Well, yes, it is actually August, but they always come back in July, and they've been around for a couple of weeks now. Behind my back yard there is a wall. Behind the wall there is a small stream fed by natural springs. Between the wall and the stream there are bushes and briars and trees and weeds and who knows what else which provides lovely housing for raccoons. They should be up in the mountains, but there is always at least one family that lives behind the wall.
They like my house, probably because they smell the cat food I put out for Smokey and Bandit. (That's Smokey in the photo with a baby raccoon.) Usually in July, one of them figures out how to come in through the cat door, and from then on it's a battle. Just a few nights ago there were five in my kitchen! - a momma and this years litter. The kittens have been weaned and she's teaching them how to find their own food. I had to chase them back outside, of course. They are so charming I'd much rather pick them up and cuddle them, except for their vicious claws and teeth.
I did the annual thing; called animal control and got a trap from them. I trap them every summer, caught 13 one year. I hate doing it, because animal control euthanizes them. They are considered to be vermin in the city, and once they get used to city life they stay around. If you take them to the mountains, they find the nearest house to plunder. I only caught one this year. The bait of choice is mini-marshmallows. After I caught one, the others found ways to get the bait without tripping the lock. Clever, they are, and fast learners!! Once I put the trap on the lawn instead of by my back porch, which is the usual place. They came by in the night, rolled the trap over, and ate the marshmallows! You gotta admire an animal that smart.
They still come around every night. I've learned to put the cat dish in the pantry, so there's nothing out for them to eat. Hopefully they'll find better pickings someplace else.
