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Rorey

(8,445 posts)
Thu May 28, 2020, 07:41 AM May 2020

So, the day finally came

Ever since I put in cat doors, almost two years ago, I worried that something else would come in besides my cats. Yesterday morning I discovered that their dish of food in the kitchen was empty, which has never happened. Then of course I discovered that their water fountain was filthy, and water was on the floor, along with raccoon footprints.

I had intended to spend a good part of yesterday finishing painting the exterior of my house, but instead I spent it trying to figure something out so that raccoon wouldn't get back in. I did a lot of research, and ultimately decided that I'm going to give my cats a new entrance through the garage. They'll have to jump up on a platform outside, which I'll skirt with corrugated metal so the raccoon can't climb up it, and then I'll put one of their trees inside the garage for them to get on when they come in so they can easily climb down. I took one side of the sliding window out and took it to the glass shop, along with a cat door, and they're going to remove the glass and create my solution. The window is pretty much hidden from view, so it should work out nicely without being an eyesore.

In the meantime, I took out the cat doors that were in my basement windows, and last night I put a LOT of food outside so the darn raccoon would hopefully get so full he wouldn't try to get in. Unfortunately three of my cats didn't have the option of coming in during the night because they weren't in when I went to bed, so I hope they don't get too much of an attitude about that.

The raccoon was here last night, evidenced by the dirty water in the crock, and the fact that almost all of the huge dish of food I left outside was gone.

I guess I'll give them a couple of days to get used to their new entrance, and then I'll start shutting the one into my kitchen at night. And then I'm going to start pulling in all of the outside food during the night. Hopefully that darn raccoon will stop coming around entirely.

Fingers crossed that this will all work. I'd love to just keep my cats inside all night, but now that the weather is nice, they're out most of the time. At the end of the day, I'm thankful that it was a raccoon that came in, rather than a skunk or a snake. I should have addressed this a long time ago.

I'd be happy to hear any solutions that others may have for this issue.

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Rorey

(8,445 posts)
2. Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately I can't do that
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:04 AM
May 2020

I've read about those, but they require that I either put collars on my cats, or have them chipped. I could have the mama cat chipped, but the "kittens" (two years old now) are pretty feral because she hid them right after giving birth to them, which she did right after showing up a little over two years ago. She brought them back around when they were two months old. I tried in vain to tame them, but they never got to the point where they could be handled. I had to trap them to get them in to be spayed/neutered and get them shots. I don't think they'll ever go into a trap again.

They come and go as they please, and they're actually great housemates. They don't claw my furniture, or have any other behaviors that are unfavorable. They have littler boxes inside, but never use them, preferring to go outside. The mama cat is very tame and affectionate. The "kittens" hang out with me when they want to, but are still too wary to want to be touched.

I just don't feel like it would be a good idea to put collars on them, but I'd definitely consider having them chipped when I have to someday trap them again for shots or other veterinary care. That is, if they'll ever go into a trap again.

Ohiogal

(31,671 posts)
3. Have you ever dealt with raccoons before?
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:19 AM
May 2020

They are very agile and clever and I would bet that any kind of system you enact to allow cats in but keep a raccoon out won’t fly. And now that they know there’s food and water inside .... (I hope I’m wrong, but...). I’d be afraid that putting food outside for them will just attract more. And where there’s raccoons there are other critters like skunks ...

We had a problem with raccoons about 10 years ago. I won’t bore you with the whole story, but by gum they are tenacious critters.

Mr. O ended up having to catch them in a Havahart trap and release them elsewhere.

Good luck with your problem and I hope you prove me wrong!

Rorey

(8,445 posts)
8. They've been around for a couple of years
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:54 AM
May 2020

The only reason I left any food outside last night was because I knew it would try to come inside if there wasn't any out there. In a couple of days, after my cats are used to their new entrance, I won't leave any food outside after dark. I wouldn't have any outside at all, but there's a neighborhood cat that I think depends on it. I suspect he was either dumped, or someone left him behind when they moved. My four cats already have access to the garage from my house, and explore in there daily. I won't put any food in the garage, so hopefully the raccoon won't try to come in because it won't smell any.

I've thought about trapping the raccoon, but at this time a year I suspect it might have kits. I can't bear the thought of them starving somewhere. Two years ago a raccoon brought her kits around to watch her steal cat food. (She wouldn't share with them.)

A skunk in the house was my biggest fear. I used to smell them around once in awhile, but so far this year there has been no hint of one in the neighborhood, thankfully. With the metal skirting I'm going to put around the platform that the cats will have to jump on to get in at night, I don't think I'll have to worry about a skunk getting in. I'll make sure there's no way for the raccoon to climb up the platform, and it'll be high enough that I don't think he'll be able to jump. Fingers crossed.

I used to be away from my house for a night or two every week, and was worried about that outside cat, so I bought an automatic feeder and built an enclosure for it so raccoons couldn't break into it. I had it timed to dispense food every morning at dawn, and then a couple of times throughout the day. It worked great until they figured out they could reach up into the spout and make a couple of kibbles fall down. I intended to put a longer spout on it, but then the quarantine thing happened so I just quit using the feeder. I'm always up pretty close to dawn, so I just put food out first thing in the morning.

