The official message about urban wildlife tends to stress coexistence – as was the case during an October presentation at Camp Long (WSB coverage here). Robin doesn’t think that’s the way to go, after what’s happened to her, her pets, and her neighbors, because of what she calls “urban super raccoons”:
I know it’s been done before, but I’d like to put the neighborhood on alert. I live in Southwest Seattle on the edge of the Sealth construction project near Kenyon Street.
In early September, we awoke in the middle of the night to a commotion in our kitchen. We were utterly shocked to find 6 full sized raccoons racing around the kitchen, heads dunked in cat food, muddy claw prints everywhere, and general chaos. They didn’t want to leave either. It took several tries of yelling and scooting to get them out. Even after we got them out of the house, they remained on the porch hissing and trying to get back inside. After that, we got a new cat door with a magnet sensor so that the cats could come in and out freely, but the raccoons could not. This did not solve the problem, however. A few weeks later, I awoke to horrible animal sounds in the backyard. I went outside and find my large Maine Coon cat tussling with a raccoon. Fortunately, there was only one raccoon and it slithered away quite easily.
Shortly thereafter, 6 raccoons attacked my neighbor’s aging dog in her backyard. She managed to get them off her dog, but injured herself in the process. The dog has scars all over its body.
We got a new cat recently. It wasn’t planned. It was a cat that needed a home. It was a frisky cat, a mouser from a fairly rural area of Idaho. We named her Jasmine. We fell in love with her. She was
sweet and loving.On Thanksgiving, we went to Portland for the night. We returned and could not find her for a day. We called out and looked everywhere. We put up signs. Perhaps you’ve seen them in our neighborhood? Just yesterday, however, we learned Jasmine was killed by a raccoon on Thanksgiving night. My neighbor (who is still suffering from the injury she received trying to save her dog) watched in horror from her deck as a raccoon dragged a howling Jasmine by the scruff of the neck over into the Sealth construction project.
What can be done? These are not typical raccoons. They are urban super raccoons who are opportunists. The massive construction projects on all sides of our neighborhood have pushed them into our immediate area. The Sealth construction project is particularly problematic with piles of trash all over the ground. Please advise. These animals have to go!
Please — no comments about keeping the cats indoors. My remaining cat cannot stay indoors. He will not use a litter box no matter what. He simply will not go the bathroom anywhere but outside.
Here’s the raccoon section from the state Fish and Wildlife Department’s “Living with Wildlife” series.
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