raccoon with babies... one almost got my ankle - need info please

Every year I have at least one raccoon show up for about a month... dont see them again until the following year.

This year she has 3 babies.   I have to get out there before 6am as the cats will wander and thats a busy time for traffic.  

I dont know what to do about these raccoons.  IM not scared of them.. until now. THank God it pawed at my shoe.  Tomorrow I plan to wear sweatpants and jeans... (if i dont pass out from the heat) im hoping thats safe enough if it happens again.

ANY info on this???

I will bring a spray bottle as well.  But he got me from behind.  4 of them are just too many to watch while trying to feed.

thanks!!!

To get rid of them soak tennis balls in ammonia, ammonia can repel raccoons. Wait until they leave at dusk/night and put the balls wherever they are living/sleeping during the day. If the ammonia succeeds at driving them off you will need to seal up or get rid of whatever they are living in during the day because the ammonia smell will wear off and they will return. It is a nice humane way of getting rid of them but not fool proof nor is it the only way.

Here is an interesting thread on some ideas

http://www.sosanimalslounge.com/feeding-feral-cats-with-2-raccoons-around-135532.html

Raccoons can climb, but they cannot jump.  The idea is to build something where the cats can jump, but the raccoons cannot climb onto or into it.

That's a good link. There are some really good feeding station ideas there. If only raccoons were as sweet as they are cute. 

   

I didn't think about if they aren't living on your property but just passing through at night. I had them living on the property a couple years back and the ammonia worked well. I guess something like ShadowsRescue has pointed out would be more appropriate if they haven't made your property home. I don't imagine cats would take well to the ammonia smell either so not a viable option for an ongoing basis.

thanks for the replies..

I also want/need a solution for tonight as far as how to keep them away from me..   Im serious he would have swiped my ankle if i just didnt happen to be walking and he got my shoe instead. 

I dont ever want to find out but i bet he could do some damage.

Any ideas on how to keep him away from me?    Again.. ill try a spray bottle.... read about that ... just hoping it doesnt make him mad.

The mother doesnt seem too protective.. shes been really cool with keeping her distance... but these little ones not so much

The mother might not seem protective but if you corner her babies that could change really fast. They can get extremely vicious if you corner their young.

Bright lights and loud noises are good. But I am guessing late at night / early morning the loud noises are out for you. Flashing a bright flash light directly at them making it strobe by turning it off and on really fast is supposed to drive them off. I tried the flash light but living in the city where it doesn't get very dark at night it didn't work for me. I think it needs to be fairly dark out so it temporarily blinds them.

THANK YOU!!!   Ill bring a light as well.  Again, from behind there was nothing i could do anyway.   but now I know theyre not so cute and innocent.

The best solution is to get the cats on a feeding schedule during daylight hours--perhaps at dawn, and then before dusk. You could try leaving out dry food for the cats during the day, but baby raccoons will venture out during the daylight for food. When I used to feed my outdoor feral cat in the dark, I sat beside him and spoke to him out loud, and if any raccoon started to come by, I'd clap my hands loudly and yell at it and it would run off. However, mother raccoons are very protective of their young, so I would not chase after them. You could also bang a pot with a spoon if they approach, that usually scares them off, and of course make sure the porch lights are on.  

thanks!

i have been able to find a time in the evening that they arent there.  ALTHOUGH for me seagulls are also an issue so finding htat right time has been annoying.  

My next question is... up to this year they always leave.   I am nervous that either they wont, being so young. or next year all 3 (hopefully still alive) will bring their young and as mentioned Ill have 20 raccoons.

I read they do not change homes.   DO the raccoons you all have leave during the year?  

thanks again!!

I don't see them in the winter months but I see them around my neighborhood in the summer months. Year after year. I would guess they are related to the raccoons I drove off my property with ammonia as they probably just moved to a different property in the neighborhood. My house cats are indoor-only, no food outside, and we keep the garbage in the garage so they don't linger on my property. I have seen and heard them cross through my backyard as they venture around the neighborhood.

A part of the reason the two feral kittens I trapped at work are indoor-only now is because of the raccoons at my work place. My work place is on the edge of the city with large forests close by so there is no way I would ever win against the raccoons, I am severely outnumbered. I was feeding the kittens during the day but as @MsAimee pointed out the raccoons were getting gutsy and coming out during the day to eat the cat food. It was more practical for me to bring the two kittens into the building as opposed to trying to win against the raccoons.

You should get someone to trap the raccoons and relocate them to a forest. As far away as possible. Raccoons are very stubborn and without getting inhumane it is very difficult to win against them. There are pepper sprays you can make and spray the area they are getting into the yard from but that is not practical for you with cats as well. The ammonia is not practical for you with cats around. Even loud noises and bright lights aren't very practical if you are taking care of stray / feral cats. Virtually everything that is humane way of getting rid of raccoons is not practical with cats around.

There is an inexpensive bird proof pet feeder that I have posted about on this forum before and later on when I'm at my desktop can provide the link. That would take care of your seagull problems during the day. When the baby raccoons are about a year old, Mama raccoon usually kicks them out of the den. The yoing males especially go off to form their own dens. But there will always be raccoons around, even if not the same ones. It's important that they don't become too comfortable with you because if they lose their fear of you, they will continue to come around and even during daylight, and they will become tame and you will really have a problem. That's why I recommend making loud noises with a pot and spoon to scare them away if you can do so without scaring your cats. My feral cat was immune to all of the weird noises and gestures I made around him and other Wildlife around. He usually just looked at me as though I were crazy.

Yes if you could please post this bird feeder.  I tried to search for it from your posts and couldnt find.

The seagulls are the worst!!\

I hadnt seen any raccoons for 2 days... this morning I just saw, I believe, the mom.   She was very skididsh and stayed in the woods until I left which is not like her.  Unless its another??    I hope the babies are ok.   I did read they will go off on their own but again assuming they have a good supply of food here cant believe theyd take off.so soon...

but with mixed emotions cant feed them forever OR be worried of being attacked either.

thanks again!!

Here is the site. The price went up a bit to 35.00. However, you'd save a lot of money on having to purchase cat food that the birds eat. I used to tape up the flap with duct tape and the birds still stayed out, and it was more comfortable for the cat.

http://www.outdoorpetfeeder.com/