Would you leave food out for raccoons?

"Kiran" wrote in message
...
Kiran wrote:

OK, Ryan, Upscale, L - I get the idea...

I am soft by heart. As a child growing up in a small town in India I
used to leave some food on the roof for monkeys! Today I feed cats,
birds, squirrels, and sea gulls when I can walk to the water. I once
convinced my next-door neighbor who insisted on feeding her cat cheap
kibble, to let me feed her canned food once a day.

In this case, I was softened up after reading the following sory (very
touching to me):

http://parsifal.membrane.com/alex/higginsjournal1.html

(this is part 1 of 8, but you can skim through quite fast)

But I can see it probably was a nutty idea in my urban setting.

It is just that the baby coons looked and acted so much like the cats I
love. It broke my heart to see them desperately sniffing for food from
yard to yard, while all of us and my cat had not only eaten but left
food on the plate and I had just thrown it in the trash bag which I
closed tightly as well as the trash bin so they wouldn't know it was
there. Something seemed not right.

But I am small, the world is big, and even if it is not right I can't
always set everything right.

So I have chosen to feed microbes, whom I cannot trick or stop, instead
of baby raccoons, whom I can...

Thank you all and good night.|

I understand how you feel, I would be truly tempted to do the same. I love
racoons but we don't have wild ones over here.
But as everyone else has said, its not a good idea in the long term for
them or for you.
I saw a wildlife programme about racoons and it was interesting that urban
racoons are smaller and more wily than country ones. If they are trapped
and released in the country many do not adapt and don't survive
Alison

Kiran wrote:
I have a cat but this is not about her, it is about a group of raccoons
(one adult and five children). They have been spotted sniffing around
our and our neighbors' yards and porchces this summer, mostly late
nights.

So if you know raccoons, would you feed them in this situation? If so,
when and where would you leave the food?

The answer is absolutely not.

We have raccoons where I live also. We used to leave food out for the
cats
until the raccoons started eating it all at night. Now we only leave
cat food out
during the daytime.....never at night.
The raccoon's were starting to get more agressive, in that they started
coming
during the day. But the bluebird's started dive-bombing them! So they
don't show
up any more during the day.
Besides raccoon's, we also have skunk's who like to eat cat food.
Unlike the raccoon's, no one messes with the skunk's.....not people,
not cat's not
dog's, not even the bluebird's. The skunk's just walk around the
property as if
they didn't have a care in the world. It's kinda' scary though when
it's dark out
and you think one of the local cat's are coming up to you.....but it's
a skunk!
Skunk's have poor eyesight, especially at night, so they don't really
see you.....
and you defintely don't want to spook a skunk.
Also besides all the other things that previous posters have mentioned,
cat food
is not good for raccoon's or skunk's anyway.

"Kiran" wrote in message ...
I have a cat but this is not about her, it is about a group of raccoons
(one adult and five children). They have been spotted sniffing around
our and our neighbors' yards and porchces this summer, mostly late
nights.

General consensus on the street is to have no food or food smells that
will attract them, and I would certainly not want to leave a trash bag
out that for them to rip apart and make a mess.

However --- and having grown up in urban areas, I have no experience
with raccoons --- part of me says they too are living creatures, hungry
and looking for food, shouldn't I leave some out for them too? It
bothers my heart that I am throwing food away they could have eaten.

I do realize it is a pack of six, not one little cute pet. I also don't
want any potential harm to my kids, my cat, my neighbor kids and cats.
(There is a Black Lab next door who I am sure can look after himself!)

So if you know raccoons, would you feed them in this situation? If so,
when and where would you leave the food?

Raccoons are quite adapted to foraging for their own food and it's usually
recommended not to feed them.

Adam

studio wrote:
Kiran wrote:
I have a cat but this is not about her, it is about a group of
raccoons (one adult and five children). They have been spotted
sniffing around our and our neighbors' yards and porchces this
summer, mostly late nights.

So if you know raccoons, would you feed them in this situation? If
so, when and where would you leave the food?

The answer is absolutely not.

We have raccoons where I live also. We used to leave food out for the
cats
until the raccoons started eating it all at night. Now we only leave
cat food out
during the daytime.....never at night.
The raccoon's were starting to get more agressive, in that they
started coming
during the day. But the bluebird's started dive-bombing them! So they
don't show
up any more during the day.
Besides raccoon's, we also have skunk's who like to eat cat food.
Unlike the raccoon's, no one messes with the skunk's.....not people,
not cat's not
dog's, not even the bluebird's. The skunk's just walk around the
property as if
they didn't have a care in the world. It's kinda' scary though when
it's dark out
and you think one of the local cat's are coming up to you.....but it's
a skunk!
Skunk's have poor eyesight, especially at night, so they don't really
see you.....
and you defintely don't want to spook a skunk.
Also besides all the other things that previous posters have
mentioned, cat food
is not good for raccoon's or skunk's anyway.

