Fear
So Cow has been feeding the feral cat for several years now. Finally got him coming in the garage, out of the rain and cold. But despite the heating pad Cow set up for him, he runs away as soon as he's eaten dinner. Despite the silly here-kitty noises Cow makes.Raccoons, now. Cow puts food out on the driveway for them but if she's late they come scratch at the door and wait for her. She has, on occasion, nudged them with her foot to get them outside the garage to the food. They have no fear whatsoever and would happily come into the house, or live in the garage, were she to let them.
There's one elderly raccoon who's a little slower to move, who is always first there for the food. Used to wait till dark to come out. Now he's waiting in the driveway when she gets home from work.
And no, there is no rabies in raccoons here, Cow checked with the folks in the lab. This is monitored carefully, usually, by trapping raccoons, cutting off their heads and sending them to said lab for analysis.
But point is, how come with years of genetic imprinting and breeding of cats to be pets, raccoons are quicker to become tame? Just seems strange.
Moo!
posted by The Topiary Cow at
11:30 AM
15 Comments:
My racoons must be hibernating or they have moved on, because I haven't seen them since about October. Do you leave out fruit for them or do they eat cat food?
My raccoons get the big bags of crunchy dog food from Walmart and also get sunflower seeds and whatever else is extra from my refrigerator.
They do like bananas but Cow tries to save those for the gorilla.
Moo!
My sister has 4 she feeds daily in Tn. Says they will cut up on the patio if she isn't on time with supper LOL... also torments her jack russell thru the window
Cow just thinks they are funny and feels sorry for them since their forest homes are being torn up for shopping malls.
Why doesn't everything have a "right to life" not just human babies?
Moo!
Don't peel the banana for the gorilla, we like the skin. Interesting that raccoons are easier to tame - maybe it's because they mistake you for a raccoon.
Cow had never thought of this but Gorilla is probably right.
After dinner yesterday Cow's usually svelte form probably did resemble a raccoon!
Moo!
I love the fact that you feed the raccoons. My parents have turkeys that will come up on the front porch and one turtle in the pond that always comes over when they feed the catfish, so Mom saves some food to throw to the turtle. She used to have a pet bat (named Batty) that "hung out" over the door in the garage. And there was a duck once named "Ducky." And the chipmunk baby that we rescued when I was a kid that we fed with a dropper. Named Peanut. And an owl...
Around here, anyone else would just shoot them. It's cool that you're feeding them, tc. You've got a big heart, you know.
I keep leaving food for the elephants but they never show up.
That is the reason I love the country and don't want to live in the city (animals)
Susan, Cow would love to see turkeys or other things show up for dinner. Cool that Cow isn't the only one trying to help wildlife...
Cow hasn't had a cockroach problem for years, and has heard tales of the monthly spraying her neighbors go through. Cow thinks it's because these critters, raccoons and possums, eat bugs, and keep the population down.
Sandi, afraid you're right. Sad.
Doghouse, Topiary is impressed. The willingess to clean up elephant pats surely deserves special mention. Perhaps they are on their way.
Moo!
I've told this story before, but I had a pet raccoon growing up named Cookie. Well... obviously because he loved cookies; especially chocolate chip ones.
And for fun we would give him sugar cubes to eat. Raccoons are very clean creatures so if the opportunity is there, they wash their food. So we'd get a kick out giving him a sugar cube, watch him wash it in his water bowl, then get baffled as to where the sugar cube went.
OK... a little cruel but he was very well fed and loved.
We don't have much in the way of megafauna round here. Every so often I have to stop feeding the birds for a couple of weeks to persuade the railway line rats to move along to pasteurs new. I have to admit a grudging respect for them: they are spectacularly clever things to watch.
Cow thinks it's cool that Mr. Musgrove feeds the wild things.
Moo!
heh. no kidding!!
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