My close encounter

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flutterbee

Guest
Today we had scheduled bulk pickup with the garbage so we could get rid of all of the boxes from the move. We only get one bulk pickup and it has to be within one month of the move, so everything had to go.

Now, the boxes were all broken down. easy child just had to take them out to the curb. This was last night. Of course, he was BAM BAM (b**** and moaning) the whole time which just annoyed me to no end. I mean, other than his room (which he got a friend to help him with) he did none of the packing and unpacking. So, I'm annoyed and he told me, 'Calm down, Mom', which just makes me want to take his head off.

So, he gets done and I go out back to get away from him and to cool off - literally. I was so annoyed with him that I was hot.

All of a sudden I see an animal scurry from beside the grill on the patio, along the house and behind the shrubs. I'm thinking, 'Oh, no! Puddles got out.' Puddles is a big cat.

So, I'm calling, 'Puddles, Puddles, Puddles' in that sing song voice, every 'Puddles' a higher note than the one before. 'Come here big guy.' Walking over to him, crouched down so I can just grab him.

I get within a couple of feet and suddenly realize...that's not Puddles.

It was a raccoon. And he was soooo not intimidated by me. And he was starting to make scary noises. And rearing up.

'Well, hi there, Mr. Raccoon', as I slowly back away. 'You have a nice night. I'll be over there (pointing).'

Mr. Raccoon watched me back all the way to the house and in the door. I guess we know who's property this is.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
:smile:

:rofl:

Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh. We've had a Momma raccoon regularly visiting us since we moved into this house 4 yrs ago. She's neat and tidy about scrounging thru the trash so I don't bother her.

Imagine my surprise when I look out onto the front porch one frigid winter morning to find Momma raccoon eating out of the cats dish along with the outside cats!! I couldn't believe it.

Then I think Momma raccoon spread the word cuz next thing we know we've got a possum visiting us every night. Now possums just aren't one of those animals I get all warm and fuzzy over. I think well, Shadow and Willie ought to scare him off. Nope. Mr. Possum made friends with the cats and also shared their food!

Sadly though, Mr. Possum met an untimely death in the alley, he had an unpleasant encounter with someone's car. :frown: Believe it or not, both Nichole and I were upset when we found him. Weird huh?

I've got to say though, meeting a raccoon the way you did might have made my heart stop. :surprise:
 
F

flutterbee

Guest
They're beautiful creatures, but fiesty as all get-out. I was happy to leave him be. Especially since it was obvious who he thought the yard belonged, too.

I would have been sad about the possum, too. I almost let one in the house when we lived in Georgia. We had 7 cats and they were indoor/outdoor. The back door to the deck was a french door and one night I see a pair of eyes looking in the window on the door. Thinking it was one of the cats wanting in - cause it had never been anything else - I opened the door. There was a possum. I screamed, it jumped and I slammed the door. :rofl:

Did you know that possums don't carry rabies? Neither do squirrels. Just a little trivia for ya.
 

mrscatinthehat

Seussical
When easy child was little her and I lived with my parents for a time. Her and her nana (not my mother cuz my mother wouldn't have done this so all of it is her nana that way) decide to put out grapes for the cute raccoon. Dad and I say don't do it. Well we are vetoed.

A couple mornings later easy child comes screaming back to my bedroom to get me up. Of course I fly out of bed (who doesn't with a screaming child). We get to the dining room door and what is attached and hissing to the screen. Mr Raccoon demanding more food. I looked at dad he looked at me and we looked at the panicked duo and said we warned you two. This is what happens when you feed the wild animals.

easy child is an animal lover but don't let one be a raccoon as she still is fearful of them.

Beth
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
:smile:I would have been so freaked out!!!! That would definitely be too close of an encounter. Glad you got back inside safely! I remember for awhile we would have a huge hedgehog that would come up on our deck-used to scare me and at the same time he looked cool too.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I've got a litle possom that visits occasionally, but he doesn't bother anything so I just leave him alone. I have four little outside cats that are only "semi mine", which means they hang out at my house and they allow me to feed them, but that's about all. I feed them on my back porch in the mornings and then again in the evening. This little possom comes late at night and finishes any cat food left in the pan. I can hear him crunching, and usually one or more of the cats will be sitting right there watching him while he eats.

We've named him "Porky". He's actually kind of cute, as possoms go ... if you can overlook the beady little eyes and the rat-like nose and tail. He's really chubby and has a full, fluffy white coat. When he's finished eating, he just waddles back across the yard into the bushes. I'd kind of miss him if he were gone now.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
I'm always cautious around raccoons. I understand they are quite nasty and aggressive when they feel threatened. I let any outside critters alone. I don't go in their house and they aren't to come into mine. :whew: We do seem to have a small group of deer who love to pull the pansies out by the roots. LOL.
 

nvts

Active Member
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Oh, I'm wiping my eyes! I don't know which I'd rather deal with: a p.o.'d racoon or easy child!!!

:rofl:

Reminds me of when I was a kid and we went camping (there were 8 of us in our family - it was the only way we could travel).

