Cats friends with a raccoon?

[sunnysmom]

So, I have once again become the caretaker of stray cats. A few summers ago, I ended up with 5 stray cats and eventually found places for all of them. I vowed I wouldn't let it happen again. Last spring, I saw 2 kittens but couldn't catch them. They disappeared for awhile and then returned as young adult cats. So of course, I started feeding them (probably foolish I know). They now basically live in my backyard. And I can now pet the one although she really doesn't like it. She actually meets me everyday at my car and escorts me to the back porch. About 3 weeks ago, as the cat and I were walking to the porch, I see a skunk on the porch. I tell the cat to stay (and she actually did), and we waited for the skunk to leave. Then last weekend, same thing- the cat and I are walking to the porch but this time I see a raccoon. I tell the cat to stay but she continues to walk to the porch. I'm completely panicking because I don't want her to get into a fight with the raccoon. She goes up to him and SITS BESIDE HIM. Then her cat brother appears, and sits on the other side of the raccoon. Like they're all friends. The three of them just sat there looking at me like "are you going to feed us or what?" Is it possible? Have my cats befriended a raccoon?

 

[Teckechick]

lol a former co-worker of mine was known as the cat guy for the same reason. He had like 30 cats between inside cats and strays outside. He also had a few raccoons also, the raccoons would wait until the cats were done eating then polish what was left off. The raccoons and cats never fought over the food everyone just got along.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Cats often make friends with wildlife. If food and water resources are able to support all the living beings in the environment, they all cooperate and exist in harmony. However, decrease the food available and then war can start.

My cockatiels had several squirrel friends when they lived in the big birdroom. They ran back and forth by the sliding doors and played tag through the screen door. The squirrels were fed leftover bird food and peanuts every day.

 

[Lady Jane]

Its amazing what a little food will do. Hope you don't get the mice/rats back again. I can just imagine a photo of the critters together on your porch.

 

[sunnysmom]

Its amazing what a little food will do. Hope you don't get the mice/rats back again. I can just imagine a photo of the critters together on your porch.

Well, we actually have an exterminator, as much as I hated doing it, to make sure the rats don't come back. And the cats do seem to rid the yard of smaller animals. (Sadly, the cat presented me with a chipmunk the other day. Left if by my car door. Sigh.) It's just the bigger animals they ignore, or befriend, apparently. I am trying to be very careful about giving them just enough food for the two of them to eat and not to have left overs. And I don't give them food after dark. And keep in mind- I live in the City. I don't live in the country and I still have all the animals. We've even had deer in our yard before.

 

[Lady Jane]

It's hard not to feed feral cats.

 

[Garet]

They may have, but it's going to be detrimental to those cats in the long run. Raccoons are notorious for killing cats, and while this one is friendly, it's not a good idea for them to associate raccoons with positive outcomes.

 

[Sylvester]

Thank you for feeding them. I think the raccoon and the two kitties feel like they are all in this together. They share a common bond

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

If you want to feed ferals, also join in a Trap-Neuter-Spay-return group. That way the ferals are managed with basic shots and do not breed. The neutered cats defend the territory the area doesn't get overwhelmed with diseased cats. Much more humane than trap and kill...

 

[Lady Jane]

The average life span of a feral cat is 2 to 3 years according to what I have read. Several years ago I was feeding a gorgeous big male cat who was totally feral. Over a few years he bonded with me and I named him Wildboy. One time he spooked and ran in the hallway of my condo. He was so frightened of being indoors he jumped to the top of the door screaming. I let him back out and he calmed down. Some neighbors trapped him and saw to it that he was neutered and got rabies shot plus wound care for all his wounds. He was released again. Very sad ending he was later killed by a raccoon that was eating his food. I cried for weeks.

It was amazing to me how he survived the cold winters. The condo association fined me for feeding him after I did not pay attention to the warning letter they sent me.

 

[Fergus Mom]

Wow @sunnysmom - that is really something! I would have been surprised seeing this.

Awwww @Lady Jane, that is so sad! I can imagine a kitty would be no match for a raccoon.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My BFF does TNR and manages a colony of an average of 10 adult individuals. It took her four years to get all but one queen from the original group neutered and spayed. Now Kim just has to manage the babies that one queen produces. The cat is very intelligent and has defeated every cage type they have tried. Kim as been given a new cage type, which will be here around the 21st of this month. The cat had two litters totaling eight kittens. So her goal is to get all the babies and mom!

Total number of cats Kim has had neutered and spayed is 23! She works with the cat TNR program her local city government supports. Conservative estimate of the number of kittens Kim has kept from getting born over the next five years is 680 kittens!!!

This is much more humane and easy than just picking them up and killing them. And not to mention better than poison. It works on the problem from a prevention angle, not a catch up angle. Plus, cat lovers are part of the solution, rather than being part of the problem.

 

[sunnysmom]

If you want to feed ferals, also join in a Trap-Neuter-Spay-return group. That way the ferals are managed with basic shots and do not breed. The neutered cats defend the territory the area doesn't get overwhelmed with diseased cats. Much more humane than trap and kill...

Yes, I have looked into the Trap Neuter Return programs here. With the help of the farmer who took most of my other strays, we had those cats neutered. My goal is before spring to have these 2 done also. They really were so wild before that I didn't think I would be able to take care of them after. I know they can't be release for like 2 days (?) after the procedure. But they're now "tame" enough that I think it would be easier now to take care of them after. The one that escorts me from my car even lets me pet her now. She doesn't like it. But she'll let me. Which is amazing considering these two cats had no human contact at all before me.