PORCH GUESTS

                                              THAT FACE, THAT FACE, 

                                            THAT BEAUTIFUL FACE!

I feed my sweet cats on my screened in porch,

knowing full well that I am offering up a feast to any creature

that wants to come in through the pet door. 

It's not unusual for other neighborhood cats to stop by for a treat,

after all it is there in the two huge feeders,

sitting right next to the fresh water...free for the taking.

We are also visited by raccoons, probably more than we realize.

I have to keep the Koi food in a galvanized can with bricks on top or the raccoons would dine on fish food caviar.

A few years ago we had two raccoons that would come in through the pet door, and devour all the cats' food. 

That's why I started putting the cat food in the huge feeders. 

Their water, also, is in a huge bottle 

that lets out fresh water each time they drink. 

Duncan and Violet are two pampered cats.

They have free run of the screened porch and the entire yard. 

They do come in the house, but only when it's their decision.

When the raccoons used to visit,

they would watch us through the big glass windows and doors,

that go out to the porch. 

They would pose for us to video them, 

stand up on their back legs, 

and really put on a show...almost mocking or taunting us.

I guess they felt safe as long as we were on the inside looking out.

We'd laugh and say they were probably laughing at us 

like we were monkeys in a zoo.

We were probably entertaining them as much as they were entertaining us.

 Though we stopped seeing them at night,

we knew they still visited us from time to time. 

 We saw their tiny footprints 

in the snow covered steps 

leading up to the porch. 

 We are also having to buy cat food more often.

We have not seen them in probably a year,

heard them yes, 

but not seen them.

UNTIL...

 Bark, bark, bark 

around 5 a.m. Saturday morning. 

Gypsy and Zoey, out taking care of business,

discovered the raccoons at the cat food buffet, 

and were sounding the alarm.

 Up to the porch rafters went the raccoons, 

and into the corner they squeezed.

I can just hear this one saying, 

"Get that little yapping rat away from me!"

He was twice Gypsy's size, but she takes on the neighborhood Labs, and deer that live in the edge of our yard, 
she surely ain't scared of no stinking raccoons.

Aren't they beautiful?

 Hope he got all the cobwebs up there!

 Do you think raccoons pray?

                                                 
                                           Vicki