All of the kids were asleep in the tent, and Mom & Dad were having a "nightcap" sitting on the tailgate of the Vista Cruiser (the one on That 70's Show is exactly like it!). Mom saw a stray cat, so she's going "here kitty, kitty" and walking up to it. She looks over and Dad is RUNNING toward the car hissing "get out of there" "get in the car".

It was a skunk!

She didn't get sprayed, but the picture in my mind will live forever!

:rofl:

Thanks for stirring the memories!

:smile:

Beth
 


Eeewhhh!

It always surprises me when a wild animal looks back at me, too.

After all, I am the human here and they are <u> </u> supposed <u> </u> to run away.

It's like an infringement of the rules or something when they just stand there.

Next thing you know, I start thinking about whether they are hungry and what to feed them.

Then husband gets mad because wild animals carry disease and you don't want to encourage them to hang around by feeding them.

Can you tell we have been through this too?

:rofl:

Barbara
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: They ARE intimidating!!

Raccoons happen to be my favorite animal. We used to have one that my psycho roommate fed cat food to. One day I came out to the living room and the darned thing was standing in my house!! Staring into the face of my crazy roommate's daughter's face, who was 18 months old and had let the 'kitty' in through the sliders. I lost my voice. But I did manage to pull baby away from the raccoon, open the slider and throw some cat food out there - she left. A month later she gave birth to 5 pups in the eaves of our shed. We had to call animal control - things got ugly from there. I felt awful.

Be careful - those things bite if you catch them off guard and they get close enough!!
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Ok...this is making me laugh out loud because Jamies future mother in law is such an animal freak that she throws food out for all the wild animals.

Now you have to understand that they live in side by side apartments in a suburb of Difficult Child. Also remember what Jamie does for a living.

I was up there one time for a visit and we were sitting outside smoking after dark and we heard this crunch crunch crunch sound coming from right beside the steps where we were sitting. Jamie looks over and said to me "mom, get up slowly and go inside NOW!" Im thinking...WTH! He jumps up, grabs his flashlight and tools and goes back out...there is Mr. Rocky Raccoon calmly eating the cat food. Jamie was ready to bag him and tag him! If that darned raccoon had made one wrong move he would be a dead raccoon...lol.

Then there were the white skunks that roamed all over the front yard.

Im telling you, it wasnt safe to leave the apartment after dark to go smoke...lol.
 
F

flutterbee

Guest
I have to say that I did think about putting out some fruit and veggies. I mean, we have bunnies, too...and the ground is covered with snow.

But, then I decided that I really don't want him to get too comfortable being so close to the house - especially since he seems to have a bit of an attitude problem. :wink: I take Jewel out several times a night to potty and I'm pretty sure the 'coon would tear her up.

The worst was when we had a bat in the house. It came down the chimney and into the upstairs wood stove (we had 2), which didn't get used until it hit 20 degrees because it would get too hot in the house. Well, it got cold, mom opened the door to get the stove going and out comes a bat. Again, bats are beautiful and fascinating creatures. Just not in the house.

I'm like you, Fran. I don't go into their house; they don't need to come in mine. Kinda like what I always tell my animals when they're begging for my food....I don't eat your food. :rofl:
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Bats? Ewwwww! I'd have a hard time with that one.

Our next door neighbor at our last house had a roost (is that what they call it?) of bats living in her chimney. Since we always sat outside we'd see them leave at dusk and return at dawn everyday. Her landlord kept trying to convince her they were swallows. :hypnosis:

Finally I got her to sit with us during one of her days off. Sure enough without fail there they were. Next day landlord got a call from the county health dept. :rofl:

I don't think they had any trouble outting the bats from the chimney, but the cleanup was absolutely horrid. Obviously they'd been living there for quite some time. :surprise:
 
Ew.

We have had bats. They are so eerie and fast and their wings make that whickering sound....

Isn't that something, about the landlord trying to convince his tenant that the bats were swallows!!!

Though they do migrate, you know.

When we had them at our house?

We used to watch them come back, every Spring.

Ew.

Barbara
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
You all would laugh your hineys off at some of the stories Jamie tells. Like the day this woman calls him to say she has a stray cat in her closet. He goes out there and its a possum with babies...lol.

Bats are a regular thing. Snakes. He had to get a horse out of the road.

I think one of the funniest ones to us was a chicken that no one could figure out how to catch. The thing was running around in peoples yards and no one could figure out where it came from but they had to catch it. All the other officers were trying to net it but the thing would run and fly up in trees or hide.

Jamie picked up a handful of dirt, tossed it at the ground near his feet and scooped the bird up. They were amazed...lmao.
 

nvts

Active Member
We had a peacock land on our block (apparently someones pet that had gotten loose). The neighbors came to the door to get husband because "he can do anything".

Everyone is standing around to try to figure out how to catch it when we hear a little voice from our front door (difficult child 2 - he was 5 at the time and speech delayed up the wazoo!):

Why don't you put some food on the ground and while it's eating throw a blanket on it?

We were all waiting for the "duh!!!" that never came!

Beth
 
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