Concerned about Raccoons

[lynne8832]

Hi everyone!
I have been feeding a feral cat on my porch for the past 2.5 months - I trapped him and had him neutered and vaccinated last week. I was hoping to keep him inside and turn him into an indoor cat, but he was absolutely miserable and completely feral, so I let him back outside a few days ago. I really wanted to keep him inside, but it just was not feasible right now.
He seems to be doing great - he is still showing up for food and to sleep on my porch. He was not vaccinated prior to last week, but he got his rabies vaccine during his appointment last week. He has shown up a few times with small injuries to his eye, ear, leg, etc. and I was worried that he was getting into fights with raccoons (and was concerned about rabies risk), but I assumed that he was likely just getting into fights with the other feral cats in the area since he was not neutered. I also have not seen any raccoons in the 2.5 months that I have been feeding him... until tonight.
I looked outside and there were 2 raccoons eating the dry food that I leave out for him - I do not feed my feral cat at schedule times because he comes by at totally random times and I can never predict when he will stop by for food. The raccoons looked healthy - I opened the door and they left. They did not seem to be showing any signs of rabies. However, I am concerned since my feral cat was showing up with injuries prior to being vaccinated that he could have been exposed to rabies prior to being vaccinated. I assume that most raccoons are not rabid, though. Of course, this is not so much a concern now that he has the rabies vaccine, but I am worried that he will get into a fight with the raccoons if they both show up for food at the same time. I have picked up the food for the night so that the raccoons don't come back, but I am concerned that my feral cat could get into a fight with them and he could be severely injured. I'm sure he has been coexisting with them for years if they are in the area, but I am worried that they will encounter each other and fight over the food. Should I be concerned about this? Thank you in advance!

 

[Margot Lane]

If you put “raccoon” in the search engine here, a lot of useful advice will pop up, as well as varying thoughts and opinions. All I can tell you is I live deep in the woods and from my experience, it ended up with our feral rescue (who eventually accepted us) losing half his tail before he ventured into our safe home (and became a sweet lil puddin). My neighbor up the road, her cat lost its ENTIRE tail before also, finally, accepting the indoor life. So, if they could speak they’d say it’s dangerous out there. I wonder if there is some way of gradually coaxing him in…?

 

[catmoon]

I have cared for ferals and strays in my area and also have raccoons. Right now I'm dealing with an injured boy who likely got into a fight with one. What I do is try to feed him only during the day. If he comes into the yard at night I will give him food, watch through the window until he finishes, and remove the dish as soon as he's done.

I know you said that you can't feed during the day or start a feeding schedule. That leaves you with a few other options:

1. Create an elevated feeding station away from any trees, shrubs, or anything a raccoon could climb. They can't really jump so this often a good deterrent. If you have a cat shelter or cat bed for him, consider elevating that too. Raccoons and cats generally avoid each other but they will fight over resources, including warm places to sleep.

2. Leave dry food out during the day and wet food out at night. Try your best to watch for him so that you can feed him as soon as he enters the yard. This isn't a full-proof method since the raccoons may arrive before him, but he's more likely to eat all of the wet food in one sitting than the kibble.

3. Some people may disagree with this, but you could make a raccoon feeding station far away from where your cat usually eats. I would only resort to this if you absolutely must feed your cat at night. Use high-value food that they like (never cat food). This is how I keep squirrels out of my vegetable garden in the summer. The goal is to create an area with more appealing resources so they will choose to go there instead. Obviously don't hand-feed the wildlife.

4. When you see the raccoons you could open the door and make a loud noise to scare them off. Just don't get close and if they start to approach, go inside. Sometimes they can be pretty bold.

This is just a side-note, but never trap and relocate raccoons. It's dangerous and even illegal in some areas and their chance of survival drops when removed from their territory and social group.

Thank you for taking care of this cat. I hope you can get him inside someday!

 

[lynne8832]

Thank you all so much for your advice!
I picked up the food that I had left out last night after I saw the raccoons, and they didn't come by again. They also haven't come by today, but Monty (my feral) came by at 7:30 ish this morning for breakfast, so I just fed him while he was here and then picked up the food again!
I also called the local animal control to ask about the frequency of rabies in the area - they said that of course it is possible and does occur occasionally, but that if the raccoons were eating and ran from me when I chased them away, then they definitely are not rabid. Monty was vaccinated last week at his appointment, so I guess I don't need to worry about rabies now.
I am going to try to continue to only put food out for him during the day so that the raccoons stop coming for food at night.
I know that there are definitely cases of raccoons seriously injuring stray or feral cats, but is this common? I am really worried for Monty's safety now that I have seen the raccoons in the area.
Thank you all again for your wonderful advice!

