Rocky Raccoon under our home

[sandpiper]

It may be time for you to borrow some traps from the animal control people and catch the perpetrator. Whatever it is, it is obviously up to no good and is also keeping you awake half the night. I live in the country so I am a bit more mercenary about pests. I love animals, but there are lines that once crossed relegate a harmless wild animal into the pest status. In my world, once a wild animal reaches pest status, then it is TIME. I've had to do some hard things out here, but necessary things. I never let the animals suffer. When possible, I trap pests and put them to sleep using ether, larger pests I simply use the tried and true bullet. After paying a fortune to restore my vehicle, and after having two members of a family in a nearby town die from Hantavirus last year, I have a sterner view on pests. Yes they're cute and fuzzy, but when they destroy property and carry deadly viruses, what has to be done is clear.

Good luck with the scratching. Hopefully you'll be able to trap it to at least find out what it is.

Hi Egraine, I think it is a big, gray, stray cat. Saw it on our deck today but our great big Maine Coon cat girl scared it off by her loud hissing. She is in an enclosed screen porch area so can't go out herself. She is strictly an indoor cat; but she sure made enough noise to scare this stray away. This also let me know who the culprit likely is. Thanks..about the moth balls. However, too low for me to crawl under the house. It's been since my mom's day that I have used them and I do remember that smell. Growing up we hung them in the closet to protect our wool things from moths.

 

[Egraine]

I'm glad to hear that it is just a stray cat. A stray cat isn't likely to do damage like a wild animal. Even something as small as a mouse will chew through just about everything including wood, wires, PVC plumbing pipe, so it is a relief to know that it is just a feral cat. Better yet your big Maine Coon is going to continue to vocally give the intruder its marching orders, so hopefully you won't be waking up at 4 a.m. to scratching noises. If the feral cat doesn't clear out, however, the traps are still an option - most animal control places loan them out and then take in the cat once caught. The city where I used to live has a cat bylaw, so no cats were allowed to roam loose. Lots of people borrowed traps and delivered the roaming felines to the pound.

And hey, good for you for keeping your cat indoors. I live in the country and even here my cat is not allowed to go outside. It is dangerous in terms of disease and predators, and it has been proven that indoor cats live longer and much healthier lives. My cat is an excellent mouser and she takes care of any mice that manage to find their way into the house. She is about 16 years old and acts like half her age. It is simply not safe to let her outside - a lot of deadly cat viruses actually live in the soil, some of them are also dangerous to humans, so we keep her in. You've taken it to the next level by giving your cat an outside enclosed area and I've heard that these are immensely popular with the cats, and are a great option to letting them roam loose.

 

[sandpiper]

But the Good News is Rocky Raccoon and babies are gone.

Oh, my goodness, bobinfaith, we went from Rocky Raccoon under your home to Possie Opossom or maybe big gray kitty under mine. Didn't mean to get off top. Glad you no longer have the Raccoon problem. Blessings, sandpiper.