My house got broken into two nights in a row

My husband and I slept right through it last night. He got up at about 6 this morning to let the cat out (the cat slept through it as well) and found a chaotic mess in the kitchen. Trash knocked over, spaghetti sauce all over the rug and tracks leading straight to the window.

Raccoon tracks, that is.

Our kitchen window opens onto our deck. The window swings open outward and we usually latch it open like that in the summer and just have the screen which is secured by a hook and eye. We figured one of us forgot to hook the screen but tonight my daughter and I were watching TV when we heard odd sounds in the kitchen. I poked my head in and flicked the light on just in time to see a raccoon high-tailing it out the window.

VERY cute - I'd say a juvenile since he wasn't all that big. But I'm pretty sure that screen was latched which leads me to believe the clever little bugger has figured out how to get the hook open from the outside. Wish I'd gotten a picture.

I guess we'll be leaving that window closed from now on. :eyes:

That would scare me to death.

I've only seen them while camping. They know how to open everything!

You'll never be able to I.D. him (or her) in a line-up.

I think you need a "critter-cam" to capture the cute.
http://www.morrisbsg.com/adm/bir/deer/camera.html

:hi:

The cats just ignore them.

...and I got accused of posting porno. :)

it REALLY HAPPENED, tho.

now I have a concrete block and shovel against the cat door and have to get up at 3 because my cat won't stop scratching on the door till I let her in.

Poor little raccoon is gonna be disappointed when he finds the buffet line closed tonight.:D

:rofl:

I turned on the outside light and there he was, looking impatient.

My husband used to feed the darn things when I first met him. There were dozens of them here every night, begging and quarreling and getting into things. Cute definitely but pests. And they make a horrible mess, and the food outside attracted jays which are also obnoxious. So we stopped that and now we only get the occasional straggler.

This one's persistent now that he's managed to get in a couple of times. I think I'll call him Theodore....

Either that, or send the cat to watchcat school.

the whole bag of food which ended up stuck in the doggy door.

I heard our dog crying in the morning and couldn't figure out what was wrong. I found him, and he was crying because his door was completely blocked by the bag of dog food.

...that I used to try to divert the deer from fruit trees.

and someone pointed out to me that they had basically made sour mash in my backyard.

I should be on the lookout for the revenuers, I suppose.

to raccoons. They had a walk-in parrot cage out in their lanai / pool cage area. The raccoon(s) got in the lanai door (shredded the screening), and managed to open the latch on the door into the walk-in parrot residence. And got the parrot. Apparently the cockatoo that was also in there gave as good as he got, because he was still in the walk-in, alive and seemingly unharmed, with some bits of raccoon fur and blood on the floor. From what he tells me, the cockatoo is still a bit freaked out, and they have him in an indoor cage now.

Redstone

However, I understand the moose are getting pretty bothersome.

How are you doing, Redstone? I'm hardly ever here anymore but it's nice to see you. :)

they turn into hoodlums. I learned that the hard way. You feed em once or twice when they're cute lil sweet babies, and they turn into gangsters later, running in herds, turning over the trashcans, terrorizing the birds and possums and ferals. I stopped, and now the other critters are much more relaxed.

I am glad it was disease carrying critter instead of a human. :)

...I had a friend who was mugged twice in the same night in Memphis circa 1990, once at knifepoint, once at gunpoint. Both times on the way to the liquor store.