It's All True - Part 2

I bet you never thought I'd be back with pictures. *I* sure didn't. In fact, having seen the raccoon once - and having had him run/waddle away from me - I would have laid bets I'd never catch him on the back porch again.

I would have lost that bet.

Lost that bet really, really badly.

After the last encounter I tried to stop feeding the cats at night. I put their food down in the mid afternoon and let them wait until the next morning for more. Apparently this was working because last night, I opened the door to let one of the cats out and they were all milling around meowing and their bowls were empty. I figured - genius that I am - that if I fed them they would eat it all before the raccoon could.

HA!

No sooner had I poured a scoop of food out then I heard this rather large rustling and a sizable something jumped on the fence and then to the garbage cans. There were two large shiny eyes staring at me and not in fear or agression. He was hungry and wasn't stopping for nobody. So he hopped down to the step and lumbered on up. The cats were not afraid exactly, but they did back away and let him eat. I ran to get the camera hoping he wouldn't leave before I got proof for you all and he sure did not:

He did not like the flash on the camera however:

But he was so completely unafraid - or hungry - that I was able to switch to video:

The constant shushing sounds are are the busy street that runs by the front of our house.

But wait, it gets better:

It gets really dark at the end, when I closed the door to let him go by, and then you can't see anything, but I think he would have come in the house had I let him.

So you see, I was totally not kidding. And now I have to figure out how to catch him and give him to my father for Christmas.

This is me and you think I'm joking.