Raccoons!
 

How does one get rid of these furry garbage cans?

We have a feral cat family living out in a shed. They've been neutered, and are no problem - even our dog watches them in amusement. So, we put a couple plates of food out for them at dusk. Not much, just enough that the kittens among them can eat.

Then comes the evil raccoons. They do nothing but create havoc - they throw the plates of food, then fight each other, scaring the cats. I was so proud of the time that one of the little kitties scratched a raccoon's nose!

So, short of shooting or poisoning them, how do I get rid of the raccoons, but not the cats?

Bring the food in before you go to bed, or before the raccoons come out at least.

I don't think there's really anything you can do that would trap/kill/hurt/scare the raccoons that wouldn't also affect the cats.

Yes, anything short of killing them probably won't help very much!!! It's sad, but true. You probably need an exterminator. :(

Get a paintball gun or a low powered BB gun and have some fun in the middle of the night. You may injure them enough to scare them away, but not cause and lasting or real damage to them, and if your AIM is good you can easily miss the cats.

*Sorry I know its slightly cruel, but its all I could come up with at like 2:30 AM*

You might also check with your local animal control/wildlife management office - they may have traps they will loan you - when you catch a coon, call them and they will cart it away to happier hunting grounds. (If you catch a cat, just release it - I'm talking about humane traps)
I'd suggest feeding the cats in the morning - racoons are nocturnal, so you'd have fewer problems if you feed the cats during the day.

if you are going to feed the cats outside at night then you are going to be feeding the coons (and all other night creatures). That is just the way it is. Please don't poison or hurt them. Remember they were there first. Feed the cats during the day and take up the dishes at night. Or feed the cats in an enclosed environment so the coons can't get to the food.

also if you are going to use a trap make sure you check it at least every 12 hours especially if you are in a hot area. I hate it when people bring me animals that they have trapped days ago on death's door-how awful and scarey for the poor creature.

Thanks! We used the humane traps to get the cats ready to neuter in the first place, and I don't think they'll come near them. The cats & the coons eat at roughly the same time, which is what's bothering me. Two of the HUGE raccoons cornered one of the kittens, and I was sure he was going to be their dinner. I was so happy that he defended himself and scratched the one raccoon's nose!

Best suggestion other than killing them.

Your problem is the food. Raccoons and other nocturnal creatures eat at night. Most cats do not.

If you call someone to take the raccoons out, they will also take the feral cats. They are a health hazard because they can carry the same kinds of infections as the raccoons.

The other issue is raccoons are more vicious, because they will eat anything.

We have used an ultrasonic sound emitter that makes all the little furballs run away. They DO NOT like it for about 6-9 months, then they become deaf to it. It is actually funny.

You can also add motion-sensor lights. None of the animals like that at all. So when they walk by, they will activate the lights. But, your sleep pattern will be disturbed.

DO NOT paintball or BB gun them. Aside from it being inhumane, it is also quite dangerous for you.

You ought to remove all of them from Animal Control. And if you want the cats, then at least you will get the vet care they need--for free--improve their health and adopt them all.

You have no idea how excited I am to read this. I have been taking care of a feral cat colony for a couple months. I have 2 kittens that I have domesticated and can play with.

I also have a racoon named Wagner that lives in the drainage colvert thing in my backyard and steals my cat food.
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/phot...42409_8551.jpg

I've been trying to find a solution to the same problem. I was told by animal control that they can relocate Wagner but another raccoon will just move into his home. Wagner may steal my cats' food and be a big pest but he's not really mean. If your raccoons are trying to attack your kittens, you might want to have them relocated.

Our feral cats ("the Will Ferralls") are a second-generation colony - there's one mom & dad, and their four kittens who are totally bonded. KittenDaddy & three of the kittens are Siamese (one lilac point), Mom is a tortoise shell, and the other kitten is solid black. They all take care of each other, and especially the little Lilac Point, who's the runt. I'd love to set a camera up on them, as they're terribly interesting. Oh, there are two others who were from last year's litter who come around occasionally - they don't "formally" live with the Will Ferralls. All of them leave food for each other, and the Mother will watch her babies eat, and then finish up. Think Kitty Vanderbilt. Oh, they also have all of their age appropriate shots.

When there was just one raccoon, it wasn't that bad - but now there are three. One is totally insolent, and if s/he doesn't get to the food first, s/he will grab the plate and toss it, rather than share. It's just bad news. These critters are easily 30# or more, and I did find out that it's illegal for me to shoot or poison them. :rolleyes: Not that I would poison them - I'd feel horrible if one of the cats got the food first.

I'm just frustrated with them. Is it possible to change the cats' feeding time, or do you think their habits are too ingrained by now?

The cats will come to the food.
My girl friend is a volunteer in local pet rescue group. She pulled about 15 cats out of a parking lot near where I worked in one weekend.
She has four rescued cats.
And trust me when I say the cats will come to the food.:);)

You could slowly move the time forward. I sit outside with my kittens at night when they are eating. Wagner usually won't come on the porch if I'm out there. My adult cats are a little more difficult since they are less comfortable with me being so close, but the raccoon is more timid with them.

I have some pictures of some of my cats. I'll post them if you'd like to see. them. I have more of my kittens than my adult cats, because I can get closer to them. I usually take a ton of pics on my digital camera and only get a couple pics that are any good.

i bet the cats don't care what time they are fed as long as they get fed. Try feeding them in the morning and see what happens. I bet they will adjust.

My raccoon story: i use to leave my atrium door open during the spring. there is a small palm tree in the atrium that reaches the roof. For about 2 months I could not figure out why my cats were going through a bag of cat food per week when it would usually last them almost 1 month. Then I noticed there water was always dirtywith their food. I came home late one night and found a huge coon snacking away on my cats food in my living room. the cats did not care they just went about their business, it was like he was part of the family. I got him out of the house wihout incident -he ran up the palm tree onto the roof-from then on I kept the door closed.

The wildlife rehaber that takes my possums and my techs coons (I have a tech that raises orphaned raccoons) feeds them all at the same time every night (including his cats). They all apparently eat side by side with no problems.