A group of 4 raccoons tried to get my neighbor's cat.

[onestepforward]

I stepped outside about 20 minutes ago and saw my neighbor's outdoor cat surrounded by 4 raccoons in the middle of the street. The cat is very large, but all 4 raccoons were larger than he was. They were about a foot from the cat on all 4 sides and the cat was puffed up and ready to fight.

I started walking toward them while clapping my hands to make a lot of noise. One by one, they scattered away. I stood out there for several minutes to make sure the cat was okay, then came back inside for a flashlight and broom. I scanned the area and there was no sign of them. I stayed outside another 10 minutes.

I didn't know this until I just looked it up, but raccoons will eat cats if they are hungry enough. My heart is still racing, but I'm so glad I was able to scare them off. I hope they don't come back.

[JohnnyRingo]

1. I absolutely hate raccoons.

...and I'm an animal lover, but I've had more trouble from 'coons than they're worth.
Several years ago one nearly killed my cat of 15 years. He's gone now, but there's a stray hanging around for the last year that I like. He's all black like my departed longtime friend, and I guess he's my cat now.

A couple months ago he showed up with a lame leg and the whole top of his head scratched off. I could see his bloody scalp and claw marks. He was too wild to capture to the vet, but he got better and I went on a mission.

Three raccoons were coming here every night and killing squirrels in the tree out back. If you've ever heard a squirrel scream while getting torn limb for limb, you'll never forget the sound. They were also eating the cat's food and dragging the dish away.

It took all week with a .22, but the neighborhood is at peace again. I don't hunt, and killing anything is very difficult for me, but I didn't miss a moment's sleep over that. If they stay down by the creek, I can live with them, but when they get so desperate as to come to my house and help themselves to anything that moves, they're mine.

[onestepforward]

2. I'm an animal lover too and didn't know this about raccoons.

OMG, your poor kitty. My neighbor's cat is big and fierce, but he's also about 15. Had I walked out just a few minutes later, I shudder about what I would have heard and seen.

I have a lot of squirrels too and I hope I never hear that sound

I've always seen raccoons around and stay my distance re: rabies. I've seen a lone raccoon and a cat come close, but they have kept their distance. Tonight was scary with four very large ones.

I've gone back outside several times to night to check on kitty and all is quite. I hope it stays that way.

I had read somewhere, perhaps DU, that said the raccoon population is quite large this year.

[JDPriestly]

3. To help keep raccoons out of your yard or house, put out moth balls.

I put them in plastic sacks, place small holes in the plastic sacks and put them in say the bottom half of a plastic milk bottle or something similar.
It isn't a perfect deterrent, but it helps.

I don't know whether cats dislike it as much as raccoons.

[onestepforward]

14. I've heard about mothballs.

The thing is, that the raccoons are all over my wooded neighborhood. They also roam around via the storm drains. This year, I've seen a record number of them.

[merrily]

4. Well, at least we humans did not invent gang violence.

ETA: You did a good thing.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

6. I read the title,

and the first thing I pictured was finger-snapping racoons with switchblades.

[avebury]

5. I hope that you alert the neighbor

about what almost happened to his/her cat. Hopefully he/she will rethink living his/her cat outdoors. The raccoons might come back for another attempt at the cat.

[Triana]

7. This is exactly why I keep my kitties indoors.

Though there are some cats who 'insist' on going outside, often even those kitties can be gradually adapted to indoor life. It's a hell of a lot safer for them.

[onestepforward]

15. Me too.

I've had cats for over 30 years and they've all been indoor kitties. There's just too much outdoors that can injure or kill them.

[onestepforward]

12. We have coyotes too.

Me and my husband walk at night and there's a wooded area where we usually see wild cottontail rabbits. The rabbits disappeared about a month ago and we saw a coyote in that same area a few nights ago.

There's a lot of wildlife in my area, which is good, except for the outdoor kitties. Besides my neighbor's cat, they just don't make it very long

[onestepforward]

11. Yes, I'll tell them.

My husband had to run off some pre-teen boys that were trying to catch that cat last year. We told the owners and they bought their cat inside.

I'm afraid that the raccoons will come back.

[libodem]

8. My friends' cat

Was brutally chewed up last spring. Poor cat was shaved almost bare and he had stitches everywhere. His tail was almost taken off. I'd seen two raccoons come out from under their patio before, at night.

Glad you could intervene.

[onestepforward]

16. Poor kitty.

I just learned about raccoons hunting cats and I'm sure it would be especially brutal

[libodem]

17. His fur has grown back in

But he took a beating. He really looked horrible for a while.

[geardaddy]

9. I had a cat eaten by "rakins" one Halloween

That sucked big time.

[Arugula Latte]

13. Raccoons recently bit our neighbor's dog.

We were watching a group of raccoons climb up the fence to go into that yard and the dog was on the other side of the fence barking at them. The next thing we hear is a HORRIBLE yelping. The dog had about three bites, one pretty deep. I don't know if that was the work of just one of the raccoons or more than one.

[Contrary1]

18. Wow! I had witnessed something odd on my back deck a few years ago...

Two of the regular ferals had shown up for their evening meal. Munching undisturbed at one bowl was a possum.

One of the ferals had eaten his full, and was sitting in front of the sliding glass door observing us humans. Directly behind him was a full grown raccoon. Huge fellow. I watched as this raccoon reached around the cat and dragged the food bowl around, so that he could eat the leftovers.

Within a four square foot area, despite their differences, these creatures were able to co-exist and share the gifts without violence. When I told my Vet about this, she was amazed.

Too bad that humans can't behave as civilized.

[onestepforward]

19. I've seen similar too, including with the cat

that I wrote about. Usually it is one raccoon and there isn't a problem.

Last night really spooked me because I've never seen a group of four surround a lone cat.

[sammytko]

20. We have one big raccoon that eats with our feral cats

They seem to get along. And around here, its the cats that eat the squirrels! I saved one from a gang of cats. It fell out of its nest and yes, I heard it scream! I kept it in a cage until it was big enough to take off. Don't know what happened to it.

[Brigid]

21. Your neighbors need to keep their cat indoors.

Raccoons are not the only danger cats face outdoors. Next time you might nor be around to help.