My Disciples,
When we last left off, The Brothers and I had just experienced a close encounter with a female Raccoon. She had looked at us, but then turned to leave. As she was leaving, Beatrice entered the yard and found herself right in the path of the departing Raccoon. The smart thing would have been for her to back down and give the Raccoon room to pass, but we cats don’t always have the best judgement about these things. That’s why we need true Guardians who will keep us physically separated from wildlings like Raccoons so we stay out of trouble. Anyway, instead of moving aside, Beatrice hunkered down right in the path of the oncoming Raccoon. The Raccoon changed course to go around her, but Beatrice hissed loudly just as the Raccoon passed by.
Beatrice should have just gotten out of the way and let the Raccoon pass, but we cat’s don’t always have good judgement when dealing with wildlings. Instead she hissed at the Raccoon.
The Raccoon seemed a little bit startled by Beatrice’s hiss. It also seemed to peak her curiosity. Instead of continuing on out of the yard, the Raccoon paused, and circled to the right as if she wanted to get a closer look at this white ball of fluff that was making strange noises. Brother Oliver let out a very concerned sounding yowl as we all watched the events unfold.
The Raccoon circled around to get a closer look at Beatrice. Brother Oliver was concerned and let out a yowl.
Just as tensions seemed to be reaching the breaking point, the Guardians appeared at the door to My Outdoor Domain to see what Brother Oliver was yowling about. They saw the standoff that was happening between Beatrice and the Raccoon and exited My Outdoor Domain to herd the Raccoon away. The Raccoon quickly complied, clearly wanting nothing to do with the Guardians. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief, but Beatrice didn’t seem to grasp the danger she was just in. She walked up to the enclosure and said, “Did you guys see that? That weird cat is always giving me trouble.” Brother Henry and Brother Oliver exchanged bewildered glances with one another and I smacked My paw against My forehead. Then I said, “Beatrice, that’s not a cat. It’s a Raccoon.”
Upon hearing this, I think the weight of what had just happened finally sunk in for Beatrice. Her eyes spread wide with fear, and she was as white as a sheet. Well…I guess she is always as white as a sheet, but the wide eyes were a definite give away that she realized she had been in danger. Then again, maybe that was just wishful thinking, because the next thing she said was, “What the heck is a Raccoon?”
So Sayeth Otis
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Very funny! By the way – do Raccoons go for cats? Don’t have them here (yet).
yes, raccoons have been known to attack cats – attacks can even be deadly for the cats or cause severe damage as well as potentially transmitting infectious diseases like rabies
Animalcouriers, the Guardians both work with wildlife, and they say that sometimes Raccoons do attack cats (as Maggie has already mentioned). They also said it is rare, and there are usually factors that contribute to the attack. Sometimes it’s a mother Raccoon that is afraid for her babies. Other times people might be feeding cats outside, the Raccoon wants to eat the food and the cat doesn’t back down. Or, as Maggie also pointed out, a sick Raccoon might attack a cat. Unprovoked attacks are apparently rare, but any time you let your cat mix with wildlife, bad things are possible. Keeping us safely confined is the best way to keep us out of the wildlings’ reach!
Glad to hear it’s rare but obviously a cat in the wrong place at the wrong time is in danger. Do you have rabies where you are? That’s often the most likely cause of attack in naturally evasive animals.
No rabies has been found in Raccoons in My state, but bats here do sometimes carry it so all of us kitties have been vaccinated. Actually, because of their work, so have the Guardians.
Phew, I am so relieved Beatrice is ok!
Me too, 2 cats!
That is a little too close for comfort. I wish the Guardians could scoop up Beatrice and Mama Cat and all the others in the Rapture and bring them to the Promised Land. It must be so hard for the Guardians to watch such lovely kitties be at such great peril day in and day out.
Raccoons don’t “go for cats” per se, but city-dwelling raccoons in particular can be very aggressive at times if provoked (or if you try to prevent them from eating something they have their little hearts set on–like fish in your pond or the tomatoes you’ve been growing all summer). This particular encounter was probably never going to be more than a a curious sniff, and it looks like a fairly small raccoon. However, in a Beatrice vs. Raccoon showdown, my money would most certainly be on the raccoon.
The Guardians wish so too, Christine, but with over a dozen free-roaming cats living within a block of our house, the problem is nearly overwhelming. We continue to hold onto the hope that we can change people’s idea of what it means to be a responsible cat Guardian.
You have already done so much, Otis. It is a lifelong job. Please thank the Guardians for leading by example.
It looks like day-time in these photos. I thought raccoons were nocternal. Whatever, Kitties belong safely inside so they aren’t in danger of a close encounter with Wildlings. Hooray for the Guardians, and Brother Oliver for yowling so well!
I heard the Guardians say that Raccoons are mostly nocturnal, but their foraging will sometimes continue into the late morning after the sun has come up. That seemed to be the case with this girl Raccoon. Maybe she had babies to take care of and needed more food?
Oh my gosh! That was scary! Poor Beatrice! Out there to fend for herself! Thank goodness for your guardians protecting her!
It was scary Andrea! The Guardians will continue to be as vigilant as they can be for all of the Limbo kitties in the neighborhood.
Good timing on all sides to avoid trouble.
Thanks Wazeau. We’re all glad that the situation didn’t escalate further.
Holy cod Beatrice we were so worried for you….thank goodness the guardians were there to save the day!!!
I was worried too, Cat’s Cats! So glad the Guardians stepped in when they did…
Beatrice is so beautiful the raccoon was probably dazzled. So glad the Guardians were there!
You might be right Phil…or maybe the Raccoon thought Beatrice was the Abdominal Snowman, like we did when we first saw her!
Or a marshmallow?
It is a worry when people aren’t as careful of their pets as they are of their stuff. Mama doesn’t understand it at all. She gets so sad when she sees or hears the outside cats that live around here. It’s really bad when she finds one that has been killed. I try to make her feel better with nudges and snuggles and soft biteys.
Teddy
Give her some snuggles, nudges and soft biteys from The Brothers and I too, Teddy. True Guardians deserve our respect.