Masked Intruder Robs Butler PA Home

[WRideout]

A few days ago, our granddaughter told us to look at the animal that was eating the cat's food outside on our front porch. When my wife and I looked out, there was a sizable raccoon casually eating out of the cat bowl, while our little calico looked on, just a couple of feet away. The 'coon wasn't especially bothered by us. Although we live in the city, there is a good patch of woods nearby, and we often see deer and turkey; sometimes pileated woodpeckers. First time I ever saw a 'coon, though.

Wayne

[Beau Cassidy]

They gotta eat, too. I don't mind them but do mind skunks. I inherited 2 cats with my new house. They are now well fed but still stay outside.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

there are even coons in NYC there was an interesting documentary about it not to long ago I only saw a bit of it but they were tracking coons in NYC and many other cities

the fattest coon I ever saw was coming home from my trap line and he was run waddling away from the house that left cat food out on the porch that coon was so fat he shook like jelly as he ran , I spoted the path where he drags his fat belly up the ditch on the other side of the road and the rustled leaves to the hollow tree he dens in , not sure he ever did any more than walk across the gravle road , eat cat food and go back and sleep it off and repeat he had quite a path worn in.

they can spread diseases to your cats , it would be best if you didn't feed the cat outside any more , with out food the coon will probably not visit much

[waynem34]

Coons? Well raccoons tried to get in our back porch, Momma just chase 'em off with a broom!

[smokeywolf]

When I worked at MGM Studios, was walking back from the payroll office when I spotted a skunk waddling down the street. Got back to the Machine Shop and told the guys, "Hey, just saw a skunk out there." One said, "What was he doing?" I said, "Makin' tracks for Main Street with one of the Commissary cooks closing in on him. Now you know what's for lunch today."

[WILCO]

Coons? Well raccoons tried to get in our back porch, Momma just chase 'em off with a broom!

http://mr.comingsoon.it/imgdb/locandine/big/35068.jpg

[gwpercle]

Catching a coon is one thing, but you don't want to catch no SKUNK......no sirree bob, my little brother and our bluetick hound caught one when he was a kid.... both of them had to sleep out on our screened porch for a month before mamma would let them back in the house. Every day she scrubbed them both out in the yard.
That was over 50 years ago and we still remember that STINK!

Coons really really like roasted peanuts and marshmallows.....we had one that would get in our house at night, then leave after he ate his fill. Baited a live trap with peanuts and marshmallows, which he was so fond of, put some outside and up to the doggie door, where he learned to enter and exit, He just couldn't resist that bait. He went into the trap while we were still up , lights on , walking around the house and talking to each other,and washing clothes . Glad he wasn't a skunk.

Gary

[Uncle Jimbo]

When I was young, we had a skunk for a pet. Desented him. Made a great pet. Used to scare the hell out of visitors. He was a great pet.

[daengmei]

Skunks, opossums, ground hogs and coons are everywhere here and eat well on garbage if you're not putting it up. Same coon story here eating cat food in the morning, wouldn't even budge when I went inside (home from work) to get the wife for her work trip. Was sitting outside on the back step around 3 am smoking a few years back and saw out of the corner of my eye what I thought was my cat, black with just a bit of white at the neck and belly. Next time I saw the movement it was a skunk, crossing my front, then it turned my way and kept sniffin and coming. I "flicked my bic" several times to get it's attention and finally it stopped, at barely 10 feet away, looked around a bit and then wandered away the other direction. Another time as a soldier I was running the small track early in the dark while alone. Coming around the side along the downhill I saw movement around the drain pipe that ran under the track. Next lap I saw the skunk, just out of the drain, looking my direction. I did not cross that again that morning. I live just outside of Ft. Knox.

[Artful]

Coon's are smart - had a friend when I was a kid who caught one and "tamed" it - very intelligent and curious animals - all was well until it went into "rut" then it had to be let go to find female companionship - it did periodically come back to visit Roy's Mom. But it learned to open lots of things it shouldn't have.

We had one that kept after the barn cat food so bad I wound up putting the food into the trunk of the car, because it learned itself how to unstrap the bungee from on top of the metal trash can that was the last step before the trunk. Before that it turned the hasp and openned the cupboard door. Before that it squeezed into the electrical/storeage room thru the small openning left for the cats - Cats never did stand up to it.

[TreeKiller]

If you can watch it crack a raw egg in a shallow pan of water and watch the fun.

[osteodoc08]

Coons? Well raccoons tried to get in our back porch, Momma just chase 'em off with a broom!

This is what I do with the possums that find their way up on our porch.

[WRideout]

I know 'coons are plenty smart. I just had never seen one around here before. Our resident ground hogs have not been around yet this year; I'm wondering if the neighbors made good ones out of them.

Wayne

[cephas53]

When I was young, we had a skunk for a pet. Desented him. Made a great pet. Used to scare the hell out of visitors. He was a great pet.
Uncle Jimbo, how do you descent a skunk?

[leftiye]

With your teeth (heh, heh).

[blademasterii]

Take away his money. :D

[Uncle Jimbo]

Uncle Jimbo, how do you descent a skunk?

We took him to the vet and they removed the scent glands.

[Rufus Krile]

Spent 40 yrs working in the oil field... mostly in South Texas... and spent a lot of time on the Kenedy Ranch. Coons were abundant. Had to keep our trash in locked steel-mesh trailers. One night I counted 26 trying to figure out how to get in. Had two that lived under my trailer... one named 'Gordo'... about two hammer handles across the ***... Gordo was having a good year. To keep them off my truck parked out front, I'd toss them some bread or lunch meat out the back door. One night I heard the door rattling and looked out to find Gordo trying to work the door knob. Had to start locking my door. Others not so lucky. One guy woke up in the middle of the night to find Gordo and 5 others on his kitchen table. Another one... Miss Ellie... would go across the mud pits and clear up on the drill floor because the crew would give her cookies. Absolutely fearless.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

Yup coons , I got one of the city trapping permits last year I didn't take a single coon hat wasn't on city land last year had almost a mile line going at one point , I started hauling a bunch of gear in my basket , by the end of my 10 days of trapping I was down to my hammer , bait and basket

3 20 pounders get very heavy in a basket on a mile walk

[waynem34]

My Mom had a racoon for a pet, She called it pete. Nannie and grand Dad would walk to work,Mom would let granddads dogs in and sometimes the coon.Grand dad would always know.Mom is 80.

[DougGuy]

Coons carry a parasite that can be deadly to humans. It travels via their feces. You get coons in a place where they have denned and it is everywhere. By trying to clean out this area, be it the attic, roof of an old garage, one can release the eggs of the raccoon roundworm into the air where they can be inhaled. Raccoon feces in your yard releases the eggs when disturbed by a lawnmower for instance. Not stuff you want anywhere near humans..

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/baylisascaris/

[WRideout]

Coons carry a parasite that can be deadly to humans. It travels via their feces. You get coons in a place where they have denned and it is everywhere. By trying to clean out this area, be it the attic, roof of an old garage, one can release the eggs of the raccoon roundworm into the air where they can be inhaled. Raccoon feces in your yard releases the eggs when disturbed by a lawnmower for instance. Not stuff you want anywhere near humans..

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/baylisascaris/

When I worked for a consulting company, I used to read the PA bulletin all the time. That's where they publish the contracts that are going out for bid. One that I will always remember was a contract to clean raccoon poop off the top of a water tank in a state park. Apparently it was a private "bathroom" for them that wasn't too visible.
Wayne

[jonp]

Coons are very "smart" and will find any food that is left out then make that a part of their route. You should remove all food from outside, close all doors and keep all garbage secured.

Although coons are cute they carry rabies, disease and parasites and should not be taken lightly