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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / July 2007Back yard stand-off
At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him *just* when the backyard motion light went on to reveal a stand-off. On one side of my big wine-barrel planter was a skunk and the other was a raccoon (not too common in these parts). They deked each other out for a while before the raccoon made his escape, with the skunk following closely, tail up and ready to go. What made it pretty darn cute was that IT WAS A BABY SKUNK!!! Little fluffy plucky skunk racing around with big poofy tail scaring the raccoon. Presumably, even a cat such as Otis would be smart enough to avoid both of them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked in bed at the time, but I wonder... Susan M Otis and Chester >At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester >sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >Susan M >Otis and Chester What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from (even) a baby skunk. I heard that the raccoons don't keep tomatoe juice on hand. -bonbon > What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from > (even) a > baby skunk. I heard that the raccoons don't keep tomatoe juice > on > hand. They don't? What do they mix their beer with? Pam S. >> What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from >> (even) a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Pam S. OMG......I guess with skunk scent? YIKES!!! Laughs -bonbon >> What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from >> (even) a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Pam S. Maybe they carry little bottles of vodka with them and scrounge around in trash cans for tomato or V-8 juice. Of course, then they'd have to hunt for the dreaded Worcestershire and the much feared Tabasco. Oh, and limes and a celery stalk. NOTE: Celery does not "stalk" back. ;) Jill > What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from (even) a > baby skunk. I heard that the raccoons don't keep tomatoe juice on > hand. We have a lot of skunks in the neighbourhood - one family had a mother and *eight* babies living in their yard. Our friends around the corner had to bathe their white dog in tomato juice after a particularly run in - he was pink afterwards ;-) Their 3 year old called it a Stunk. Susan M Otis and Chester > We have a lot of skunks in the neighbourhood - one family had a > mother and *eight* babies living in their yard. Our friends > around the corner had to bathe their white dog in tomato juice > after a particularly run in - he was pink afterwards ;-) Their > 3 year old called it a Stunk. LOL, a stunk. That was one smart little hoomin. Pam S. >> What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from (even) a >> baby skunk. I heard that the raccoons don't keep tomatoe juice on [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Susan M >Otis and Chester Laughs! I have a three year old grandson. I can totally relate. Thanks for the grin Susan M -bonbon >> What a cute story. That raccoon was smart to run away from (even) a >> baby skunk. I heard that the raccoons don't keep tomatoe juice on [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester A Stunk! How cute! Best wishes, Polonca and Soncek > At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester > sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > of them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked in bed > at the time, but I wonder... My friend Bruce, whose little barn cat (rb) chased a big raccoon off the catfood on the porch one time, said that the cats usually interacted peacefully with both species. The little tomcat apparently just wanted to eat first as he ignored the raccoon when it came back after he had eaten and it resumed eating. Cats would eat peacefully beside skunks. Their d*g (rb) Conrad would run to the door and try to get out to chase a raccoon away. He was big enough that no raccoon would stand up to him. However, he seemed to ignore skunks on the porch. And he ignored raccoons if skunks were out there too. Not all d*gs fear the skunk weapon but Conrad was not going to mess with it. Will in New Haven -- > Susan M > Otis and Chester >>At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester >>sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > porch. And he ignored raccoons if skunks were out there too. Not all > d*gs fear the skunk weapon but Conrad was not going to mess with it. Not all dogs are smart enough to realize that there are other defensive weapons than teeth and claws! ;-) (They may be more cautious if they've had previous expreience with skinks, but some of them only learn by repetiton.) > My friend Bruce, whose little barn cat (rb) chased a big raccoon off > the catfood on the porch one time, said that the cats usually [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > porch. And he ignored raccoons if skunks were out there too. Not all > d*gs fear the skunk weapon but Conrad was not going to mess with it. Raccoons are new to me - like I said, we don't get many - but I thought that you had to be concerned with rabies with them. My mom has been telling me that they're viscious! Susan M Otis and Chester >> My friend Bruce, whose little barn cat (rb) chased a big raccoon off >> the catfood on the porch one time, said that the cats usually [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > that you had to be concerned with rabies with them. My mom has been > telling me that they're viscious! Young raccoons can be cute to watch to someone who isn't terribly used to seeing them. Large adult raccoons sometimes aren't quite so charming. So you get quite a divide between those who think they are adorable and those who think they are a sometimes vicious nuisance. I think they're cute, but I've never lived