Will raccoons attack/kill my barn cats?

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello friends!

When I went down to retrieve my barn cats food bowls this evening around 7pm, there were 2 raccoons in the barn snacking away on the cat kibble. They were scared out of their minds to see me and ended up darting out quickly. My one barn cat was literally in her bed on a shelf watching them and the other one was sleeping in the hay. However, I'm a bit worried because I have a barn cat that I haven't seen in 3 days who usually greets me each day. She hasn't been around at all and I'm hoping that the raccoons didn't hurt or kill her. Would they do that? Is there anything I can do to keep the raccoons away? I always pick up the food bowls at night but I don't lock up the barn completely because they cats come and go out of there all night long. Any info and tips would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Apis mellifera]

Raccoons are pretty smart and wont tangle with something they will regret. Cats are tough. Personally, I would get rid of the raccoons asap.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Raccoons are pretty smart and wont tangle with something they will regret. Cats are tough. Personally, I would get rid of the raccoons asap.

Okay. How do I get rid of them? Traps?

 

[Apis mellifera]

Okay. How do I get rid of them? Traps?

Havaharts and cat food work great.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

I just think that this is going to be a persistent problem now. We live adjacent to a wooded area and I'm pretty sure once I trap a few raccoons, won't there just be more? Ugh. I really enjoy having barn cats but now I'm wondering if I just created more problems.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

Plus, I'm worried that now that the raccoons are here, they are going to try to get my ducks/chickens. I have a duck who had a bill injury yesterday and I thought it was just from the wiring of the run but now I'm wondering if it was the raccoons. A similar bill injury happened to a different one of my ducks not too long ago too.

 

[Apis mellifera]

won't there just be more?

Not in my experience, others may be different. Im not saying you won't get more in the future but it's not like you'll get flooded with them every year.

 

[Weeg]

I wish I had a suggestion for you. We live in an area that is surround by predators, and have the same problem as you. If I have predator issues, usually I just keep my chickens and ducks locked in a predator proof coop and run for a few weeks. We've dealt with Coyotes this way and they dissipate, haven't had an attack in a few years, and we free ranged a lot last summer. Cats are hard, unfortunately, we've lost a lot of our indoor outdoor cats to predators. Unless you can keep them inside, theres no real way to keep them safe from predators without removing them. I'm not willing to remove a predator, so we just pick really smart breeds. The 3 cats that we have right now are doing well, they're been able to figure out how to stay safe out here.
We have Stash who is a Siamese Manx mix, she is very smart. Dupsy is a mix of some sort, she was a stray kitten that a friend gave us after they trapped the litter. Baby is a Siamese mix, not sure what else she's crossed with. We always try to go with Siamese, unless your willing to remove a predator, you need breeds that are smart.
Coyotes seem to be the biggest issue in our area, we've always had losses due to them. Not sure about Raccoons, but they're definitely a thread to the poultry.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

If you opt to trap these raccoons, please do not relocate them to become a possible problem for someone else or their animals. If you cannot find it in yourself, understandably so, to dispatch them, consider calling your state trapper's association and find someone who will trap for you. Make sure you/they DO NOT use "conibear" aka body grip/instant traps that close and kill immediately - they could catch something other than a raccoon including a cat. A live cage trap could work. I highly recommend a trap called a dog-proof trap which works by them using their feet to grab at the food inside, catching the foot. Have a catch pole on hand in case of any other animals being caught- thus far, mixing a can of chicken breast (cheap cans from Walmart) with some whole corn has only caught me raccoon or possum with these. You place a little inside, and a little around it to get the smell and attention factor going. That all being said, if you opt to trap and dispatch yourself, please consider learning to tan the hide as a responsible and resourceful skill to put the animal to good use afterwards.

I cannot speak for your case, but trapping may help deter the problem for now and may need to be re-applied in future times. Have you considered wet food instead of leaving dry food, where they may be more apt to come and eat the food as soon as it is put out instead of leaving it? You could mix a can with the dry food, and it may help them eat it all up to not leave any leftovers for the raccoons. Removing their food source is another step.

 

[DuckDuckSook]

If you opt to trap these raccoons, please do not relocate them to become a possible problem for someone else or their animals. If you cannot find it in yourself, understandably so, to dispatch them, consider calling your state trapper's association and find someone who will trap for you. Make sure you/they DO NOT use "conibear" aka body grip/instant traps that close and kill immediately - they could catch something other than a raccoon including a cat. A live cage trap could work. I highly recommend a trap called a dog-proof trap which works by them using their feet to grab at the food inside, catching the foot. Have a catch pole on hand in case of any other animals being caught- thus far, mixing a can of chicken breast (cheap cans from Walmart) with some whole corn has only caught me raccoon or possum with these. You place a little inside, and a little around it to get the smell and attention factor going. That all being said, if you opt to trap and dispatch yourself, please consider learning to tan the hide as a responsible and resourceful skill to put the animal to good use afterwards.

I cannot speak for your case, but trapping may help deter the problem for now and may need to be re-applied in future times. Have you considered wet food instead of leaving dry food, where they may be more apt to come and eat the food as soon as it is put out instead of leaving it? You could mix a can with the dry food, and it may help them eat it all up to not leave any leftovers for the raccoons. Removing their food source is another step.

Thanks for the ideas. I do give my cats wet food and remove it after only 15 min after they eat it all. I feed them the wet in the morning and in the evening. The dry food sits out all day long. However, I don't see raccoons typically during the day. I've only encountered them once so far and it has been in the evening. I am going to start pulling the cats' food earlier than I was before the sun sets. It was dark by the time I got down there the other night and that's when the raccoons were in the barn.