 

[lynne8832]

I just picked up the dry and canned food that I left out all day - Monty came by this morning for breakfast and then left, but he did not come by at all throughout the day, so it's been about 12 hours since I have seen him. Normally, I would not be overly concerned about this, but I am totally worrying myself sick now that I have seen the raccoons that they could have attacked him and that is why he is not coming back. Hoping that he comes back sometime tonight or tomorrow so I know that the is okay.

 

[Margot Lane]

Cats as you know have a way of hunkering down when they’re freaked out about something. I wouldn’t worry yet. Maybe he’s laying low ’til the coast is clear. Does anyone else feed Monty?

 

[catmoon]

I completely understand your fears. My current feral was gone for 6 days and I was so concerned that I posted here for advice/reassurance. But honestly if I were you I wouldn't worry since he isn't injured and it's only been 12 hours.

You said he's truly feral. I'm curious about how close he allows you to get during feedings? Does he vocalize, make eye contact with you, or let you touch him?

 

[lynne8832]

Cats as you know have a way of hunkering down when they’re freaked out about something. I wouldn’t worry yet. Maybe he’s laying low ’til the coast is clear. Does anyone else feed Monty?

Sometimes he doesn't come by for 12-24 hours and then he will randomly pop up again. I am in an apartment complex and I'm not sure if anybody else feeds him - I know that there are lots of other feral cats that have been TNR'd throughout the complex and there are other people who feed the other cats, but I'm not sure if Monty gets food from anywhere else - he is the only cat that comes to my house for food and to sleep on the porch - other cats have tried to come get food before, but he chases them off

 

[lynne8832]

I completely understand your fears. My current feral was gone for 6 days and I was so concerned that I posted here for advice/reassurance. But honestly if I were you I wouldn't worry since he isn't injured and it's only been 12 hours.

You said he's truly feral. I'm curious about how close he allows you to get during feedings? Does he vocalize, make eye contact with you, or let you touch him?

That's a great point - he will show up occasionally with scratches on his ears/nose/eyes and had a slight limp a week or so ago, but thankfully he has not shown up with severe injuries. I just wanted to TNR him in hopes that he would be less likely to fight with the other cats if he is neutered and so that he is rabies vaccinated, though I believe that the prevalence of rabies in my area is low.
When he started to come by 2.5 months ago, he would not let me get within 5-10 feet of him. Now he will come inside for food - if I see him outside, I open the door and put the food on the floor in my living room and he will walk right in. I can hold the bowl and he will eat out of it or he will let me sit right next to him while he eats. He has started to meow at me when he comes inside as if he is expecting his food, but he will not let me touch him at all. I had him inside for a few days after I TNR'd him and he would not let me touch him at all, so I think he truly is feral. I debated keeping him inside after his TNR and turning him into an indoor cat, but he really did seem miserable and I don't think that he would have wanted that. I do feel some guilt for letting him back outside now though, especially since I have seen the raccoons and I am worried for his safety, but I think that I did what was best for him. I will just feel so guilty if anything happens to him, even though I know that I am doing my best to care for him. I picked up the food that I left outside so that it is not sitting out overnight - I have been leaving food outside for him for the past few months as he sometimes comes by overnight for food, but I think that I may have to stop doing this now that the raccoons have caught on. He came by for breakfast this morning and I left some dry food out for him all day, but he didn't come by during the day or for dinner - but I also have not seen any sign of the raccoons since last night either.

 

[catmoon]

That's a great point - he will show up occasionally with scratches on his ears/nose/eyes and had a slight limp a week or so ago, but thankfully he has not shown up with severe injuries. I just wanted to TNR him in hopes that he would be less likely to fight with the other cats if he is neutered and so that he is rabies vaccinated, though I believe that the prevalence of rabies in my area is low.
When he started to come by 2.5 months ago, he would not let me get within 5-10 feet of him. Now he will come inside for food - if I see him outside, I open the door and put the food on the floor in my living room and he will walk right in. I can hold the bowl and he will eat out of it or he will let me sit right next to him while he eats. He has started to meow at me when he comes inside as if he is expecting his food, but he will not let me touch him at all. I had him inside for a few days after I TNR'd him and he would not let me touch him at all, so I think he truly is feral. I debated keeping him inside after his TNR and turning him into an indoor cat, but he really did seem miserable and I don't think that he would have wanted that. I do feel some guilt for letting him back outside now though, especially since I have seen the raccoons and I am worried for his safety, but I think that I did what was best for him. I will just feel so guilty if anything happens to him, even though I know that I am doing my best to care for him. I picked up the food that I left outside so that it is not sitting out overnight - I have been leaving food outside for him for the past few months as he sometimes comes by overnight for food, but I think that I may have to stop doing this now that the raccoons have caught on. He came by for breakfast this morning and I left some dry food out for him all day, but he didn't come by during the day or for dinner - but I also have not seen any sign of the raccoons since last night either.

