Retraction

My love hate relationship with raccoons is definatly full on hate now.   Filthy flea ridden vermin that refuse to acknowledge their place in the world and continually encroach on mine. 

This evening Stu was in the backyard while I was arranging some flowers, when a gang of raccoons come over the fence and start chowing down on the leftover food that I had put out for the wild cats.  I shooed them away, removed the food and went back to my flowers when front doorbell rang. I went in the backdoor to the front door to find that Angel, the next door neighbous dog, was out for a walk and wanted to say hello.  Snuggled with Angel and chatted with his Moms for a bit then went inside....Sooty runs past me and scoots upstarirs, there is snorting and I move on to find 5 raccoons in my kitchen.  Scoffing down Sootys food and water, attempting to open the storage container where the rest of her food is.  Muddy footprints all over the floor and a row about to break out over the bag of food that is for the backyard cats. 

It takes a bit more than shooing, some taps with the broom, shouting and yelling  to get them out of the house.  Even with the door closed behind me I have trouble getting the lot out of the yard, as one is going over the fence another is coming back. 

Once they are gone I go inside to clean up the mess they have made, and return to my peaceful evening in the backyard with Stu.  Reading my book till I hear some rustling coming from the back of the yard and the gang of coons are back and this time they are showing an unhealthy interest in Stu.  They are stealthily moving in to surround him.  Again I shoo them off and this time I pull out a floor mat and sit down in the grass with Stu.  The gang moves next door and onto the roof of my next door neighbor and continue to stare down Stu.

In the past the raccoons that have come around have only been interested in cat food.  This gang are defiantly persona non grata if they are harassing my rabbit.