Comments on: Man Saves Pet Cat From Five Raccoons

By: Tiffany Mullen

Tiffany Mullen — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:48:33 +0000

That is a pretty scary story. I was sleeping one night and woke up from my do barking and yelping. We could not get him to stop. My mom told me she heard something on the porch and somehow found out ther were like 6 raccoons on my porch. My mom also told me she had to turn on the light before the raccoons left and my dog stopped. It was 2:49 am. I wanted to get out of bed and see the raccoons but I would have got caught and would have had to go back to bed. I didn’t, couldnt, sleep at all. I didnt want to let my dog go outside at all in the dark morning or night. Scary!!!

By: Kira

Kira — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:56:58 +0000

I was at a pet store today and I saw that they offer a variety of self-locking pet doors that can be installed in homes with cats or very small dogs. They come with collars for the cat or dog that will open the pet door for only that pet, additional collars are sold separately for any additional pets. This seems ideal for pet owners who have indoor/outdoor pets that live near wildlife or have a lot of roaming cats in the neighborhood who like to come in uninvited.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:35:31 +0000

The bigger raccoon in question was probably the mother raccoon, and the others were her young. Raccoons don’t “attack” other animals unprovocked. The cat probably came between them and the food. It’s a shame the man beat the raccoon in that way. This is a big problem with cat doors. People should secure them at night because of nocturnal creatures. When you feed outside cats you are also feeding any other animals that come by. I feel for these raccoons and the horrific manner that the one was killed. I have worked with raccoons for a number of years and they are a very misunderstood creature.

By: Don Earl

Don Earl — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 05:05:11 +0000

That’s my buddy Monster watching the racoon. I’d been putting food out for a feral cat that had been around for awhile, and the racoon decided to get in on the action. I sort of thought it’d make a good funny picture, but maybe something gets lost in translation when you can’t see the expression on Monster’s face. He gets a big kick out of watching visitors on the back deck. The racoon is blind in one eye and seems to be a harmless little fellow the times I’ve talked to him, although I generally prefer not to have them around due to their reputations.

I keep my cats indoors only for a number of reason:

1. The racoons can’t eat them.
2. Dogs can’t eat them.
3. Eagles can’t eat them.
4. Coyotes can’t eat them.
5. They can’t be hit by cars.
6. They can’t catch diseases from other cats.
7. They can’t bring fleas into the house.
8. They can’t get into rat poison or antifreeze.
9. They can’t hunt endangered species.
10. They don’t get worms.
11. They can’t be mutilated by sickos who hurt cats.
12. They can’t defecate in the neighbor’s yard.
13. They can’t wake up the neighbor getting in fights under the neighbor’s window.
14. Etc.

Oh yeah, and I don’t have any holes in the doors so wild animals can come in the house, which would potentially be a problem since I don’t care for golf. It reminds me a lot of a game called fetch, except you play it without a dog. Go get the ball Tiger!

By: Donna

Donna — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:34:55 +0000

Anonymous………….great work. I am proud of your efforts.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:41:10 +0000

I’ve been putting cat food outside for years now and I’ve seen kittens eating with a big male raccoon from the same pile of food, and one raccoon with a bad leg eating with a one eyed cat. As long as there is enough food out there everyone is happy. AND BEFORE anyone starts in on how I shouldn’t feed the animals, I live by a lot of apartments and people are always abandoning their cats and kittens. I feed the animals and see which are friendly and then find homes for them, I’ve placed 18 cats in the past 5 years. I’ve taken months working on scared cats to get them to trust again and 1 I’ve taken in (which really made my cats mad) and he’s trained better than a dog. He plays fetch, begs and guards my house. (very protective of my son and I) and it took me two months to even touch him.

By: Jenny Bark

Jenny Bark — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:31:45 +0000

Pat my place is like a strobe light on some nights but I don’t care. It cost less than vet bills & rabbie shots for my husband & myself. Our inside kitty makes me chase her every night off of the screed in porch. Sometimes I think we are put on this earth just to protect our babies.

By: pat

pat — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:07:04 +0000

No problem, Jenny, it’s amazing what wild animals can get up to, isn’t it? your story about fending off a rabid coon is pretty scary. Like you, we’re careful about what we leave outside, and the pets come in at dusk (we have an adopted feral that tests that rule frequently, though), but that doesn’t prevent the curious and the hungry from stopping by to check us out. Some of them can be quite aggressive, especially if they feel threatened. And if I step outside at night, I always turn on the outside lights first… don’t want to trip over a coon on the porch in the dark! We thought about motion sensor lights but there are just too many critters here… it would be like a strobe light!

By: Jenny Bark

Jenny Bark — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:57:53 +0000

Thanks Pat, I just learned something. We have had a groung hog come in the dog door & have fought with many coons including a 20 lb. rabid one. No food is ever left out, dog doors are closed off at night & dogs can only go out at night with one of us. I never considered the windows & sky lights. We have outside spot lights that go off all night so maybe thats why we have been lucky. I am getting way too old to fight (besides it usually turns out ugly for at least one) so I guess I’d better start putting the air on at night. Thanks again Pat I hope I never get too old to learn.

By: pat

pat — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:40:17 +0000

the pet door might seem convenient, but it’s an open invitation to wild critters. coons are especially bold about trying to get into houses. even though we live in a place where a human intruder is unlikely, we keep our doors locked at night because the local coons are perfectly capable of pulling the door handle and strolling right in. we also never leave windows open where they can reach them. friends of mine had the unfortunate experience of having a coon fall through the skylight over their bed one night while they were sleeping! needless to say, they close it now, no matter how hot it is!

i feel badly for the injured cat but i also feel sorry for the injured coon, who was probably just attempting to protect its family from danger. it’s a delicate balance when you live in an area where wild creatures are sharing the habitat.

By: Takami826

Takami826 — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:14:26 +0000

is that pic of the actual owner, actual cat? if so, um… don’t put out food for wild life?

ITCHMO ADMIN: No, this is not a picture of the actual owner. A reader had previously sent in this picture to us.

By: Roberto P.

Roberto P. — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:35:41 +0000

I would be really afraid that the aggressive one was rabid! I hope they’re having it tested.