Just got back from our 2-week vacation and it seems like the raccoon bandito gang were frustrated by the catdoor deck surround. Not that they didn't try to get in. It's easy to see their muddy little paw prints on the bottom of the deck surround.

The cats appear fine and we do appreciate the general concern about how dangerous it is to let cats outside. It's a risk but they do love to patrol their "jungle;" our backyard adjoins a kind of nomansland of brush and pine trees.

Raccoons when cornered can do great damage to dogs and cats. Our cats seem to have learned not to challenge them.

I may still try to trap the raccoon family in the Have-a-Heart trap, baiting it with grapes. It's really not safe for raccoons to be living in an urban neighborhood. I'll probably run them down to my mother's farm some 30 miles away, across at least two rivers!

Thanks for the concern, the humor, and the good advice.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble