Let me tell you about the cat door

[spinbaby]

Six years ago, we bought a house that came with two feral cats living outside. We lured them inside to eat by leaving the kitchen door open. Eventually, we installed a cat door, they learned to use a cat door, and we reached a happy agreement in which they got to come and go as they pleased and we waited on them hand and foot. A while back, a raccoon learned about the cat door, so we stopped leaving cat food out in the kitchen at night.

So, this morning I got up, fed the cats in the kitchen, and took breakfast to the kittens who are confined to a bathroom. When I went back to the kitchen to get my coffee, there was a raccoon happily having breakfast with the cats. The cats were totally cool with it. The raccoon looked offended and left quickly through the cat door.

[blm]

1. Heh.

[niyad]

2. That must have been startling. Glad they were all okay with eating together.

[spinbaby]

6. They looked quite comfortable with the situation

Obviously the cats know this dude. I have a sneaking suspicion he’s been having breakfast here every morning while I take my coffee to the next room to watch the morning news.

[Butterflylady]

3. Thanks for making smile because I needed one.

[brer cat]

4. You are a true believer in diversity.

I'm not sure I could take a raccoon in the house.

[Rebl2]

12. Me either

All I can think of is rabies.

[Bayard]

5. They are indeed, quite opportunistic

[MuseRider]

7. A bunch of years ago

my neighbor was home alone and I was too so she called and asked if I wanted to come over, have a drink or two and watch a movie. We drank a bit and turned on a movie. I caught movement out of the side of my eye and saw a raccoon run across the room and down the stairs. I mentioned it to her and she said that they always did that to share food with the cats. OK, new one for me. I saw another, the first went out then another and another. This went on through the first half of the movie or so and then I saw a skunk come in, and another. It was a virtual parade (we had a woods around us). Apparently they just put the food out, enough for the neighborhood critters every night and nothing ever happened. No smell, no real mess, no fighting and they were always gone in the morning.

[Karadeniz]

9. What a story!!!

[MuseRider]

10. It was pretty cool I thought.

I brought the idea over to our house and my husband lost it, thought I had lost my mind but we did have dogs so there was a problem they did not have. I fear the skunks would not deal as sweetly as they did at the neighbors.

[Karadeniz]

11. I was wondering if you'd be influenced, but I also wondered about dogs. Oh, well!

[Emile]

8. I have the same problem from time to time. I have

a cat door on our attached garage. My two cats use this door to come in and feed and also to get out of the weather. I can put out enough cat food to feed them a week. This allows us to hook up the little camper and escape for a few days every now and then. The bad part is the raccoons are quick learners and come in and eat all the cat food and make messes. When this happens I set my live trap and bait it with cat food. By morning I will usually catch the raccoon or opposum and take the critter a few miles away and release it.