Messin' with the raccoons

Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little fellow
even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for another. So
I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a few
feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped, watched
it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the string,
which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the
string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters so
darn smart.


Hugs and Purrs,
Mark
--
Proof of Sanity Forged Upon Request

Mark Edwards wrote:

Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little fellow
even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for another. So
I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a few
feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped, watched
it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the string,
which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the
string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters so
darn smart.

I love raccoons! I know they're a nuisance, and can even be a danger
to one's pets (although it seems like your cats hold their own, or at
least, they know enough to avoid confrontations). But they really are
adorable. And I love the noise they make when they're chittering away
at each other. Trill, trill, trill. Yeah, OK, they're plotting ways to
take over your food supply. But they look really cute while they're
doing it.

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

wrote:
Mark Edwards wrote:

Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little fellow
even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for another. So
I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a few
feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped, watched
it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the string,
which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the
string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters so
darn smart.

I love raccoons! I know they're a nuisance, and can even be a danger
to one's pets (although it seems like your cats hold their own, or at
least, they know enough to avoid confrontations). But they really are
adorable. And I love the noise they make when they're chittering away
at each other. Trill, trill, trill. Yeah, OK, they're plotting ways to
take over your food supply. But they look really cute while they're
doing it.


Cuteoverload had a baby coon - eeek, thuddd

http://cuteoverload.com/2009/05/27/clover-coon/

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

On Thu, 28 May 2009 19:02:00 -0500, Mark Edwards
wrote:


Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little fellow
even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for another. So
I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a few
feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped, watched
it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the string,
which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the
string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters so
darn smart.


Hugs and Purrs,
Mark

I like raccoons too; they are cool animals. I see them a lot, living
close to the Mississippi River, and a major creek that empties into it.

The raccoons use the storm drains like subway tunnels. I live about a
mile from the river, but I see them often.

But unfortunately, raccoons are walking bags of disease. I don't EVER
want to be close enough to touch one.

If you were to get bitten by one, the consequences could be dire.

I found this article many years ago, and saved it:


Common Infectious Diseases of Raccoons

Raccoons are susceptible to a large number of different infectious
agents including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Several of these
infectious diseases are zoonotic. Veterinarians are faced with the
diagnosis and treatment of wildlife including raccoons and need to be
able to make the correct diagnosis as well as educate clients on the
potential hazards associated with exposure to raccoons.

Leptospirosis is a common bacterial disease in raccoons caused by a
number of different species of Leptospira. Trans*mission is thought to
occur via urine contamination of feed and water. Antemortem diagnosis is
based upon serology and dark field examination of urine.
Histopathologic examination and fluorescent antibody testing of liver
and kidney are two postmortem procedures that can be done to help
further aid the diagnosis of leptospirosis. Other natural bacterial
infections reported in raccoons are listeriosis, yersiniosis,
pasteurellosis, and tularemia.

Viral diseases of raccoons include rabies, canine distemper, raccoon
parvoviralenteritis, infectious canine hepatitis, and pseudorabies.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease that is endemic in raccoon populations in
Pennsylvania and New England. In recent years, there has been a shift of
rabies infected raccoons westward into Ohio (see Diagnostic Forum Vol.
8, No 2, 1997).

Canine distemper virus infection is probably the most common viral
disease in raccoons. The clinical signs, and gross and histopathologic
lesions in raccoons are similar to distemper in dogs. Neurologic signs
due to distemper virus infection in raccoons are virtually
indistinguishable from rabies induced neurologic disease. Diagnosis is
based upon histopathologic lesions in brain, lung, spleen, and small
intestine. Intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies can be
visualized in many cells including epithelial cells in the respiratory
epithelium, gastric mucosa, and transitional epithelium lining the renal
pelvis and urinary bladder. The best tissues for fluorescent antibody
testing and virus isolation of canine distemper virus are lung, brain,
stomach, small intestine, kidney, and urinary bladder.

Parvoviral enteritis in raccoons is due to a unique raccoon parvovirus
that is most antigenically similar to feline parvovirus. Clinical signs
include bloody diarrhea, lethargy, inappetance, and loss of fear of
humans. Raccoons do not develop clinical disease when exposed to canine
parvovirus. Diagnosis is based upon histopathologic lesions of
necrotizing enteritis and identification of the virus by fluorescent
antibody testing. The most common method in which raccoons acquire
pseudorabies virus infection is via the ingestion of virus-infected pig
carcasses.

