Saturday, January 18, 2014

Ming and I discover an intruder

My cat, Ming, and I have continued our daily walks, which I've written about here and here.  Although he's frail, weighing just 45% of his former healthy weight, he clearly enjoys these jaunts, vocally expressing himself when I'm out in the garden and he's locked up in his screened porch.  Sometimes he takes the lead and sometimes I do but our walks generally take us all around the property, with the exception of the back slope, which allows me to keep a check on what's going on in the garden.

Ming's first stop is generally the backyard fountain.  He seems to believe that it's the most suitable place to take liquid refreshment.  Meanwhile Pipig reproachfully watches us from inside the house.






Then Ming either heads in the direction of the vegetable garden, waiting patiently for me to open the gate, or he heads back around to the side yard.  On Thursday morning, he took the latter route, leading me to discover this:

The hole beneath the Argyranthemum wasn't there the night before



And this:
An intruder had torn up a large space between the Gomphrena and the Dryms lanceolata



The local raccoon had evidently paid us another visit.  We discovered signs of the intrusion but not the intruder himself; however, his criminal behavior has a clear signature.  Although I've continued to make liberal use of a non-toxic animal repellent, even the package says it's effective for no more than 2 months.  I generally spread it around newly planted areas rather than established plants.  On the good news side, on this occasion, the raccoon failed to destroy any plants in his persistent search for grubs.  Last month, he tore an Agastache into 3 pieces.  I planted each of the "divisions" he left me (twice, as he dug them back up when I failed to spread repellent after the first transplant).

The side yard wasn't the only area he visited.  He also stopped by the dry garden, digging alongside a recently planted Penstemon 'Margarita BOP,' where the soil had been loosened.  Luckily, no Penstemon or other plants were injured in the process.





And we discovered that he'd make a pilot hole in one of the raised planters in the vegetable garden, currently planted with snapdragons and sweet peas.





Ming carefully inspected the foliage in the front yard.

He actually may have been after a lizard



We headed back in the direction of the side yard.





Ming was tired and had to rest as we walked the path inside the hedge alongside the street.

He's stopped at this exact spot to rest several times now - I assume that the cool moss is the attraction, rather than the drain pipes left by the prior owner



And then he stopped to sharpen his claws, presumably to be prepared in case he met up face-to-face with the raccoon.





He checked the rest of the side yard.





Rested again.





Then, before I could tuck him back into the screened porch so I could go about my daily activities, he hid under the Ceanothus hedge in the front yard.





While he hid out, I tidied up after the raccoon and applied more repellent.  Ming eventually strolled back to the porch, looking for his post-breakfast snack.

16 comments:

  1. Nice post--I had a similar problem for a while with some critter searching for grubs--eventually I used a pesticide that killed the grubs, and the critter problem went away.

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    1. As I recall, I checked into that method at one point but application of the grub-killer was to be applied in a different season. I'll have to check that option again. Interesting that raccoons can apparently tell whether or not there are grubs in the soil.

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  2. Hello again, Ming (waving)! I've had similar problems with raccoons here in my fenced back yard, but only recently discovered paw prints and signs of digging in the front. I had assumed the front was someone's loose dog, but now I'm wondering if it's just the same raccoons that have been such trouble-makers in the back.

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    1. Ming returns the salutation, Alison. Our raccoons used to love to dig up segments of the lawn but, for some reason, they now seem to prefer my planting beds - maybe just because it's easier digging.

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  3. Ming's adventures continues! At least no plant was damaged by the raccoon this time. Still a nuisance though.

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    1. Definitely a nuisance! They're stealthy night-time visitors.

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  4. When I read about the loving attention that you shower on Ming, it just makes me feel good. :)

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    1. I'm trying to do my best for him, Emily. The vet has told me he's not going to get better but, for now, he appears to have hit another plateau.

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  5. So glad you and Ming didn't discover the evil little intruder in the act!

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    1. The raccoons, unlike the local skunks and coyotes, generally scatter before sunrise. Despite their cute appearance, they can be mean and determined creatures so I prefer to avoid encounters too.

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  6. Ming is a sweet and faithful kitty! Raccoons have occasionally given me fits. They are curious creatures, and I have had a problem with them overturning pots and pulling the contents out. They did this several times, and each time I repotted them. They at last were seemingly satisfied that the pots had nothing new of interest. Armadillos, however, have been the worst at digging holes.

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    1. You're right about their curious natures, Deb. They regularly pull seashells out of the fountain and I'm fairly certain they've stolen some of my garden gloves - and my husband's convinced they're responsible for knocking over some of the lights lining the driveway.

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  7. Raccoons are just cute fluffy cuddly animals in my mind, but after reading this, I'm glad I don't have to deal with them and the trouble they cause! I think the only comparable thing we'd have here is rabbits, but not in suburbia. Ming looks very sweet, I'm sure he loves his outings :)

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    1. He does love his outings, Amy. Those - and eating - appear to be the focus of his life now, bless his little heart.

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  8. I'm in the process of rabbit proofing my garden but don't think I could raccoon proof it. They are highly intelligent animals. Ming is such a gorgeous cat! Spending time with you in the garden must be as restorative to him as it is to us. Wondering if a raccoon was destroying my garden under cover of night would drive me crazy.

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    1. Regrettably, the raccoon isn't done yet - and I'm out of repellent.

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