Looks like it's time for you to get a Great Horned Owl for your
neighborhood. One of their favorite foods is skunk, and they have no sense
of smell!!!!

On Wed 28 Jun 2006 10:25:48a, 22brix wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav
):

Kiran,
In addition to rabies, raccoons can also carry raccoon
roundworms (Baylisascaris procyonis). They pass the eggs in
their feces and it has been fatal in several children. It can
damage the brain.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7...0_12220-27261-
-,00.html

The raccoons are also a pain in the rear once they start
knocking over your garbage cans in the middle of the night!! I
love 'em, but not when my 55 lb dog is sitting on my chest in
the middle of the night barking her head off at them!

Bonnie

And in addition to rabies and worms, there's FPLV and CPV-2 to
worry about, and other mutations of the parvovirus. Keep the 'coons
away.


--
Cheryl

"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message
m...
Looks like it's time for you to get a Great Horned Owl for your
neighborhood. One of their favorite foods is skunk, and they have no
sense of smell!!!!
Oh that sounds promising.. !!! One near miss from an owl attack and the
skunk unloads on your property while the owl gets away oblivious to what
it's done.

Someone mentioned cat food not good for raccoons. We had the coon problem a
year ago. They got into our attic thru the chimney. We had hired the
wildlife control man to trap them (and set them free far into the country).
He baited them with catfood! Also, had possums...no skunks yet..thank
goodness! I no longer leave food out at night for the stray cats. If they
dont come by dark to eat, then they have to wait til morning.

--
Where will you spend eternity? In the Smoking or Non-Smoking Section?
"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message
m...
studio wrote:
Kiran wrote:
I have a cat but this is not about her, it is about a group of
raccoons (one adult and five children). They have been spotted
sniffing around our and our neighbors' yards and porchces this
summer, mostly late nights.

So if you know raccoons, would you feed them in this situation? If
so, when and where would you leave the food?

The answer is absolutely not.

We have raccoons where I live also. We used to leave food out for the
cats
until the raccoons started eating it all at night. Now we only leave
cat food out
during the daytime.....never at night.
The raccoon's were starting to get more agressive, in that they
started coming
during the day. But the bluebird's started dive-bombing them! So they
don't show
up any more during the day.
Besides raccoon's, we also have skunk's who like to eat cat food.
Unlike the raccoon's, no one messes with the skunk's.....not people,
not cat's not
dog's, not even the bluebird's. The skunk's just walk around the
property as if
they didn't have a care in the world. It's kinda' scary though when
it's dark out
and you think one of the local cat's are coming up to you.....but it's
a skunk!
Skunk's have poor eyesight, especially at night, so they don't really
see you.....
and you defintely don't want to spook a skunk.
Also besides all the other things that previous posters have
mentioned, cat food
is not good for raccoon's or skunk's anyway.

Looks like it's time for you to get a Great Horned Owl for your
neighborhood. One of their favorite foods is skunk, and they have no
sense of smell!!!!

"RobZip" no wrote in message
...

"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message
m...
Looks like it's time for you to get a Great Horned Owl for your
neighborhood. One of their favorite foods is skunk, and they have no
sense of smell!!!!
Oh that sounds promising.. !!! One near miss from an owl attack and the
skunk unloads on your property while the owl gets away oblivious to what
it's done.



Just blow the skunk away, Rob, like you really want to do.



Inviato da X-Privat.Org - Registrazione gratuita http://www.x-privat.org/join.php

Barb P wrote:
Someone mentioned cat food not good for raccoons. We had the coon problem a
year ago. They got into our attic thru the chimney. We had hired the
wildlife control man to trap them (and set them free far into the country).
He baited them with catfood! Also, had possums...no skunks yet..thank
goodness! I no longer leave food out at night for the stray cats. If they
dont come by dark to eat, then they have to wait til morning.

studio wrote:
Also besides all the other things that previous posters have
mentioned, cat food
is not good for raccoon's or skunk's anyway.

Yes Barb, raccoon's absolutely love cat food, but it's not good for
them
if they eat it on a daily basis, and especially not good if it's their
main diet.
It's like baiting a kid with a twinkie. But if the kid eat's nothing
but Twinkies,
the kid won't have a long life.

"cybercat" wrote in message
...

"RobZip" no wrote in message
...

Oh that sounds promising.. !!! One near miss from an owl attack and the
skunk unloads on your property while the owl gets away oblivious to what
it's done.

Just blow the skunk away, Rob, like you really want to do.

Sure thing sweetie.... Just walk across that patio and hold still when the
little red light comes on, mmmkay?