 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / May 2004Wild animals at large
Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's the wild animals who are messing with me now. A couple of nights ago, I started to unlatch the door so I could go out and call for Buster. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something grey and furry move, outside the window. This was not Buster. I stand and look out the window, leaving the deadbolt alone. A big, fluffy raccoon is at the food dish, and has started to back off when I turned the deadbolt. As I watch, he watches me. When he sees that I am standing still, he leans forward, grabs the bowl of cat food, and pulls it towards him. Then he stops and thinks a minute. He walks out a ways, faces the window, stands on his hind legs, and looks in at me. As soon as he is certain that there really is a big human inside, waiting to come outside, he drops down to all fours, and waddles away. Last night, I went outside to call Buster in yet again. A nearly empty bowl of crunchies is by my feet. Suddenly, something furry comes running up the steps, stops at the bowl, and looks up hopefully, in my direction. It isn't Buster. It's his buddy the possum. And he's waiting for me to refill the bowl. If he's waiting for me to reach down and pet him... well, I've seen those teeth. So I get more food, while the possum waits patiently. Carefully, I reach down and refill the bowl. Brer possum waits until I'm finished and digs in to the food. I swear he nodded acknowledgment at me. Buster must have a training program in progress... Hugs and Purrs, Mark I had possums and Mom coon and babies up last nite eating at the feral food bowl...smelled Mr. Peppy La Phew...but thankfully he didn't join in the feast!:-) Liz > Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's > the wild animals who are messing with me now. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > Hugs and Purrs, > Mark You are a kind dude, Mark. I know it's not a good idea to feed wild critters, but I can't stand to see anything hungry either.....want to offer a reassuring word here 'bout the possum; for years medical docs have been telling me (I used to worry about this as a family of possums live behind our house) that due to the chemical makeup of this animal chances of either it having or anyone or anything contracting rabies from it are extremely small, but not impossible. I did not understand their explanation for why this is. It's the raccoon you oughta be wary of.....above does not go for raccoons. Frequently in our area rabid ones are found, after biting dogs. : I had possums and Mom coon and babies up last nite eating at the feral food : bowl...smelled Mr. Peppy La Phew...but thankfully he didn't join in the [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] : > Hugs and Purrs, : > Mark <sign> >It's the raccoon you oughta be wary of.....above does not go for raccoons. >Frequently in our area rabid ones are found, after biting dogs. And be wary of skunks, probably the biggest carrier of rabies around here.  SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html My vet told me that a possum's body temp is too high to easily incubate the rabies virus and that I should be very wary of skunks and to a somewhat lesser extent, raccoon's. We have all three in this part of town so I was glad of the info.... ><sign> >>It's the raccoon you oughta be wary of.....above does not go for raccoons. >>Frequently in our area rabid ones are found, after biting dogs. >And be wary of skunks, probably the biggest carrier of rabies around >here. > My vet told me that a possum's body temp is too high to easily > incubate the rabies virus and that I should be very wary of skunks and > to a somewhat lesser extent, raccoon's. We have all three in this > part of town so I was glad of the info.... I think I've heard that skunks are such a big problem because they can sometimes carry rabies without it being fatal to them. Jo Lucy's Mom <lucysmom@airmail.net> had some very interesting things to say about Re: Wild animals at large: >My vet told me that a possum's body temp is too high to easily >incubate the rabies virus and that I should be very wary of skunks and >to a somewhat lesser extent, raccoon's. We have all three in this >part of town so I was glad of the info.... Did you know raccoons hiss like cats? Found that out when my grandfather trapped one in his back yard. Signature"Don't mess with major appliances unless you know what you are doing (or unless your life insurance policy is up-to-date)." - John, RCFL >Lucy's Mom <lucysmom@airmail.net> had some very interesting things to >say about Re: Wild animals at large: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Did you know raccoons hiss like cats? Found that out when my >grandfather trapped one in his back yard. They puff up, too. if you scare them-- which is highly unlikely, BTW. ;) Theresa My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ >Did you know raccoons hiss like cats? Found that out when my >grandfather trapped one in his back yard. So do oppossums, showing a wicked set of teeth. I have a cousin with a couple of pet raccoons though, and I've never seen them hiss. She handles them just like we handle our cats. No, I don't have a clue why anyone would *want* a raccoon for a pet. It's kind of wrong, IMO. Sherry <snip> No, I don't have a clue why anyone would *want* a raccoon for a pet. It's kind of wrong, IMO. Sherry Hi Sherry! A cousin of mine rescued a baby racoon and kept it for a pet for a short time. That ended when one night she was sound asleep and the racoon kit climbed up on the bed and bit her on her left nipple. She awoke with a scream, and the next day they found a rehabber to take the kit. Patti > <snip> > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Patti Never sleep naked when you have baby racoons roaming around the house ;-) -- Britta Sandpaper kisses, a cuddle and a purr. I have an alarm clock that's covered in fur! Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album ><snip> > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >Patti Keeping a rescued wild animal for a while is fine...we kept a squirrel for a short time once and enjoyed her immensely. But the person I'm talkinga bout raises coons and sells them, she has a wildlife breeder license and even has a possum in the house. I don't think that's right. I'm afraid the people who buy from her are buying the babies to train coon dogs with :-( She says no, but honestly, how many people buy raccoons for pets? I just can't believe the market is that big. Same person also has a declawed bobcat in the house. Yes, declawed. Grrrrr. IMO, the vet shoulda lost his license over that. Rant is over. Sherry >><snip> >> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >Sherry Grrrr seconded. Theresa My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ ><snip> > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >Patti OMG! ROFLMAO! Theresa My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ >>Did you know raccoons hiss like cats? Found that out when my >>grandfather trapped one in his back yard. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >like we handle our cats. No, I don't have a clue why anyone would *want* a >raccoon for a pet. Not if you want an animal that's even *more* designed and hard-wired to investigate everything, and completely destroy your house. ;) Theresa My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ May 2004: > It's the raccoon you oughta be wary of.....above does not go for > raccoons. Frequently in our area rabid ones are found, after biting > dogs Raccoons can also carry the feline parvo virus, Panleukopenia. SignatureCheryl Mark Edwards <Mark-Edwards@comcast.net> had some very interesting things to say about Wild animals at large: >Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's >the wild animals who are messing with me now. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >As I watch, he watches me. When he sees that I am standing still, he >leans forward, grabs the bowl of cat food, and pulls it towards him. Do raccoons have anything vaguely close to an opposable thumb? >Then he stops and thinks a minute. He walks out a ways, faces the >window, stands on his hind legs, and looks in at me. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >he nodded acknowledgment at me. >Buster must have a training program in progress... Sheesh! Does Buster think he and you run the local rescue mission for anything with fur? ;-) Signature"Don't mess with major appliances unless you know what you are doing (or unless your life insurance policy is up-to-date)." - John, RCFL >Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's >the wild animals who are messing with me now. [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > >Buster must have a training program in progress... Or his pals have you scoped out as a sucker. ;) Theresa My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/ > I stand and look out the window, leaving the deadbolt alone. A big, > fluffy raccoon is at the food dish, and has started to back off when I > turned the deadbolt. The 'coons around here are utterly shameless, they even come into the house (via the cat door) to steal cat food, the cats don't seem to care that much, after all they know I'll put more food down. The only way I found of dealing with this is to hide the cat food at night for a few weeks, once they realize there is no easy meal they move on. But it's the 'tude they have when caught "red-handed" they don't even rush of the cat door, they just saunter across the kitchen like a bunch of juvenile deliquents, giving me dirty looks, like "so what you going to do about it, you and whose army?" SignatureNik Simpson Hi, Mark A few miles from you, on Greenville Ave. just south of Walnut Hill, there is a Chinese restaurant called Szechwan Pavilion on the bank of a heavily wooded creek. The side facing the creek has a large verandah with some huge trees leaning over it, and that wall is almost solid glass. In the evening during supper hour, the cooks put food out on the verandah for the wild animals to come up and enjoy while the patrons watch through the windows. Check it out. Tell Sue (the greeter) Dave sent you. Cheers, Dave SignatureWelshmen like to sing, but to me it sounds as if someone is jumping from a high place into a bathtub full of frogs. And every time I stepped out of the car to relieve myself, the sheep would back towards me with expectant looks on their faces. > Hi, Mark > A few miles from you, on Greenville Ave. just south of Walnut Hill, [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > of the car to relieve myself, the sheep would back towards me with > expectant looks on their faces. I've been there and seen that Dave. That place is now closed down which is a shame because the food was good. Bob SignatureSomewhere in Texas a village is missing it's idiot. ANYONE but Bush in 2004! Damn, I'm sure sorry to hear that. They had good food, decent prices, friendly employees, and a great ambiance. Glad you got a chance to eat there. >>Hi, Mark >> A few miles from you, on Greenville Ave. just south of Walnut Hill, [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Bob Wow, Mark -- just be careful -- last year I had a raccoon and a skunk coming around and a lot of people warned me about how mean raccoons can be; he and the skunk both moved on after awhile (and I stopped putting the peanuts out at night). Christine > Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's > the wild animals who are messing with me now. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > Hugs and Purrs, > Mark > Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's > the wild animals who are messing with me now. Great story! I'd be wary of the raccoons, too. Years ago when I was married, my SO tried to run one off out of the trashcan by throwing a shoe. He just stared and continued digging. Never even flinched. Since then, I don't try to mess with them. Must have been eery to see him looking in the window! SignatureCheryl >Well, I've gotten used to the cats trying to mess with my mind. It's >the wild animals who are messing with me now. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] >Hugs and Purrs, >Mark Buster is quite an Emissary for world peace. To be friends with such varied creatures and to train them to be friends with humans. Wow, some cat. Please pet him for me. -- CATherine |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.