Early this morning we had visitors - uninvited guests. They apparently made themselves right at home without so much as a by-your-leave. I missed them, WS caught them in the act.
WS had to work this morning so he got up at his usual time. He let the dogs out, and almost immediately the dogs started barking so I let them in. I went back to bed and to dreamland for another hour or so. WS started hearing strange noises coming from the deck.
He decided to investigate, but weird noises are not uncommon when the cats are out (as two of them were last night) - so the fact that he investigated is a bit on the odd side. He turned on the light out back, but didn't see anything except the cats' food bowl on the deck instead of in the cathouse where it belongs. Then he went over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands and found himself face to face with a chattering baby raccoon. It was sitting on top of one of the recycle barrels that sits outside and staring into the window.
WS closed the window before the baby coon figured out the screen was none too strong (the cats have a habit of banging on it to get our attention to let them in), then went back to the slider to look out. This time he opened the door and leaned out and saw 3 baby racoons chittering and chattering away in the corner. He watched them gambol around on the deck for a while, then had to leave for work.
When I got up this morning, I too saw the cats' food dish out on the deck. I didn't investigate right away as I had two pet-sitting clients awaiting my attention. When I got back home, I looked around more thoroughly to see if I could sleuth what had paid us a visit (at that point, I hadn't talked to WS).
The water bowl in the cathouse, which had just been cleaned and re-filled last night was empty except the light coating of mud that was at the very bottom of the dish. I figured out at least one coon had visited as it left a little handprint in the mud. Apparently the baby coons have learned well to wash their hands before eating. It would have been nice if they hadn't managed to cover the entire inside of the cathouse with muddy water, but I guess that's what kids do.
Then, I figured out where the mud had come from - the little furballs had been busy digging in my flower planters on the deck. In hind sight, I guess I shouldn't have fertilized the plants late last night - especially with fish emulsions!
WS said that he didn't catch sight of Mama coon, but I'm guessing she was around. Probably at the bottom of the stairs keeping the cats from disturbing her kids meal. From now on I'm going to have to put the food out in the morning and bring it in at night - don't want the coons to think we have nothing better to do than to provide them cat food!
Maybe I'll have to get some other kind of fertilizer too; it seems really coincidental that the nightI fertilize is the first time they pay a visit!
What a nice tale. Raccoon kids are so cute!
Posted by: Cop Car | July 17, 2005 at 03:23 PM