorway, her body pressed up against the door (no doubt, due to lack of space on the narrow board). Her head was turned away from the door (pressed up against the door as she was, it would not have been possible for her to look in the door). It was like she was resigned to camp out there (like a pet) until I showed up, when ever that was.
I gather she must have been hungry. I don't know if she was hoping that by sitting there she might attract my attention or if she just wanted to be sure she didn't miss me if/when I did come out.
Anyhow, by now it may seem a subtle point, but for Heidi to be sitting out there in daylight with her body pressed up against the door at a time when I would not even be expected to show up - just sitting and waiting - was quite unusual.
Ok, going to lie down a bit now because my head hurts. I will probably be back later though.
KyWoods,
Yes, I really do think Heidi does that to make a statement when I give her the wrong food. One time I gave her the food she likes (Purina cat chow), but I put fruit yogurt on one side of the dish. Well, apparently she did not appreciate that either. She will eat yogurt occasionally, but does not appear to want it on or touching her cat food. LOL at how picky she has become. Anyhow, she threw the dish in the air, tossed it around a bit to make her point, then ate only the kibble that had not touched the yogurt. They are very amusing creatures.
ROFL My brother-in-law is funny that way about his foods touching on the plate, though I've never seen him throw it...
Cheryl, glad to hear you're doing a bit better; but it sounds like you still have a way to go to recovery, so keep resting and taking care of yourself. And a doctor's appt. wouldn't hurt if this continues (though I'm in no position to talk, as the original procrastinator on seeing doctors). I did catch the significance of Heidi being pressed up against the patio door, especially in daylight. She hadn't seen you for a few days, and I guess that was the only way to get a feeling for what was going on with you. Even without looking in, you can be sure she knew you were in the house, and probably where you were and how you were feeling.
Ky, great anecdote about the raccoon and kitten. Raccoons are so tactile, I'm sure she just had to investigate that little fluff ball, and of course the kitten reacted instinctively to the "non-mommy" smell. Too cute!
And Terese, it's great that you have raccoon-friendly neighbors, and it sounds like the kids are growing up very animal-aware and -friendly. That's too rare these days, and lovely to see.
Been gone since friday and just catching up. I too caught the significange of Heidi in the daylight. Not onyl did she realiz e that she hadn't been feed for a coupel of days, but I do't doub t that heidi herself realize d you was sick too and beign th e Mothe r that she is was in her own way checkign up on you. Listenign to sounds, of th ehouse, and also maybe giving what creatur e comforts she coudl to you.
yep definately make a doc appointment. You may not think you got tht swine fluey stuff but ya never know. You havent been otuside mych either, and also maybe ya picke d up a touch of heat stock form beingout there. Just hope whatever it is it passe s you quickly.
Hey, I think starlight is right--Heidi was checking on you, Cheryl! She knew something wasn't right since she hadn't seen you lately, and she was worried. Sweet!
Here's the latest KittyCoon scene, but two of the babies aren't in this pic.
Great shot, Ky! It's fascinating that Kitty Coon and the real coon are perfectly comfortable so close together; and the kittens seem to find it quite normal also.
I'm hoping they'll eventually find it normal to be around people...so I can capture their cute little fur butts and get them all fixed and vaccinated--Mom included!
Hi Ruth,
Hmm. I wasn't so much thinking that Heidi missed me or was concerned about me so much as I just figured she must have been awfully hungry to come up to the door in daylight - and sit there waiting, no less. That and I figured it was a sign that she was becoming even more comfortable around me, and thus my house. But now that you mention it, it occurs to me that I've missed the same number of consecutive days before when I wasn't sick, but on those occasions she never camped out on the door facing. Interesting at best.
The next day at 4ish, I went to the door to check, but Heidi wasn't there, nor was she there today. Interesting. I was already sick the last night that I went out there to feed them before going on 'sick leave'. I had a fever then and was blowing and coughing. I tried so hard to suppress what I knew would be a giant, wet sneeze. I was afraid the 'violent' pressure and sounds behind such a sneeze would surely send them all running for the forest. I lost the battle though, and at the end of my big 'ker-chew!" looked up to find Heidi still eating comfortably at my feet. And since she stayed, the youngsters stayed, too. Again, that was at the onset of my illness.
While I was out sick, I wondered if they would realize that I was sick and not just ignoring them.
Now I have that picture in my head again, the one of the raccoons gathering in an opening somewhere in the forest for a meeting to discuss how the human doesn't look or sound so healthy. In my mind they sound a lot like us discussing the situation whenever one of them gets hurt, like Fraidy's recent injuries. They would be saying things like "wonder if she will be ok?" and "do you think we should try to do something?" or "does anyone know what it means when humans make those kinds of sounds?" and "which plants would help her feel better and how can we get her to eat them?" I guess the meeting must have ended with 'Old Mother Heidi' taking the assignment to watch over the human to be sure she was ok.
Just kidding, of course...but who knows what goes on back there in the forest...
; )
LOL, KyWoods,
That was so cute the way you phrased that.
Unfortunately, and I'm basing this on my experience with wild raccoons not cats, unless they get used to being close to you when they are fairly young and being handled when they are young they probably won't do so later. At least, that has been my experience. Despite the fact that almost all of the raccoons except Heidi grew up around me and despite all of the time I've spent out there around them, to the raccoon you can tell how close they were to me as babies by there comfort level around me today.
Again, I'm basing this on the raccoons, but there seems to be a big gap between coming 'near' a human and actually coming close enough to be touched - and an even bigger gap between that and allowing oneself to be touched without freaking out.
But, I wish you the best of luck with that. The kitties are very cute, BTW.
Hi starlight,
The sight of Heidi sitting out there on that narrow 'ledge' pressed against the door like Widget was somehow oddly comforting, and, in part because it happened on a day when I was starting to feel a little better, it didn't work to get me to feed her - probably her ulterior motive.
As you can see, lol, I'm better at giving advice [to go to the Dr] than taking it. I'm quite sure whatever I had was either a cold or relatively mild case of flu. It hasn't been all that hot here yet, but I'm sure that will change quickly. Anyhow, I'm feeling much, much better now. I took one more day off today to rest up but am planning to go back to work tomorrow if I continue to feel this much better. I still have some residual congestion but am otherwise on the mend.
KyWoods,
That is quite an impressive picture with the cat, raccoon, and kittens all hanging out in close proximity. I do think I detect a subtle indication of unease in the body language of the two adults, however, mostly in the way their bodies are angled away from each other with their heads turned back to reach the food and to watch each other. Hopefully, that's just temporary and maybe due to the presence of 'babies'. I've noticed that babies always seem to change the equation.
None the less, and even if I'm right about them maybe being a little uneasy, given that the raccoons in my yard can rarely eat that close together without a fight, it is quite amazing to see the cat and raccoon sharing a meal that way.
