Miss Popsicle, my orange kitty, was not impressed when she saw this visitor coming in through her cat door.
Two days before, I’d noticed that Miss P seemed to have been eating more cat food than usual and making a general mess on her counter. And yesterday she’d apparently opened a cupboard to get at another bag of food. I thought she was just being fussier than usual … it didn’t dawn on me what had actually been happening.
Then, the following afternoon, I heard the cat door. But Miss P was sitting next to me on the desk. Hmm. I peeked into the utility room and saw the uninvited guest in the corner. She paused, apparently less surprised than I was, as I went for my camera.
By the time I got back, I could see she already knew the routine from the previous afternoon’s visit . . .
. . . and she was quickly getting down to business.
I’d read wildlife veterinarian Liz Stelow’s post on how it’s not a good idea to encourage wildlife in the house. So I made some noise . . .
. . . and Ms. Raccoon took the hint. She paused on the way down . . .
. . . as if to say, “Aww, come on, I’m really very cute.” But it was time for some tough love, so I said goodbye . . .
. . . and she headed out the same way she came in.
P.S. The cat door is now locked for the next few days, in hopes that Ms. Raccoon will find some equally good treats in her more natural environment.
What do you say? Have you had raccoon visitors at home? Let us know in a comment or on Facebook.
What you can do: Check out veterinarian Liz Stelow’s post on whether to feed wild animals who come into your yard.
My Uninvited Guest
By Michael Mountain,
Very cute, but not to be encouraged!
By Michael Mountain
Miss Popsicle, my orange kitty, was not impressed when she saw this visitor coming in through her cat door.
Two days before, I’d noticed that Miss P seemed to have been eating more cat food than usual and making a general mess on her counter. And yesterday she’d apparently opened a cupboard to get at another bag of food. I thought she was just being fussier than usual … it didn’t dawn on me what had actually been happening.
Then, the following afternoon, I heard the cat door. But Miss P was sitting next to me on the desk. Hmm. I peeked into the utility room and saw the uninvited guest in the corner. She paused, apparently less surprised than I was, as I went for my camera.
By the time I got back, I could see she already knew the routine from the previous afternoon’s visit . . .
. . . and she was quickly getting down to business.
I’d read wildlife veterinarian Liz Stelow’s post on how it’s not a good idea to encourage wildlife in the house. So I made some noise . . .
. . . and Ms. Raccoon took the hint. She paused on the way down . . .
. . . as if to say, “Aww, come on, I’m really very cute.” But it was time for some tough love, so I said goodbye . . .
. . . and she headed out the same way she came in.
P.S. The cat door is now locked for the next few days, in hopes that Ms. Raccoon will find some equally good treats in her more natural environment.
What do you say? Have you had raccoon visitors at home? Let us know in a comment or on Facebook.
What you can do: Check out veterinarian Liz Stelow’s post on whether to feed wild animals who come into your yard.