An important parasitic disease of raccoons is toxoplasmosis, which is a
protozoal disease caused by Toxoplasmagondii. Felids are the definitive
host for T. gondii, and they excrete potentially infective oocysts in
their feces. Toxoplasmosis in raccoons is commonly associated with
immunosuppression from canine distemper virus infection. Necrotizing
encephalitis and pneumonitis are frequent lesions associated with
toxoplasmosis.

Another parasite of importance in raccoons is Baylisascarisprocyonis,
which is an intestinal roundworm of raccoons. Baylisascaris is a known
cause of cerebral nematodiasis and ocular and visceral larval migrans in
domestic and non-domestic animals, and humans. Transmission commonly
occurs through the ingestion of infective eggs, which results in
aberrant migration in hosts other than raccoons.

- by Jim Raymond, DVM

- edited by M. Randy White, DVM, PhD

Please don't 'mess with the raccoons', anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^..^

"Life without cats would be only marginally worth living."
-TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie.

Every day is a treasure with Kenzie; I try to treat them that way. There
will only be so many, and then there will never, ever, be any more.

How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven.
- Robert Heinlein

"Marina" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Mark Edwards wrote:

Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat. Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little
fellow even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for
another. So I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a
few feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped,
watched it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute. Finally, he approahed ME and tugged
on the string. I let go of the string, which he dragged near the
pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the string. I put down another
pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters
so darn smart.

I love raccoons! I know they're a nuisance, and can even be a danger
to one's pets (although it seems like your cats hold their own, or at
least, they know enough to avoid confrontations). But they really are
adorable. And I love the noise they make when they're chittering away
at each other. Trill, trill, trill. Yeah, OK, they're plotting ways to
take over your food supply. But they look really cute while they're
doing it.


Cuteoverload had a baby coon - eeek, thuddd

http://cuteoverload.com/2009/05/27/clover-coon/

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

How adorable!

Joy

"Mark Edwards" wrote in message
m
Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that
the cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little
fellow even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for
another. So I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a
few feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He
stopped, watched it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the
string, which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel,
gathered up the string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me
the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local
critters so darn smart.

PLase please PLEASE can you get some photos of the racoons with the kitties?

I love racoons, but am unlikely to ever see a live one.

Yowie
--
If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many
pancakes can you fit in a doghouse? None, icecream doesn't have bones.

I certainly would not be feeding coons no matter how cute they are. I
had a coon attack a cat of mine and almost kill it. They can be nasty
and down right dangerous when cornered. Not to mention the risk of
rabies to you and your cats.

Celeste

"spot" wrote in message
...
I certainly would not be feeding coons no matter how cute they are. I had
a coon attack a cat of mine and almost kill it. They can be nasty and down
right dangerous when cornered. Not to mention the risk of rabies to you
and your cats.

Celeste

Exactly here in Florida they are the main rabies risk we have 20 to 40
cases a year due to them

Naw, not the water, they just know the people that appreciate them!
"Mark Edwards" wrote in message
m...

Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little fellow
even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for another. So
I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a few
feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped, watched
it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the string,
which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the
string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters so
darn smart.


Hugs and Purrs,
Mark
--
Proof of Sanity Forged Upon Request

Mark Edwards wrote:
Since the raccoons steal food from the cats, I try to find ways to
distract the raccoons from the food. This usually involves food that the
cats won't eat.

Like pretzels.

First I laid out some pretzels. The raccoons liked them. One little fellow
even worked up the nerve to approach me and pat at my hand for another. So
I held out a pretzel and he took it.

Just to mess with him, I tied a pretzel to a string and tossed it a few
feet away. He started for it, but I pulled the string. He stopped, watched
it, approached and I pulled the string.

The look on his face was cute.

Finally, he approahed ME and tugged on the string. I let go of the string,
which he dragged near the pretzel. He ate the pretzel, gathered up the
string. I put down another pretzel and he traded me the string for it.

There must be something in the water that makes all the local critters so
darn smart.

Raccoons ARE smart - that's what makes them such a nuisance to humans!
(I understand that keeping them OUT of anyplace they want IN is
well-nigh impossible.)


Hugs and Purrs,
Mark