Racoon in the cat door.

[41Dude]

I had read about it but never believed it.
Until this morning.
Our big lazy spoiled rescue cat was in the kitchen growling and hissing at something at 3:30 this morning.
I turned on a light to see a BIG racoon trying to get into the cat feeder he had knocked over.
After a few seconds of a Chinese fire drill, he squeezed back out of the cat door.
I put the metal plate that came with the cat door back in to permanently block it.
Now I have to go get a cat box and litter. (I hate cleaning cat boxes)
But our rescue cat will now have to learn to use one.
Darn racoons.

 

[TDF]

I have had them figure out the cat door on the garage. Know it's a coon when the bowl is empty of every crumb, so have to set up a trap.

Google "cat door with collar access". There are a lot of options out there to keep you from having to clean a litter box.

TDF

 

[Mobuck]

Late one night while I was trying to finish a work project, I heard the familiar sound of a cat food thief on the deck. Grabbing the lazer equipped 22/45, I sneaked to the back door planning to open the door just enough to slip my gun hand outside a pop the rascal. I couldn't see the critter but knew it was just outside the door and when I carefully tripped the latch, the door was abruptly pulled open as the raccoon stuck it's head inside. Not so good--forget trying to shoot the thing on the deck just make certain it doesn't come all the way INSIDE. A big raccoon is surprisingly strong BTW.
The raccoon didn't get inside, I didn't get bitten, and the end result was Rocky the Raccoon received a couple of 22 hollow points for his efforts.
Your furry invader will be back. Get a live trap baited with cat food set ASAP.

 

[contender]

Ahh one of my daily complaints.

Pet doors and raccoons. Just wait until it's a skunk.

Ok, first check your state laws about trapping if you do decide to go that route. You may need a permit to trap out of season, even in your own home. Here in NC,, the permits are free.

Next,, while cat food is a great bait,, you do not want to catch any cats,, you want to catch the offending raccoon.
Use a small piece of iced honey bun. Cats will normally leave it alone,, and coons love them.

Collar type electronic pet doors are one option as long as the cat doesn't mind the collar & it works as it should. I've had a few complaints about them.

Litter boxes. To make it easier to adjust to cleaning,, do it daily,, and the smell & amount is less. Plus,, the cats prefer a cleaner box.
Get one with a cover or very high sides. Even female cats can pee up a side of a box & it get out unless there's a cover or it's high sided.

Pet doors are part of why I have a job.

 

[Jeepnik]

I've had both raccoons and skunks get into my MIL's pet door. The skunk was inside with my cat. Apparently, the cat and skunk were aware of each other and got along fine.

 

[Taterman]

 

[kmoore]

This story is about 20 years old and was told to me by the Oregon Fish/wildlife guy who took the 2 phone calls. A woman called complaining that a raccoon had been coming into her kitchen at night eating all the cat food through the pet door. She wanted state workers to come and remove the raccoon.
ODFW guy said close the pet door at night, she said she wouldn't do that as the cat goes in/out at all times of day/night. He told her they have live traps that people can use and return. They need to come to office and pick one up and return it empty when done. Neither her nor her husband where willing to drive to the office to get it.
On the next Friday, she phones the ODFW again and talks/yells at the same guy. Mad as hell, demanding the ODFW come to her house and clean her kitchen. She said her husband shot the raccoon in the house and there where blood and guts all over her kitchen. It was a state animal, and the state had to clean up the mess. Well, we never knew who cleaned the house, but it wasn't any state worker. I wanted to know what the guy shot the raccoon with but, that information was not known and I wasn't about to phone the people to ask.

 

[GunnyGene]

Ricky the Recon Racoon .

 

[41Dude]

Ahh one of my daily complaints.

Pet doors and raccoons. Just wait until it's a skunk.

Ok, first check your state laws about trapping if you do decide to go that route. You may need a permit to trap out of season, even in your own home. Here in NC,, the permits are free.

Next,, while cat food is a great bait,, you do not want to catch any cats,, you want to catch the offending raccoon.
Use a small piece of iced honey bun. Cats will normally leave it alone,, and coons love them.

Collar type electronic pet doors are one option as long as the cat doesn't mind the collar & it works as it should. I've had a few complaints about them.

Litter boxes. To make it easier to adjust to cleaning,, do it daily,, and the smell & amount is less. Plus,, the cats prefer a cleaner box.
Get one with a cover or very high sides. Even female cats can pee up a side of a box & it get out unless there's a cover or it's high sided.

Pet doors are part of why I have a job.

Thank you for the fine info. I now have a big, covered litter box and blocked cat door.
Our spoiled rescue cat arrived about five years ago a little furry chunk of skin and bones. Someone had dumped him off near our house during the winter. It took him a long time for him to trust me enough to enter the house. Fed him little by little on our back porch.
Now we are stuck with him

 

[Fox Mike]

That is the one reason I have never installed a pet door. I don't need any 'masked bandits' in my kitchen. Had them on my porch and that's as close as I care to be near them. They get BIG and grumpy.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Animals belong outdoors. People belong indoors.

 

[Fox Mike]

Animals belong outdoors. People belong indoors.

People are animals, remember that.

 

[Watertender]

My friend Jon had the joy of a skunk coming through his pet door in the middle of the night and his wife startling it.
The results were spectacular and disgusting! To hear Jon tell the story is side splitting but he won't tell it in front of his wife to this day and the incident happened years ago.

 

[contender]

Carl,,, I have several fun stories about skunks!