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Old 04-30-2013, 12:21 AM
 
146 posts, read 306,591 times
Reputation: 89

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Moved here from Fl 6 months ago and find that I have an issue with raccoons and stray cats in my yard. My community manager does not do anything about it and I get shrugs. The raccoon yesterday was the size of a beagle. My cat is kept indoors and microchipped and spayed. Florida animal control is pretty good at collecting these critters, even foxes and gators. Will I have to pay a pest control company myself. Rabies is the biggest concern and the raccoon is digging up my grass. I keep all garbage canned and lidded.
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Old 04-30-2013, 08:40 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,593 posts, read 81,279,384 times
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King County animal control is nearly non-existent. They have closed shelters in Bellevue and Kirkland in recent years, and greatly reduced services due to budget issues. During this time they also increased the licensing requirements and fees, and cracked down on people with unlicensed pets to increase revenue. You can help keep stray cats from your yard by putting out moth balls in the garden, but if you report them, animal control will not do anything unless you catch them and take them in. As for wildlife, that's something we live with that's an attractive part of living in the northwest. We have racoons, coyotes, owls, eagles, opossums, deer, and the occasional bear in our area. As long as you keep your small pets inside at night and watch your small kids it's not a problem.
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Old 04-30-2013, 09:58 AM
 
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Maybe you could sprinkle hot pepper or something around your yard to help discourage them?

We have neighborhood dogs who crap on my lawn, I wish I could get rid of them. We also get the occasional deer that wanders in to eat my flowers.
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Old 05-01-2013, 07:05 PM
 
146 posts, read 306,591 times
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Trying to protect my plants and yard. Maybe I will look into fencing. I do not want any animal killed after all they were here first. Deers I would like to see. Bears---I would be freaking out. However. I have survived snakes, racoons, Fl panther and alligators there so I suppose I will survive here too. As you mention, licence fees go up and taxes go and apparently very little in services. ( My neighbours today showed me which tree the racoons live in so appaenlty they don't care either.)
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Old 05-02-2013, 06:41 AM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
164 posts, read 430,507 times
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If you keep your cat indoors I'm not sure what the issue is? Neighborhood cats are just a fact of life and while all animals can carry rabies, raccoons with rabies haven't been identified in Washington. The primary carrier of rabies around here is bats. Even given that, there have only been 2 cases of human rabies in the past 20 years.
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Old 05-02-2013, 09:20 AM
 
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Raccoons are exquisite climbers so don't think fencing will help. Many times I've gone to in my backyard only to be glared down by those ugly beasts who are atop my fence. They don't like a lot of activity around; my dog's presence and barking bothers them (I do not allow him to engage the raccoons) so I don't see them unless it's real early morn.

There is one old method you could try since you mentioned the tree.... Soak a bunch of tennis balls in ammonia and place them near the nest-- the smell will bother the raccoons.
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Old 05-02-2013, 02:11 PM
 
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Aside from the ammonia, the only 100% effective method I've seen for getting rid of raccoons is to run them over with a car. Just make sure it looks like an accident.
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Old 05-02-2013, 02:39 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkarch View Post
Aside from the ammonia, the only 100% effective method I've seen for getting rid of raccoons is to run them over with a car. Just make sure it looks like an accident.
That's more of a method for getting rid of opossums.
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Old 05-02-2013, 02:44 PM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,083,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140 View Post
That's more of a method for getting rid of opossums.
Yes, unfortunately I found that out last week right after picking up a new car...
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Old 05-02-2013, 09:00 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,593 posts, read 81,279,384 times
Reputation: 57831
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkarch View Post
Yes, unfortunately I found that out last week right after picking up a new car...
About this time of year they are mating, and do it in the streets. It actually takes 3 opposums to mate, one watches for cars. Unfortunately they don't run fast so that doesn't work out too well.
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