Re: interesting visitor

    Your intuition is right Kitty listen to it. Wild animals are exactly
that wild and prone to many diseases. Your health is not worth the risk and
it's not really fair to them either. Many wild animals have had to be
destroyed after being habituated to visiting human areas. pet food and human
food is not their natural diet and not particularly good for them.


Nora
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kitty" <kmrsy@comcast.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] interesting visitor


> Zem,
> There's no question about your feelings, but I'd like to ask the others
> about not skunks, but raccoons.  I frequently put out a bowl of cat food
for
> a stray cat when he comes by, but he never eats it all.  So, when he's
done
> it's still there in the FL room, which I can see from my tv chair, or
> sometimes it's on the carpet just inside the sliding door which I keep
open
> til I go to bed.  Occasionally a raccoon will come and polish it off, but
I
> yell at them when they try to come inthe house and they leave, although
not
> happily.  If they come back several times, within minutes, I shut the
door.
> I have also put a bowl on the front porch a few times when the cat was out
> front.
>
> Last night, a small raccoon came by the FL room but there was no bowl and
I
> told him he couldn't come in.  A bit later I noticed my cat watching
> intently out the front window.  Wehn I went to the front door, there were
> mom and 3 little babies, they left the porch with dashed hopes of finding
a
> meal.  I watched as they lumbered off across the street.
>
> I no longer feed birds except in the one expensive bird feeder that closes
> when weight hits the perch.  The raccoons destroyed all other feeders.
The
> plants beneath the remaining feeder have been smashed.  I don't like to
> encourage racoons in my yard because of the damage they do.  However, I
> don't begrudge any animal a meal and I feel badly for their plight.
> Watching that mama and babies leave with no luck last night was a sad
sight.
> I'm thinking about getting a bag of cheap stuff for them, but fear I'll
> regret the results.
>
> So what do you all think?  Should I feed the raccoon family?
>
> Kitty
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Zemuly@aol.com>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 9:55 AM
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] interesting visitor
>
>
> > I have about six skunks who regularly eat my cat food on the front
porch,
> > along with assorted raccoons and possums.  They are all so accustomed to
> people
> > that when my grandchildren visit they are able to open my front door and
> watch
> > the zoo through the storm door.  Keeps them well entertained.  There is
> one
> > little skunk who eats the cat food in the back yard.  We call him
> "Skippy." If
> > he sees me coming he "hides" behind an azalea until I've gone.
> > zem
> > zone 7
> > West TN
> >
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