Fed up with raccoon issue

[pipervali]

Hey all. I'm at my wits end with the raccoons that have been invading my back yard this summer. I use my back patio as a oasis for a feral colony, going on 9 years now. I've always had a raccoon or two that snoops around since I'm adjacent to a small wooded area. But this year one of those raccoons had babies. 6 of them. And they're holy freaking terrors. My trash is completely upturned every morning, they manage to pry the lid off of it. Even trash that has no food whatsoever in it is shredded. I don't have the option of keeping it in the garage. It doesn't matter what time of day I feed the ferals, within minutes of the food being placed out, the whole herd comes barreling onto my patio, scaring the cats away. They upturn the water bowls, dirty them, fight among themselves over the food. I'm wasting so much money on lost food. And they're not scared of me at all. The one climbed my screen door when I banged on the window to get them to leave. This has been happening for a good two months now and I just don't know what to do any more.

I read that apple cider vinegar is a good deterrent, so I pour that on my trash cans, with mixed results. But it's also a scent cats apparently dislike, so I don't want to pour it on the patio and scare them away too.

Animal control is also out because they won't rehome them, they'll kill them apparently. And we've already been visited by the local police a while back advising us to not feed the ferals or we'll be fined. One of the neighbors apparently complained, even though I have almost a acre of land and half the people on our block feed them. It was enough to bring my mother to tears. So animal control, which is township run, isn't really a option.

I don't want to hurt them, but I'm getting so frustrated,and I can tell the cats have been hanging around a lot less because of the raccoons. They don't seem to be aggressive towards the cats, just fight among themselves over the food. But that could easily change. And they're not scared of me, so who knows what they really are capable of. Any suggestions? I know they're destructive and stubborn creatures, so I'm really concerned there's not really much I can do.

 

[catsknowme]

Arrgghhh....raccoons!! I find them to be a nuisance as well. We are also being overrun with skunks, too, but they are not as aggressive as raccoons. Unfortunately, I do not have an humane answer because our state does not allow the raccoons to be relocated, only destroyed. Have you been able to TNR the cats?

 

[Norachan]

We have another thread about raccoons here.

How to deter raccoons

I only have one regular raccoon visitor and he never bothers the cats at all. He worked out how to get through the cat door about a year ago, which the cats were furious about. I don't really want him in the house, so now I leave him a sandwich outside every night and he just eats that and goes on his way. The cats line up on the deck to watch him eat.

I hear that baby raccoons will leave as soon as they are old enough, so hopefully your teenage trouble makers won't stay around for long.

Raccoons like sweet, sticky things so smearing peanut butter or honey inside some old jars and leaving them in a different place to the cat food when you feed your feral cats might keep them occupied.

I also found this.

How to Keep Raccoons Out of Cat Food.

 

[pipervali]

Thank you for the replies and the suggestions. I apologize for starting a new thread, I had searched and didn't find that raccoon thread, so it's appreciated!

The cats are all TNR, with the exception of one that has been a little sneak and has evaded every attempt to catch her. My neighbor and I have made numerous attempts and she's just too wily, will not go into the trap for anything. We've even tried rigging up a net/trap combo. She'll sit there staring at us, licking her paws. Smart smart girl.

 

[fionasmom]

Don't apologize for starting a new thread as it is often better to "talk" to others than just read. I have some raccoons here as well, brazen as heck and when they do come for the outdoor feral cat food they are not concerned about my presence. One leans on the sliding glass kitchen door and looks at me like "what's it to you, lady?". I know that they are around because, as you say, they make a mess of the cat dishes and fool around with all the sources of water, including the ant proofing that I do for the ferals.

I have seen kits in the bushes occasionally when the mother must be off getting food, but have never had them stick around in the numbers that might be expected. Maybe it is attrition as well that gets them.

As Norachan mentioned, I have had luck with decoy food for them....however it works with the schedule that they seem to be using. In my case, there is leftover cat food that I do not pick up at night when I sense that they are around and they seem to accept it as their meal for the day. Certainly not a good idea to leave food out, but at least it keeps them away in the morning which is when my ferals come to eat, one like clockwork. I have found that when I don't have some decoy food that I will see the raccoons in the morning waiting for the fresh cat food.

I am sorry that you are having trouble with the neighbors about this. In my area there are private companies, some exterminator companies and some who specialize in removing wild animals and relocating them....of course, you pay them for this service and I don't know if it would be a solution where you are.