Caring for a feral cat in our yard, raccoons horning in.

[MsCallieCoe.]

Hello-

We have had a TNR'd feral cat that we named Callie living in our backyard since May 22. She "lives" in a little, insulated and heated house, just outside of our sliding door. I never leave food out. She comes to the door, I feed her and pick up her dish as soon as she's done. But it's winter, and she has been tentatively making her way indoors to eat, as long as we stay far away from her and keep the patio door open--hello heating bills! LOL. I have had raccoons come to my patio door every night this week, but she wasn't around except for one night. I never open the door for them and I never feed them. I am worried about Callie getting attacked by them. They are massive for raccoons.

My husband wants to hire a pest control company to trap them and release them. I really don't want this, because I don't want Callie getting caught in one.

Does anyone have any cat-safe solutions for preventing them from coming into my yard? I don't keep any food out, my trash bins are locked down. I was wondering if predator urine would help, but I don't want to keep Callie away.

Thank you.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! I am sure others will come along soon with their own ideas. But, in the meantime, I have two - 1.) place feeding stations at the far end of your yard for the raccoons so they don't need to come close to your home, they know food is being served there whether or not it is present when they hunt for some, and 2. make Callie an indoor cat. Once you've done the second option, you can remove the feeding stations for the raccoons, and they will soon move on their way.
The 5 Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside - TheCatSite

 

[backwoodsvet]

Thanks for doing what you can for Callie, I'm a person that cares for a colony and on some mornings, I have seen raccoons eat side by side with my ferals and all get along, I don't think there's much chance of coons hurting your Callie other than a hiss or snare here and there, the biggest problem with raccoons is rabies......as far as picking up the food as soon as Callie is done will always be helpful AND indoor feeding is probably the best way to rid coons in the equation, if you can figure out how to do it without the door open......
But the short of it is, at least to me is that you can't do much about the coons, they, to me are part of the landscape, and I don't think trapping them for relocation will work long term, they will just be replaced by a new group.....I can tell you that raccoons are busy guys, they can't spend a lot of time waiting on a food bowl, your best bet is to try to keep feed time the same, so coons will not stay close by waiting all day wondering when that food bowl will come out, and as you said pick that food up as soon as Callie is done.....and yes try to never let them coons get a taste of that cat food, if they have'nt already, it would be a big step backward.....................
Thank you for giving Callie a nice place to hang out.........

 

[Kris107]

Oh, man. I don't know where you live, but I am in a suburban setting and we get some giant ones that roam through the neighborhood. They are looking for food. I can't think of how to protect Callie bc raccoons are crafty. They opened my neighbor's chicken coop lid to snatch a full size chicken out. They ruined my back screen door one night because they saw one of my cats inside (door was shut). I think if food is plentiful, they can co-exist like backwoodsvet said, but I don't trust them. Hmm, makes me think though... They make pet doors that can read microchips if she has one? Or she could wear a microchip tag. Would allow her to food and safety, not them.

 

[fionasmom]

Pest control companies who trap and relocate will try to be as cautious as possible about Callie, but it may completely spook her to be in a trap. My neighbor hired one for a skunk problem and one of my ferals did go inside, but learned not to do it a second time.

Around here we have had some very large, aggressive, defiant raccoons but they do give up if chased away and seem not to return if it is too much trouble. But they have tried to fake me out by hiding around the corner of the house figuring that I am not going to continue to stand outside and wait for them.

If Callie will use a pet door with a microchip, that is another idea. Some cats don't use them; I had a friend whose cat would exit, but never enter through one.

I have used predator urine and never thought that it did one single thing. I used it for rats, ultimately hiring an exterminator to get rid of them. If you are where it rains, you will need to continually reapply it. I also think that the rats were smart enough to figure that while they might smell something, "might" being the operative word, they never actually saw a predator.

If you can adapt Callie to coming inside, that is the best solution.

 

[Caspers Human]

Raccoons can be carriers of rabies, distemper and several other diseases communicable to cats as well as people. As much as I like raccoons on a personal level, it's best to discourage them whenever possible.

One of the problems with raccoons coming near homes to feed is that it causes them to congregate closer and more frequently than the would if they stayed in the wild. The more time they spend in proximity to one another the greater the chances they spread disease to each other, your pets and, worse, to people.

Another problem is that, when wildlife becomes acclimated to the presence of humans and starts coming near homes, it's often the animals that lose. They get run over by cars, get otherwise injured, become susceptible to disease and, ultimately, end up being poisoned or outright killed.

First, I would try to scare them away. Holler at them and chase them away. Try to tap into their natural fear of humans, using that to your advantage. Try being as hostile and unwelcoming as you can, within reason. It's for their own good. Throw water at them. Bang pots and pans together. Years ago, I had a neighbor who put a radio out in his garden (using a long extension cord) turned up loud. He would turn it on and off at random intervals so that the raccoons wouldn't get used to the sound as easily.

If that doesn't work, trap them out. Relocate them if you can but the problem with relocating is that raccoons are social and territorial. Moving a raccoon to a new area where it doesn't have social connections with others of its own kind could be like a death sentence. If a relocated animal can't find food or gets attacked by hostile resident animals, it might either starve or be killed. Even if a relocated animal doesn't die, it might still find its way back to your property where it will just continue where it left off. This time, it will be even harder because the animal will have become "trap wise" or, worse, become even more acclimated to humans.

The last option is the least desirable. Either trapping and dispatching them or shooting them, outright. (Obeying any firearms laws in your area, obviously.) This is, decidedly, a last resort.

I just wish that people wouldn't encourage the damned coons to come close to houses! Stop feeding them! Just let animals be animals and live in the woods where they belong!

Sure, they're cute and all but when they start damaging property, harassing or harming pets or spreading disease, it's the animals that are going to lose out!

You can kill with kindness just as easily as you can with a gun.