where I had to deal with the damage they can cause either. Jo >> My friend Bruce, whose little barn cat (rb) chased a big raccoon off >> the catfood on the porch one time, said that the cats usually [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > that you had to be concerned with rabies with them. My mom has been > telling me that they're viscious! I think the rabies threat depends upon where you live. Of course, rabid animals are always vicious (I think), but many people make pets out of raccoons, so I don't think they are, particularly. (Just hard to keep out of any place they decide they want into - they do have hands, after all.) :-) >I think the rabies threat depends upon where you live. Of >course, rabid animals are always vicious (I think), but many >people make pets out of raccoons, so I don't think they are, >particularly. (Just hard to keep out of any place they >decide they want into - they do have hands, after all.) :-) My next door neighbor, Dawn was once bitten on her toe by a skunk. It was late at night and apparently the skunk was causing some sort of disturbance in their back yard. Luckily her daughters boyfriend was over visiting, and was able to get the skunk to let go of Dawn's toe by waving a yard rake in it's direction. They captured the skunk and took it in to be checked out. Turns out it had rabies, so Dawn had to go through the whole series of shots thing. Meowch! Good thing they captured the skunk. -bonbon >>> My friend Bruce, whose little barn cat (rb) chased a big raccoon off >>> the catfood on the porch one time, said that the cats usually [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > particularly. (Just hard to keep out of any place they > decide they want into - they do have hands, after all.) :-) For a while I had a raccoon getting into my garbage can. (And yes, they have opposable thumbs so they can open just about anything. Don't give them a key to your house, they'll figure out how to use it ;) ) Thank goodness I don't have a cat-flap. The racoon finally figure out there wasn't anything of interest in my trash can and moved along. Squirrels are a different matter. One (I caught him, flattening himself to fit under the door just like a mouse!) broke into my storage room off the patio and ate all the bird seed, even that I had put into large sealed bins. If anyone ever perfects bite-mark odontology of squirrels I'm pretty sure I can pick out which one from a line-up! Jill > >>> My friend Bruce, whose little barn cat (rb) chased a big raccoon off > >>> the catfood on the porch one time, said that the cats usually [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Jill- They don't have opposable thumbs, but their paw prints look amazingly like a human hand. If they did, we *would* be in trouble...they are smart little critters. Sherry > that IT WAS A BABY SKUNK!!! Little fluffy plucky skunk racing around > with big poofy tail scaring the raccoon. Awwww.... heheheh.... I wonder if the raccoon knew to avoid him from previous experiences... :) > Presumably, even a cat such as Otis would be smart enough to avoid both > of them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked in bed > at the time, but I wonder... http://www.twolumps.net/d/20070625.html  SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> that IT WAS A BABY SKUNK!!! Little fluffy plucky skunk racing around >> with big poofy tail scaring the raccoon. > > Awwww.... heheheh.... I wonder if the raccoon knew to avoid him from > previous experiences... :) I don't know - he might even have been a young raccoon too. I thought it was neat how the little skunk knew just what to do. Good instincts! >> Presumably, even a cat such as Otis would be smart enough to avoid >> both of them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked >> in bed at the time, but I wonder... > > http://www.twolumps.net/d/20070625.html Oh - I can just see Otis ;-) Susan M Otis and Chester Victor Martinez wrote: > http://www.twolumps.net/d/20070625.html Ha ha, I love that one. "I don't have time to talk to your imaginary friends right now." Joyce > At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester sitting > on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him *just* when [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked in bed at the > time, but I wonder... I enjoyed reading this Susan, thanks for posting it. Tweed <---likes wildlife tales > I enjoyed reading this Susan, thanks for posting it. > > Tweed <---likes wildlife tales Thanks Christina! Susan M Otis and Chester > At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see > Chester sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester well our dog was never that smart, she'd take off barking at the visiting skunks every time! Sara (holding nose at the memory) > darn cute was that IT WAS A BABY SKUNK!!! Little fluffy plucky skunk > racing around with big poofy tail scaring the raccoon. > > Presumably, even a cat such as Otis would be smart enough to avoid > both of them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked > in bed at the time, but I wonder... I saw an animal segment on The Tonight Show, I think it was last Monday night. (I love it when they bring animals on!) They brought on some young skunks. They are absolutely gorgeous animals. But what she said was skunks will only use spraying as a last resort. They sort of hiss and assume threatening postures first. So if you see this, just back off. As long as they don't feel really threatened, they won't spray. Skunks are put off by the smell of mothballs so you can place some tied up in old socks around your perimeter feeding area to discourage the skunks. Jill > I saw an animal segment on The Tonight Show, I think it was last Monday > night. (I love it when they bring animals on!) They brought on some young > skunks. They are absolutely gorgeous animals. But what