Raccoon!

To keep the dog from eating the cats' food, their bowl is out on the breezeway on a high table only they can jump up to. Their food is kept in a big plastic box with a latched lid. We leave the back door of the breezeway open so the animals can go in and out as they please.

Every few days for a while now, I'd come out in the morning and the bowl would be empty and the box would be tipped over and open. I thought at first it was just the cats, so I sort of wedged the big cat food box behind a chair so they couldn't tip it over. However, it kept happening. I started to get suspicious. Finally, I put the big box on a high shelf, where no animal could reach it.

Last night, I heard Gracie fussing and growling by the cat door from the kitchen to the breezeway, which was a bit weird for her. I went upstairs, flipped on the breezeway light, and looked outside.

Standing on the table, reaching up the brick wall toward the big box, was a BEAR of a raccoon. He was more than twice the size of one of our cats; I now guess he had grown strong and fat on Meow Mix. He was so clever, he recognized the box and was figuring out how to get it. Gracie ran out, not aggressively, but more like she wanted to be friends with it. The raccoon just turned around and stood there and growled at her, unimpressed. I called Gracie back in and shut the door, and a few seconds later I heard him shuffle out.

Mel was upset that she didn't get to see the cute guy, but I keep telling her it was NOT cute. It was huge! It was smart! It invaded my house without fear! It was not scared of my dog!

So now we're going to start closing that door at night.