A question about raccoons

[Rorey]

So, raccoons have been an issue for me this past month or so. I took steps to discourage them from coming around. I pull in all the cat food when it gets dark, and I changed the access door for my four cats to one that I believe is raccoon-proof.

A mama raccoon had been bringing her four kits around. I first saw them on my security camera, and I opened the door and watched them for a little bit. They were pretty much unafraid, and I'm sure they would have walked right into my house if I had let them.

Well, this morning when I got up at 4:30, I noticed activity on my deck. I had left just a smidgeon of cat food out last night because a neighborhood cat was eating it when I was shutting things down. There were two raccoons on my deck - a mom and a kit. The mom went down the steps and I went and opened the door and there was just the one kit. It started to walk right toward me, like it wanted to come in my house.

So, would a mother raccoon just take one of her kits out with her? I'm wondering if something happened to the other three, because I saw no sign of them. I had read that the mothers keep their babies with them most of the summer, and then they go off on their own.

Given how seemingly tame the kits were, I feel like someone could have taken them for some reason, which I would find appalling. I mean, there's nothing I can do about it, but I'm curious.

[patricia92243]

1. Be careful. Raccoons are famous for having rabies. I hate to

say it, but this could be why the other two are missing.

[Rorey]

4. The two that come were not acting sick

It has been a couple of weeks since I first saw the four kits with the mother raccoon, and they acted pretty tame then. I know there are idiots who purposely feed wild animals, which I am against.

My fear is that someone has been trying to tame them. Last year I read a Facebook post about someone who was looking for her raccoon, which had gotten out. She further went on to say that she had been trying to find a vet who would see it because it was ailing. She had brought it with her all the way from Wisconsin. I believe it was probably mating season at the time, so I figured that was why it escaped.

I saw a woman at PetSmart once with a baby squirrel. I was tempted to tell her what an idiot she was. There are a lot of stupid people on this planet.

[samnsara]

2. they are cute but can be mean...

..really mean! A big one can and will kill a small cat or dog

[Rorey]

5. Yes, and I'm not a fan

The babies were super cute, but I still don't want them around. But I live just a few blocks from wide open spaces, so they're going to be in our neighborhood.

[JennyMominFL]

3. Yes

I have raccoons in the woods behind my house, They come almost every day and ia feed them my leftovers. I have been doing this for 9 years. The moms will come alone, with one of their babies with all of their babies or even with none of them. They will come out at ALL times of day, not just at night. Pregnant and nursing moms will definitely come out at all times of day as they are hungry.
Rabies does happen with raccoons but it is pretty rare. Distemper is more common. I have seen Distemper once in “my” raccoons but never rabies

[JennyMominFL]

7. Also

Female raccoons live in family groups. I have females and kits behind my house. I see an adult make maybe twice a year. When a mama has kits, eventually the boys leave and usually the girls stick around. Usually the males seem to be gone by 4-6 months

[Rorey]

8. I am guessing they come to you in the day because you feed them

I've only ever seen them here in the dark.

As I said, I pull in any cat food when it gets dark. I'd raccoon-proof my entire yard if I could.

[JennyMominFL]

10. Possibly

Because even before i moved in people fed them.
My main reason for posting it is because a lot of people think that raccoons only come out during the day if they are rabid. Not true.Especially with females that are pregnant or nursing.

[Rorey]

18. Just one kit again this morning

This was the first time since Saturday morning that I've seen them, and the mama raccoon again just has the one kit with her. I have cameras, so I know they haven't been here since then. I'm not a fan of raccoons, but I still hope nobody trapped them and relocated them, or something. They're too young, from what I've read, to be on their own.

[JennyMominFL]

19. They are probably fine

when my raccoons have kits its rare to see them all. i occasionally see them all but a lot of times its is just one or two. Sometimes some of the kits are left sleeping. Sometimes the babies are skittish and hide in the woods while mom explored. It is very possible some have died. Its also possible they are in the den.

[Rorey]

20. Thx. I'll never know, of course.

These guys are pretty big, and showed little fear. The first time I saw them I opened up the front door and watched them from about three feet away for at least five minutes, until they decided to walk toward me.

My biggest concern is that someone has been chumming them in to take them as pets.

https://imgur.com/a/xLSE76S

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Is it possible that you have more than one family?

[JennyMominFL]

9. Very possible

As females for a family group. I usually have several females in the woods behing the house, each with their own kits.

[Rorey]

11. That's a possibility

I am hoping they'll avoid my house entirely when they finally realize that there's nothing here for them. My neighbor complained to me a few weeks ago that they were tearing up her back yard.

I don't mind the occasional stray cat being around, but raccoons are destructive and have the potential to be dangerous, so I am trying to discourage them.

[Sherman A1]

12. I would put a radio outside playing a talk station

Low enough to not bother the neighbors but high enough to give the raccoons a feeling that people are around. Adding some lights and cayenne pepper may help as well.

[Rorey]

14. I thought about that

I am hoping that they'll soon realize that there's no food here. I shouldn't have left that little bit out last night.

It wasn't a problem for me that they were in the area until one came in through one of my cat doors. The doors were there for two years with no problem. Then I woke up one morning to find that my cats' water was filthy and the food was gone. So I put in a new cat door through my garage window, which I'm hoping is raccoon-proof. I know that three of my cats have figured it out, but I'm not sure about the fourth. I figure by winter she'll have it figured out, and it won't kill her to stay out all night if she doeesn't. The cat door in my back door is open during daylight hours, but in the dark they'll have to use the new one.

I had used that radio trick on raccoons at my parents farm. My mom had eight cats, all barn cats, when she died. I stayed at the farm taking care of my dad for eight months until he also died, and the raccoons were a real problem. The radio trick only worked for a few days. Then I envisioned them dancing while they were dining on the cat food.

I do have motion lights, and I had read about cayenne pepper. I just figure that the best thing is to be the boring house that doesn't have anything for them.

[safeinOhio]

13. Here ya go...

http://wildliferemovalusa.com/raccoon-repellent.html

[Rorey]

15. Thank you

I think I'll try some of those things on my front deck. I don't want to do anything that'll make my own cats not want to be around. I rescued a cat a couple of years ago who quickly had three kittens on my back porch. She's tame, but she hid the kittens for a few months. I had to trap them to get them fixed. They hang out around me, but are really not tame, which is okay. I just feel like they're my responsibility now, so I don't want to discourage them from staying in my own yard.

[safeinOhio]

16. Make sure you read the last paragraph.

[Rorey]

17. Thanks, I don't want them around, but don't want to hurt them

I had read that about mothballs.

I really think that I've got the problem pretty much solved. Last night I made a mistake by not picking up that last bit of cat food. I had been too careless about that for awhile.

The new cat door was long overdue. I feel like I'm lucky that a skunk didn't find its way in through a cat door, but now that won't happen. The new door is about four feet off the ground, and I put up two shelves for the cats to jump on, with metal roofing flashing around it. I had read that raccoons can't climb up sheet metal. There's no temptation for raccoons in the garage, and the cats have to go through another cat door through the laundry room and into the house.

[link:https://imgur.com/rrD6Ohf|