she said was skunks > will only use spraying as a last resort. They sort of hiss and assume > threatening postures first. So if you see this, just back off. As long as > they don't feel really threatened, they won't spray. We saw baby skunks at the zoo once and they are really adorable. A big one triggered my motion light one night after our new cleaning lady left a big bag of garbage outside in the backyard, which we didn't expect. He was calmly eating an old sandwich but what struck me was the stunning glossy fur he had. He looked *magnificent* and *big*. > Skunks are put off by the smell of mothballs so you can place some tied up > in old socks around your perimeter feeding area to discourage the skunks. I think this little one might be living under my front porch. I think I'll let him stay for now. Susan M Otis and Chester >> I saw an animal segment on The Tonight Show, I think it was last >> Monday night. (I love it when they bring animals on!) They brought [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester As long as he/she does no harm to you nor you to him/her, why not? Would be fun to watch :) Jill >> I think this little one might be living under my front porch. I think >> I'll let him stay for now. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > As long as he/she does no harm to you nor you to him/her, why not? Would be > fun to watch :) It's ok for now. The neighbours with the mom & 8 babies were a little disgruntled. They asked the city to trap them but a trap was $150 each - about $1,000 to move them all. Not sure how you do that safely and keep them all together anyway. Susan M Otis and Chester >>> I think this little one might be living under my front porch. I >>> think I'll let him stay for now. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester Well if not, use the mothball trick to get the skunk to move along :) Where I used to work there was a copse of woods across from our parking lot and a mama red fox and her two kits used to parade around in the grass there. We all got a thrill out of it... except for a few people who were "scared" of the foxes. (These same people own pit bulls and rottweilers and they aren't exactly "family pets".) Who's afraid of some little red foxes?! I'd arranged for a friend who does wildlife rehabbing to come trap and relocate the foxes out in the country. But in the meantime these people complained to the building manager about being afraid of the foxes. They sent someone out to trap them. I can only hope they rehomed them, rather than killed them. Lord only knows who they called to take those pretty dog-but-cat-like animals away. Jill >Where I used to work there was a copse of woods across from our parking lot >and a mama red fox and her two kits used to parade around in the grass [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >than killed them. Lord only knows who they called to take those pretty >dog-but-cat-like animals away. Did you know that foxes like trampolines? :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdPI50E0Zdo > Did you know that foxes like trampolines? :) > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdPI50E0Zdo That makes me almost want to get a trampoline. ;-) Pam S. >> Where I used to work there was a copse of woods across from our >> parking lot and a mama red fox and her two kits used to parade [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdPI50E0Zdo Gee, who doesn't like a trampoline?! <G> Jill >At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester >sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >of them, even if they were on his turf. Otis was safely tucked in bed >at the time, but I wonder... That's so cute! I can picture it being like the baby skunks I've seen on Cute Overload: Skunklets and kiddies: http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2006/09/this_cannot_be_.html Skunklet and kitties: http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/02/he_only_has_a_v.html > That's so cute! I can picture it being like the baby skunks I've seen > on Cute Overload: > Skunklets and kiddies: > http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2006/09/this_cannot_be_.html > Skunklet and kitties: > http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/02/he_only_has_a_v.html These were both great pictures! I've seen the one with the little girls before (and I love the caption: "Daddy, look at all the kitties!" LOL). I hadn't seen the second one before, though. Susan is right, skunk fur is very glossy. Joyce > At about 3:30 AM, I came back from feeding the baby to see Chester > sitting on the dresser looking out the window. I went over to see him [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester One of the cutest things I ever saw was a mama skunk walking across the road with her babies following. Something about them, they even remind you of cats. I've learned something about them--they are slow to anger, and they're so confident in their ability to defend themselves, it takes a lot of aggravation for them to spray. A couple of years ago I caught Bootsie doing her little superiority dance all around one in the backyard. The skunk just kind of ignored her. Sherry > something about them--they are > slow to anger, and they're so confident in their ability to defend > themselves, it takes a lot of aggravation > for them to spray. A couple of years ago I caught Bootsie doing her They are very cute. My only close encounter with one happened years ago when we were trying to relocate a family of raccoons that had decided to use our pond as an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. We bought a have-a-heart trap and set it up. We caught a skunk. Twice. Nobody got sprayed and he (or she) was liberated as soon as we got up. :) SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com
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