The fact that he will come inside to eat and will meow at you after only 2.5 months is great! If you choose to bring him in again it won't be an easy process but it's definitely not impossible.

I wouldn't worry too much about rabies, especially since he's vaccinated. If you're concerned about the raccoons, just keep working to limit their access to the food.

 

[lynne8832]

The fact that he will come inside to eat and will meow at you after only 2.5 months is great! If you choose to bring him in again it won't be an easy process but it's definitely not impossible.

I wouldn't worry too much about rabies, especially since he's vaccinated. If you're concerned about the raccoons, just keep working to limit their access to the food.

Yes for sure! I'm hoping that eventually I can transition him inside!
I haven't seen any sign of the raccoons tonight, so hopefully they realized that I won't leave food out for them and they have gone elsewhere, they are adorable though!
I think my anxiety was just getting the best of me in regards to the concerns about rabies. These raccoons looked very healthy and they ran away as soon as they saw me, so I think they were just hungry, not rabid. I also know that while they can have rabies, I assume that it is not very common, so hopefully that is not the case! Thank you again for all of your advice, I will let you know if Monty comes by!

 

[lynne8832]

Hi everyone! I am happy to report that Monty came back last night! He came inside for dinner and then hung out inside for a while and eventually went back outside. He also came by this morning! I haven’t seen any sign of the raccoons since the night that they came by - hopefully they got the memo and won’t come around again! It does seem a bit unusual that they didn’t come back to check for food again though. I guess that is a good sign!

 

[lynne8832]

Hi everyone!
Another update - Monty has been doing great! It's been a week since the raccoons initially came by and I haven't seen them at all since then - I even left the dry food out one night and they did not come by. I am shocked, I would have assumed that they would come by to check if there was any food after they came by the first time! My one concern is that when they did come by and ate the dry food, I immediately picked up the bowl once they left and washed it - should I be concerned that I touched the bowl that they had just eaten out of (from a rabies standpoint)? I assume that rabies in raccoons is pretty rare? Would this be enough of a risk to get a rabies vaccine for?
Monty is still coming by once or twice every day for food. The only thing that has changed is that he has not been sleeping on my porch as much. Before I TNR'd him, he would frequently spend all day asleep on the porch - I have a couch and a bed out there for him and he would commonly spend 4-5 hours asleep in his bed in the mornings and afternoons and he would often be on my porch when I got home. He hasn't even jumped up onto the couch or his bed in at least 2 weeks. Is this something that I should be concerned about? I'm not sure if it has to do with the TNR or just that we have had warmer weather lately and he has been out and about more.

 

[catmoon]

I wouldn't be overly concerned about the bowls transmitting rabies. I've forgotten to take my dry food in once or twice overnight and the skunks and raccoons did get to it. What I usually do is soak my bowls in soapy water for a few hours, rinse them, and put them in the dishwasher.

If you don't have a dishwasher you can buy a new sponge and use it exclusively for washing food bowls. Rabies can only survive on surfaces for a few hours so you should be fine. If you're still concerned you can buy some rubber gloves for handling the bowls or a pack of single-use gloves.

I don't really have any helpful input regarding Monty, unfortunately. Maybe someone more experienced with feral behavior can answer. It could be warmer weather, another feeder, or just something that caught his attention elsewhere.

 

[catmoon]

Would this be enough of a risk to get a rabies vaccine for?

Also, no, I don't think so. If you're really anxious about it, call your doctor for rabies information and peace of mind.

 

[lynne8832]

Thank you so much! I think I have just been so worried about him since it seems that his routine has changed and he is spending less time at my house now and only comes by once (maybe twice) a day for food. He came by last night at 9:00 pm and he hasn't come by since then, so I always just go right to assuming that something has happened to him and he won't show back up, which I know is likely not the case. Since it’s been 24 hours since I’ve seen him, I just walked around the neighborhood and up to the main road to see if I could find any sign of him, but I didn’t. I am going to leave his food out overnight to see if he comes by, but he hasn’t missed a day in the 2.5 months that I have been feeding him, so I am extremely worried. I would keep him inside if I could, but I really don’t think he would like that at all and I want to do what’s best for him. I have never had a stray or feral cat before, so I am just dreading the day that he stops showing up and I wonder what happened to him