Raccoon problem interfering with feral cats that i feed?

Question

Recently I asked a question about a pesky raccoon that keeps coming around and eating the food i leave of for four, fixed, vaccinated feral cats. I dont like that hes around but my neighbors have FREAKED when they see it, and are ready to take action.To make things worse, the local TV news had a story about wild rabid raccoons in the area that have been attackg peoples pets
Granted feeding strays really isnt allowed under my city ordinace and laws, but Ive explained to all my neighbors that deligently trapped all the ferals, had them fixed and vaccinated, and they all seemed appreciative and supportive of what ive done and wont file any complaints or call animal control on me. However with this raccoon on the loose they are ready to call animal control out to set traps, and im certain some of the fixed feral cats will stumble into the traps and be taken away/euthanized. What should I do? I still have a humane trap and im serious considering trapping and relocating the raccoon myself.

Regarding the unlawful feeding of stray cats, Ive kept all the medical records and rabies certificats on hand, and would go to bat for the ferals claiming they are my pets and have all been properelly vaccinated.

As far as just stop feeding the cats in general, I dont think that would get rid of the cats since I commonly see them in the back yard of an elderly couple several houses down, which leads me to believe they feed them as well. They would just spend more time eating at thier house. This was one of the reasons why I took matters into my own hands, and had them fixed, so the ferals wouldnt keep mulitplying.

not that I have any intention to get rid of the cats (I also have 3 indoor cats of my own) and cant have anymore

After taking some good advice from you guys, I called the animal control and told them i would trap the raccoon if they would come pick it up. Well to my astonishment they said NO, and they arent even allowed to trap and transport the raccoon themselves. Wow, what county do I live in. Anyways, the said I need to call a licensed trapper or "critter Control"

Answer 1

Trap the raccoon yourself. They can actually kill cats, so you want that raccoon gone anyway.

I wouldn't try to move the trap with the raccoon in though. Trap it and call animal control.

EDIT: Raccoons can carry all kinds of disease. I wouldn't risk a bite.

Animal control would most likely put the raccoon down rather than relocate it. I wouldn't just catch and dump it. I would just call animal control to come retrieve it. I have a bunch in my neighborhood and I want them gone. They are scary little beasts, have several babies, and are all around trouble. We can't even throw away trash at night because they will attack.

We had one once in at my house in my old town... the police came out when it was trapped and shot it. That is how much of a nuisance they are.

Answer 2

I live in the center of a large city and when the raccoons here got WAY too agressive (cats used to eat side by side with them, but not they wait cautiously halfway down the driveway) I had to do something.

Get yourself a live trap, raccoon size. They're rentable from a lot of places, or you can just buy one since you TNR and can use it later on any new cats that show up.

Raccoons must be taken at least 4 miles away and released near a water source. I relocated 18 of them last year and 5 this year. All booted out of the trap at a dead run, not wanting to stay and complain about being hauled to the woods. Releasing them is just a matter of raising the door and standing at the other end of the trap.

Any cat that goes into the trap can easily be released right away. I'd set the trap on the driveway (flat ground) and bait it with dry catfood, put a kleenex into the raised trap door, then check it every 15 minutes (every commercial break) during the evening with a flashlight out the back window to see if the trap had been sprung. If there was a cat in it, I'd release it, if it was a possum, they got released too. The raccoons were put into the back of the car (ON PLASTIC, some will pee) and given a ride to the woods near the river a good 5 miles away.

The traps have handles, your fingers won't be anywhere near the raccoon. Most try to pretend they're a rock in the corner of the cage, so they don't make much fuss. Be prepared for weight of a big raccoon to be up around 20 pounds. I don't move any during the summer when they have young ones with them, but the spring and fall are fine, and you get them relocated well before the snow starts so they can learn the territory.

Some cats would go back into the trap (slow learners) several times, so it didn't traumatize them in the least.

Answer 3

In the final analysis - the Raccoon is a natural inhabitant of the area, the cats are not. As much as I love cats (I've had at
least one at any given all through most of my life) I think the natural wildlife takes precedence. Feral cats destroy bird's
nests and consume frogs, salamanders and lizards (all of
which are important baseline animals in the food chain and) all of which are currently disappearing at alarming rates. They also maul turtles (they can't eat them but they do rip up their legs, tails and bite and claw their heads).
Given that, I have to say that your kindhearted approach to the feral cats which you love is a somewhat uneven approach to animals in general (which I think you probably also care about, or you wouldn't be feeding them and using live-traps, right?)

Solution 1: live trap and take the raccoon - where? You have to do it before it mates and becomes pregnant (if it's female)
or risk abandoning it's babies to starve. Then you have to take it well into the woods (and I don't mean 100 feet into the woods behind the mall) - it has to be well into a forested area or the raccoon will be right back into a neighborhood again in 2 -3 hours and might not be so lucky with it's next encounter with humans.
Solution 2: Stop feeding the cats and they and the Raccoon will eventually stop coming around (with a week for the 'coon, as much as a month for the cats). The corollary problem with that is that you will force the cats to hunt more to survive, thereby endangering the natural wildlife even more.
There's and old saying that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". I don't envy you your problem, but with the current situation (global climate, pollution, overdevelopment, pesticides, overpopulation) our natural wildlife is wavering on the brink of disaster. I think you have to take an action that places the Raccoon first, (after all he didn't build his house in a development, someone built a development in his woods). Trap the cats, put them up for adoption, or stop feeding them and let nature take it's course with them.

Answer 4

Would the feral cats approach their food if you were standing there? If so, perhaps you could feed them at two or three set times per day so you could stand guard. That way, the food would not be left out to attract the raccoon.

I used to feed our cat when he was still a stray (before we adopted him) by leaving food out for him, but the food attracted feral cats who tried to chase our cat away. We ended up feeding our cat only when we were there to guard the food (and now we feed him inside); so we are no longer attracting unwanted animals into our yard.

Answer 5

While I do give you props for vaccinating and fixing the cats, they are still an invasive species and are destructive to the ecosystem. By feeding them you are only contributing to the problem.

Raccoons are the natural inhabitants of the ecosystem. The cats are the invasive species. Humans and raccoons can co-exist quite successfully together. The problems arise when humans encourage raccoons to move into their area by making food available to them. That's what you are doing.

The bottom line:

1) Species that occur naturally in an ecosystem must take priority over invasive species.
2) If you want raccoons to leave you and your neighbors alone you need to quit leaving food out.
3) If you want to claim the cats as your pets you need to take them into your home as you would a pet.

Period.

Answer 6

I think it is great you are doing that for the cats. If you can I would try to re-locate the raccoon myself although I don't know how legal that is. Also I'm not sure when raccoon have their babies but you might want to make sure it's not around the time you want to relocate it. Other than that, I say don't let those people mess with your cats, handle the raccoon yourself. :)

Answer 7

from I can gather about Raccoons they are more likely to carry or suffer from rabies. and a bite from a racoon Will break you skin, transfering virus infected saliver.
Cats will warn you if you have over stepped the mark by hissing and spitting.
raccons will just bite.what you do i up to you but you can catch the cats.
as for the raccon it will be assesed and tested if it is ok. re-located.