Those Pesky Masked Bandits!
 

I had just dropped off to sleep when I saw startled back into wakefulness but a strange cat noise. All of the other cats, who were snoozing on the bed, jumped up to see what was the matter. Scoundrel, our watch cat, had discovered something.



Remembering my recent unfortunate surprise of a prowler at my back door, I tip toed through the house looking for the place that was getting my cats' attention. I got to the living room and peered out the large arched window. I saw nothing. So, I turned to leave to make sure all of the doors were locked when I heard the most interesting growling coming from under the living room floor. Four of the 5 cats were at full alert (Jack was still asleep with his daddy in bed). I stomped on the floor to startle the creatures, but only succeeded in startling my own creatures.



After a bit, I decided to go back to bed, but took one look out the window just in case. There, in the dark, were 2 sets of eyes staring back at me, surrounded by dark black masks, pointed noses and pricked up ears. Soon, they turned away and took their bushy stripped tails down to wake up some other neighbors.



Pesky masked bandits!

Hooray for racoons!!!!! Boo that they have made a home under your home....

I think they just come for a visit and a romp. They forage there, but don't life there.

As long as they aren't stealing thongs.

Awwwwww man! Think of the vet bills then!

There is no hooray for racoons! We have had a serious problem with them for the last 5 months!! They have decided that our roof is the Disneyland of the night! I can't begin to tell you how many times they have woken me up between the hours or 1 and 6 in the morning!! They run and jump with each other all over the roof. We have an aluminum awning over our backyard and they jump on that (and that's loud! It's loud when it rains, think how loud it is when a racoon jumps on it) and hide between the eaves and the awning. We have had to keep our fence open so the whole world can see into our side yard(that's how the cross over).

Oh, and I'm not quite done yet...when I came home the day we were leaving for New Mexico for 10 days, I noticed huge black markings up the posts in front of the house...they had made a whole in a vent and were getting in there! There are muddy black marks along the beam as well as the 2 posts! We had to leave, but my mom's boyfriend came over and checked in the attic=nothing, but there were sign that they had been in there. Little grooves in the insulation. He nailed a huge piece of wood to block it and we haven't seen or, more importantly, heard them in a while. You can tell they tried to take the piece of wood out because their little paw prints are on it!

So, no hooray for racoons. I used to think the same thing, but now all I want to do is camp out in the backyard and take pop shots at them!! Sorry animal lovers, but they gotta go now! Animal control can't come and get them until they are in the house.

NA, I hate to say it, but they will keep coming back and as cute as they are now, you will soon hate them. They are smart and creatures of habit!

Ok, I'm done now...I now return you to your regular programming!;)

okay, how about this.
I reserve the Hooray for the raccoons in the Lazy Boy commercials, and RJ in Over the Hedge.

The rest may be classified as noisy pests.

Though in pictures, or in the forest, I will still say they are cute.

Ok, I can agree with that one. But when they keep waking you up, it's hard to classify any as cute. :D

My sister has a mommy racoon that comes to visit every spring (she feeds them) and brings her new babies for all to see.

Damn. I can scratch them off. Who stole my thong??