I always knew there was the potential for a raccoon to come into my house, but I put off doing anything about it. Now that it has actually happened, I can't put it off any longer. I consider myself lucky that it hasn't happened before now, and extremely lucky that I haven't had anything worse than a raccoon inside. And I know a lot of people think raccoons are cute. I do not. I know how dangerous they are, and I know that it's time to really put a stop to this problem.

Thanks for your input. You really wouldn't be boring me with your story about how you dealt with the nightmare of raccoons.

fleur-de-lisa

(14,616 posts)
12. You are so right about raccoons.
Thu May 28, 2020, 10:22 AM
May 2020

They are wily little boogers.

I have a raccoon trap and I still can't catch the little stinkers. My plan was to trap them and relocate to a site out in the woods. No such luck.

I have been able to catch a few possums, but the damn raccoons are just too smart. And those agile, human-like hands don't help either.

sinkingfeeling

(51,279 posts)
4. I just donated my enclosed back porch to my cats. They have a cat door
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:26 AM
May 2020

and raised beds on it. Raccoons, possums, chickens, and even a dog have also come through it. The cats just sit in their beds and watch 'others' eat their dry food.

Dale Neiburg

(694 posts)
5. I had the same problem, only with them eating human food.
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:27 AM
May 2020

The solution (after some failed attempts) was accidental. One night they got in and got into an aseptic package of a vindaloo curry -- probably the hottest curry style India ever came up with. They wolfed it down, then almost immediately brought it right back up. Since then the house apparently has the raccoon equivalent of a hobo sign saying "the food here will set you on fire, then make you throw up." Anyway, they haven't been back....

Rorey

(8,445 posts)
9. I might just try that
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:56 AM
May 2020

If my other solution doesn't work, that's an option. I don't think my cats would mess with it. They're pretty picky. Thanks!

MuseRider

(34,060 posts)
6. I had a neighbor with that problem.
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:32 AM
May 2020

I was over watching a movie with her and drinking a beer when I looked up and saw a raccoon walking across the floor to the basement steps and then back up after a little while. I did not say anything since she did not seem to notice. About 10 minutes later a skunk came in, then another and another raccoon. They all went in, went downstairs then back up and out the cat door. She said it started happening and that it was never a problem, she put things together downstairs so it did not get all wrecked when they came and it happened every night. They never roamed the house, just inside for food and water.

You might have to live with this because it is likely the other neighborhood critters will know before you can stop it.

I made my cats from feral to indoor cats with no way to get out until they figured out that the electric dog door provided them enough time to get out. I tried to stop it but the dogs love the cats and will walk all the way to the back just to let them out. I figure I am lucky living out here that it is only my cats and dogs getting in and out.

It might work to build something inside the garage if you must keep letting the cats out. It can be messy but I rather enjoy taking care of all kinds of critters, as long as they stay out of the house! Good luck with this.

Rorey

(8,445 posts)
11. Oh my!
Thu May 28, 2020, 09:23 AM
May 2020

No, I won't be living with that.

There's just no way a skunk is going to get into my garage through the cat door. It's going to be over four feet off the ground and they won't be able to climb up it, and I'm confident that they can't jump that high.

My neighbor on one side has a monster dog, and I think he might be a deterrent to skunks because ever since he's been around I haven't smelled any evidence of one.

procon

(15,805 posts)
7. Make them true indoor cats.
Thu May 28, 2020, 08:35 AM
May 2020

Stop letting them roam outdoors. You obviously care about your cat's well-being, but the dangers of letting them go free to roam is a disaster waiting to happen for predators, cars, dogs and cruel people. Also, wild critters like all those you listed also carry diseases such as rabies that can be passed to your cats through bites or saliva in shared food bowls. Raccoons will kill and eat cats.

Keep your cats inside, they really won't miss the outdoors if they have stimulating play things, which you already provide. You might consider connecting a catio or an outdoor walkway attached to your house where they could still out outdoors in nice weather, but be in a safe environment. That will also keep the wild animals out of your house.

Rorey

(8,445 posts)
10. If the kittens weren't already feral, I probably would do that
Thu May 28, 2020, 09:17 AM
May 2020

Honestly, I didn't want to have any more pets at all after my last dog went over the Rainbow Bridge. Then this tortie with a collar showed up. I actually found her previous owner, who lived all the way on the other side of town. He wouldn't respond when I tried to call him or message him on FB. And I know he was her previous owner, because he had photos of her on his FB along with a litter of kittens, all of which he said he was going to take to a shelter because he didn't want them.

She almost immediately had three kittens on my back porch, and then she promptly hid them in the neighborhood for two months. I tried to coax them to me, and finally had to trap them so I could get them fixed. I kept them locked in my office for a month, waiting for their vet appointment, and played with them every day for hours. I even had potential homes for them. They absolutely wouldn't be tamed. So now I've got these four cats. Mama is as tame and sweet as can be. Her "kittens" are two years old and like to hang out with me, as long as it's not too close.

And, yeah, maybe they'd eventually be okay with staying locked inside, but I'm just honestly not emotionally up for the drama. (The last year and a half have been challenging, to say the least. I got a divorce, had a family member have a severe illness, and then this pandemic.) They stay in the immediate neighborhood, mostly in my yard and my neighbor's, and she enjoys them and said she likes that they're around to keep mice away.

I see and understand your point of view, but what I'm doing for these guys is just going to have to be good enough. If I had gone out and gotten myself a couple of cats by choice, it would be a different story. As it is, I feel like I'm giving them the best lives that I can give them.

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