can anyone tell me what to do about a RACCOON IN THE HOUSE? *pics*

[Dar]

Let me tell you about my morning...

5:AM: Hubbys alarm goes off he makes a racket getting ready for wirk and wakes me too... yep I got to get up and use the washroom
5:20am toss and turn not gonna happen cant go back to sleep, decide to read
5:45a, CRASH!!!! SMASH!!!!! BANG!!!!!! this is the sound of the dog crashing through the baby gate and chasing what I assume is a cat through the dining room I come down stairs and this is what I see

this is a baby coon that got trapped in between my screen and the blocker panel on my fan. SO I tear the screen away hoping he will hop down and go home

I walk back into the dining room and see a crazy mess at the cats food dish assume its from the dog going after the coon

I go to let the out door cat out of his crate (he is a cat that sprays so we crate him at night for his own safety from predators but he is outside all day) this is what I find

My son could not get him I had to call hubby home from work to get this critter out of the house. I have now washed the cat bowls in a 4:1 solution of bleach and water and washed the floor and baseboards and anything else the coon may have touched...

is a 4:1 solution strong enough?

 

[Lollipop]

I don`t think you have anything to worry about, except your chickens. A coon has to bite`cha to hurt`cha.......Pop

 

[dmccann]

Oh my goodness!

 

[teach1rusl]

That coon's no "dirtier" than one of your cats, so I wouldn't worry about what it's touched. The baby ones don't have a lot of sense when it comes to sensing danger, do they?

Pretty bold little thing...

 

[Dar]

the ironic thing is there was just a thing in the paper YESTERDAY that the raccoons in Ontario have been free from rabies since 2005..

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/ADM-17.pdf

and BTW I would be setting traps to get rid of them pests.

 

[M.sue]

Wow...what a morning you've had. I'd figure out how they got into the house and fix it so it doesn't happen again.

 

[theoldchick]

I'd put the cat food away at night and a lock on the cat door. People don't realize more than just their pets come through those pet doors.

Long ago my hubby was helping a fellow who was in security. They had this client who swore somebody was coming in the house and moving stuff around, eating her food and so forth. This was long before critter cams so the men set up tiny cameras all over the house. To their amazement the cameras caught a family of raccoons entering through the dog door and helping themselves to the cat food left out in the bowl. After they emptied the bowl the varmints proceeded to go through the lady's cabinets and thoroughly enjoying all the easy pickings.

What were the cats doing? Watching the whole thing and grooming themselves.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
there is no cat door... the coon squeezed through the space by the side of the fan. there WAS a screen in place so I never gave it a second thought. We always remove all cat food at night from the outside of the house shortly after dinner and have never had a problem but this lil guy decided he was gonna make himself at home

one cat was in the crate.. the other is to old and senile to realize what was going on and the other 2 were in bed with DD...lol

 

[theoldchick]

He was a determined little bugger wasn't he? Do you have any local "Critter Getters" in your area? There are folks who capture/trap unwanted wildlife in your home and in your yard. Or Your local animal control should be able to get your unwanted visitor with a rabies pole and take it out of your house.