A Truce.

Many of you know that we have been "AT WAR" with the raccoons on our place.  They come and eat the cat food at night.  (They would probably eat the cats if they could.)  Most recently, they came in at night and broke into the duck pen and chicken house.  We have one lone survivor left from the chickens... Bean the Rooster is still around, but only because we let him out of the chicken house.  He is a "Free Range" Rooster now.  (I'll have to devote an entire post to him later... he is QUITE a character!)

Any-hoo, guess who showed up on our porch a couple of nights ago?  I'll give you a few moments to think... Hmmm... imagine... WHAT could it be?

Could it be... AN ORPHANED BABY RACCOON?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Why, YES!!!  It COULD!!!!  Friends, I love animals, but this is THE CUTEST thing I have ever seen.

Here he is.

Meet "George Cooney".  We call him "Coony" for short.

He is cute, and he is scared, and my girls love him.  Yes, I know, he is a wild animal, and yes, he is probably loaded with disease.  But he is also terribly alone and frightened, and I just couldn't bear to let him starve right there on the porch.  I googled "orphaned raccoons", and learned that you treat them pretty much like orphaned kittens.  They eat kitten milk replacement.  Coony won't drink from a bottle, but he will lap it up quite greedily from a bowl.  If you put him down on the ground, he will follow you like a puppy.  He holds on to your shirt with a fierce determination.  He is spirited and he is a fighter.  

Here is a picture of my Dad holding Coony, with the girls watching on closely.






What do you do?  The LAST thing I need is another animal to feed, much less a RACCOON!!!  But, what do you do? For now, we are trying to raise it.  Hopefully he will get strong enough to go back down to the creek and find his family.  Wish us luck!  And, if you creek-living wild raccoons are listening, we call a truce.  No more war.  You coons don't play fair!  You brought out the cute babies to change our minds.  You are crafty, little raccoons!  I have new respect for you!!  (Luke says a ransom is not out of the question... we'll give back Coony if they give back a chicken! ha ha!)