Help how do I keep raccoons out of our lives?

Hello

We have one of those dungeon crawl space type basements here that some feral cats use as a refuge we also feed the cats. But recently we have been noticing a racoon around the area creeping. HOW do we prevent it from making a house or nest in the feral cats home?? Is there any way possible? Hes ripping into our garbage and killing our birds and eating the cat food & eggs. Is there anything we can do to ward him off? We live in the city and its SO conjested here traffic everywhere shopping malls resturants ETc.. god I just wish it would go away! Have any of you delt with them before? anything to do ? I dont want to close off the basements the cats use it as shelter from storms and cold but how do stop the coon????

Unfortunately, when raccoons find a place they like, they will do ANYTHING to stay there. They are big pests, and I think the only thing you can do is get a pest removal service to remove them. My boss had a big problem with them, and was so frustrated he actually told me he would kill the raccoon if he saw it...I know thats mean, I don't agree with that.
But I am sorry to tell you, they are big pests and will try to keep coming back no matter what you do...Sorry for the bad news

I live out in the country, and have outside cats. I get bothered by raccoons sometimes, too. One thing to remember is that raccoons are nocturnal. So feed your cats in the morning, and pick up the food before night time. Also get a metal trash can with a tight lid, so the raccoons can't get into it. Then they will move on to pester someone else, where they can find food!

We have had a problem with raccoons and opossums for years....
until just very recently
I had to get a trap to take my last feral in and now it is serving its' purpose to rid us of those pesky varmints.

If you have a live trap available, you might want to check with the DNR in your area about relocating such critters. I guess sometimes it can be a problem.

What I read before trapping our hungry raccoon was they should be relocated at least 10 miles away to be sure they don't find their way back to you.

Funny thing for me is... I trapped one raccoon and haven't seen another or any opposums since relocating that one. I'm not complaining though, those darn things will eat you out of house and home if you let 'em.

Good luck with finding a solution to suit you.

Rubbermaid also makes nice trash bins with wheels on them that lock shut at the top so they are, well supposedly, raccoon proof. If they don't have anything to eat, they'll go somewhere where the buffet is better, like Beckiboo said.

I kind of like raccoons...

We also have a big problem with raccoons! Our's must be pretty smart though, they have figured out a way to open our rubbermaid garbage can!

I put down some Shake Away Deer repellent that also works for raccoons and it seems to lessen their activities near us. You can purchase it in Ace Hardware stores. It's has not been 100% effective for us.

Right now we have two raccoons fighting over our area for territory. There was the most horrible fight the other night. The noises those critters make!

It definitely does help to take all of the food in at night. If there is no food, they have to go somewhere else to find it.