Advice needed for racoon in my house

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

I have just recently found out that a racoon has been sneaking into my house

through the swinging flaps of the cat door and eating (and making a mess) of

my cats' food. The racoon is quite persistent but gets scared easily when

we make eye-contact and runs out the house. I don't really know what to do.

Should I call a local animal capture and control organization? Anyone know

of any around Sunnyvale? And what would they do with the racoon--will they

simply relocate it or do something that I'd not like to imagine to happen?

 

I know it wouldn't be safe to deal with this on our own since it may carry

rabies, and I don't want it around my cats, either, in case they get into

some brawl. The cats are actually quite scared because I have found them

hiding in new, strange spots around the house--which is how I was alerted to

this problem.

 

So, I'd appreciate any advice and prior experience in dealing with such a

situation as humanely as possible.

 

Thanks,

Erhhung

 

On a more comical note, here's a story about McJob...

 

Dictionary Editors to Keep 'McJob'

 

Tue Nov 11, 4:11 PM ET

 

 

By TRUDY TYNAN, Associated Press Writer

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - McDonald's may not be " lovin' it, " but the editors of

the Merriam-Webster dictionary say " McJob " is a word that's here to stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<http://story.news./news?tmpl=story & u=/031110/ids_photos_wl/ra35306

56860.jpg> Photo

 

The 11th edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, published in

June, defines a " McJob " as " a low-paying job that requires little skill and

provides little opportunity for advancement. "

 

 

The fast-food giant's chief executive, Jim Cantalupo, called the definition

a " slap in the face " to the 12 million people who work in the restaurant

industry, and demanded that Merriam-Webster dish up something more

flattering.

 

 

 

But the dictionary publisher said Tuesday that it " stands by the accuracy

and appropriateness " of its definition.

 

 

 

" For more that 17 years `McJob' has been used as we are defining it in a

broad range of publications, " the company said, citing everything from The

New York Times and Rolling Stone to newspapers in South Africa and

Australia.

 

 

 

With more than 55 million copies sold since 1898, Merriam-Webster's

Collegiate claims to be the best-selling hardcover dictionary on the market.

 

 

 

 

" Words qualify for inclusion in the dictionary because they are widely and

commonly used in a broad range of carefully edited sources, " said Arthur

Bicknell, a spokesman for the Springfield-based publisher.

 

 

 

" McJob " is similarly defined in the American Heritage Dictionary, the Oxford

English Dictionary and Webster's Dictionary, published by Random House.

 

 

 

The OED definition, which cites a 1986 story in The Washington Post, is: " An

unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the

expansion of the service sector. "