Yikes!

[GreatGrandma]

Amid a loud thunder storm my nephew awakened at 2 AM to what he thought was the frightened family cat jumping on his bed. When he reached down to soothe & pet the cat he realized it was not the cat but instead a raccoon that had somehow managed to get in the house. Jumping out of bed & grabbing nearest thing (an umbrella) he managed to maneuver the animal out of his bedroom, down the hall, across the living room, & out the front door. Then, after locating his actual cat they sat down together for a petting session to soothe each others nerves. He doesn't know how the wild furry animal got in the house in the first place and sure hope it & no more show up. 

[takncarabizniz]

Open window?  Cat door?  Got under the house and came up through a floor vent?

Ugh...I set our alarm system up so that I could sleep with my window open, then found out that the raccoons roam behind the house all night, and the cat would have gone out through the window if he heard them...LOL

[D2D]

Yes, raccoon are very smart and have a talent for finding their way into homes!

[Jw2]

I learned recently that the hunting season for racoons in Illinois is 365 days.

[D2D]

Most states consider them vermin and place no limits on their harvest!

[emilyB]

Thank goodness it wasn't a skuk!

[D2D]

A friend of mine's dog got sprayed by a skunk while he was at work, returned home, and rubbed himself against every wall and piece of furniture in his house!

To this day the scent faintly remains!

[GreatGrandma]

Still no idea how the animal got inside unless it came in underfoot & unseen by someone bringing in groceries. All window screens are still intact & there are no floor ducts or a pet door for the cat to go in & out by itself. From past experience I know raccoons are very clever at escaping even from sardine or kipper baited cage traps when used for purposes of relocation or otherwise getting rid of them. They eat the bait and lift the closed entrance door.

[Jw2]

[GreatGrandma]

Yes, that's it!

[sunshine]

I recently read an alligator got into a house through a doggie door.