Nose to nose with a raccoon (March 13, 2008)

Current mood: amused

On a lighter note for a change...

My bed sits right up against the window, and just outside is a small deck, actually the roof over the family room. At the edge stands a tall tree, easily 50 feet high, whose branches intersect another tall tree, and ... well, you get the idea: A critter superhighway.

Four-thirty this morning, the cat, who normally snoozes by my feet, went nuts. Even with the blinds down, she hissed and batted at the window. Raising the blinds, I was face to face with an adult raccoon. The cat was not amused. For a couple of seconds, they were nose to nose, with only a pane of glass and a screen to separate them. A couple seconds later, it came over to check me out, too, so I was maybe an inch and a half away from it.

Brave kitty, defending me against the local wildlife! I wish I’d been able to take a picture.

I’m guessing it was a female, quietly exploring and foraging. Males are bigger and more aggressive. This is not the first time we’ve had a raccoon at the window. Sometimes we get two males fighting over a female -- a fine way to be awakened at 4 a.m., I assure you -- and sometimes we get one of each, which involves a lot of running up and down the roof over us, and considerable yowling and squealing.

Yawn. Back to sleep, if I can!