There's a raccoon on my back porch.

[Liberal Veteran]

For some reason, this fact is not amusing to me.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Shoot it. That's we used to do. Fucking thieving mess-making bastards.

[zanne]

24. Don't listen to Rabrrr...

Just keep the lids tight on your garbage cans. They deserve a life, too.

[Lorien]

27. Yeah right; we cut down their trees, kill their food, then shoot them for

still existing on "our" planet. :eyes:

Raccoons are beautiful, sensitive, emotional, and intelligent animals. Rabies is a VERY rare disease. Pest control companies beat the "animals are dangerous"! drum to get more business, and the bed wetters fall for it every time. If there are no warnings in your county, there is no need for fear. Just let the raccoon hang out and relax. They're some of the best free rat control you'll ever find (rats are a favorite food of raccoons), plus, they can be a lot of fun to watch!

My little orphan Velco; one of the most loving animals I've ever known, which you would have gleefully murdered simply because you could:

[jeff30997]

2. Now that Rabrrrrrr have solved your problem...

Can we all have a good laugh ? :hide:

[Lasher]

3. They can carry rabies.

If they got bold enough to come up on my porch they would be dinner.

[barb162]

18. So can people.

[surrealAmerican]

20. Is it safe to eat rabid animals?

[Lasher]

22. Nope. Don't eat the ones that's acting like Ole Yeller.

[mnhtnbb]

4. There was just a cat fight in my driveway. I had just put both my cats out...

and now they are both back in again. Looks like I'll be awakened at 4 a.m. when they want out.

[mtowngman]

5. Someone I worked with told me they used to chase them out from under

trailers in the trailer park by playing a radio-probably string band music.

[Lorien]

28. The sound of a barking poodle will scare them away

raccoons are terrified of even the smallest dogs. The ones in my backyard would sit and eat cat food butt to butt with my cat and the neighborhood possum without batting an eyelash, but if the neighbor's jack russell barked from INSIDE THE HOUSE they would fly up the tree in a flash!

[flvegan]

6. If you had a pet lion, this wouldn't happen.

[mnhtnbb]

7. Check out the picture my former neighbor took of raccoons in his yard

oops. My bad. He doesn't want them posted. See his website below and click Peter pets to find the raccoon picture.

[mnhtnbb]

8. For more photos from Peter

http://www.petergowland.com/

[emilyg]

9. So cute! I had a family

show up - little babies ad Momma. Gave them dry cat food.

[mnhtnbb]

12. He fed them dog food--which is probably why he had so many.

[NoSheep]

10. I saw one crawl up a tree one night - it looked like a bear cub!

it was huge. I had no idea they could get that big.

[mnhtnbb]

13. We had one living in a tree on our hillside. I watched him crawl up the tree

and then go inside it one morning!

[NoSheep]

14. It never occurred to me the creature was on its way home!

[mnhtnbb]

23. Going up at night may have been taking food back to little ones.

[cherish44]

11. We had raccoons that would come on our porch and eat the cats' food

They got pretty bold after awhile. I'd go out to try to scare them away and they'd just stare at me probably thinking "Why is this creature disturbing my meal?"

[Critters2]

26. Yep. Never leave cat food out at night.

It's a raccoon magnet.

[keroro gunsou]

15. o... hai...

[TZ]

17. Uh..I like wildlife but somehow....

I think I would find that view a little scary..:rofl:

[LynneSin]

16. Let it move into your house, you can say you're Little Edie Bouvier Beale

:D

[Kool Kitty]

25. Jeez, that was the first thing I thought of when I saw

this post. Edie feeding bread to the raccoon in the stairwell. That proves it, I guess. I am officially obsessed with the Beales.

[barb162]

19. Hmmmm

Raccoons come on mine just about every night for birdseed, if they're not screwing around in this big tree in the back. This has been going on for an easy 10 yrs.

[NV Whino]

21. Do not feed the little bastards

They come into my house at night (through the cat door) and raid the cat food. I have to put it in a separate room at night. I have to put screens over my fish ponds and wire them down. And they are not afraid of anything.