Years ago, my folks had a cat named Elsie, who would bring all kinds of woodland creatures to the house for them to admire.
Some mornings, they would get up to find a row of field mice or, occasionally, a chipmunk Elsie had deposited on the doorstep for their approval.

Catching woodland creatures is not uncommon for cats.
But how about a fishing cat?

No, not a catfish – a cat that fishes.

It seems our dear friend and neighbor has a lovable cat named Half Pint, possessing a piscatorial passion. On two separate occasions, Half Pint has caught fish from the river and brought them to show Diane.

I wonder what the cat uses for bait?

Plague of Raccoons

For many, the sight of a raccoon conjures up an image of a mischievous woodland critter wearing the mask of a bandit. For others, the image is one of a destructive vandal and an expensive nuisance.

Raccoons are capable of doing a great deal of damage, and dealing with them can be a real problem. Not knowing the legalities of dealing with off-season furbearers, many people break the law out of ignorance.

Alert readers may notice I included part of this information with last week’s column, as well, but due to the high number of raccoons, as well as all the “do it yourself” trappers who continue to deal directly with nature’s bandits on their property, I thought it would bear repeating for safety’s sake.

When it comes to interaction with wildlife, it is always best to get the letter-of-the-law from the local conservation officer. Thankfully, my good friend, Conservation Officer Bill Beville of Dist. 9, explained the law to me. This is what he had to say about dealing with nuisance raccoons:

“Indiana law allows for the taking of furbearers caught in the act of depredation to be taken any time by a landowner. The landowner is responsible to contact a conservation officer within 72 hours of taking this control action.

“There are also several people around that have businesses doing nuisance animal trapping for a nominal fee. If your problem is severe enough, you may consider consulting one of these people, who are trained and licensed to deal with problem wildlife.

“I would also recommend that you adopt a management policy on your property during the regular taking season. Trapping or hunting furbearers to remove excess population at this time requires no license or notification on your part. If you don’t wish to do this yourself, contact a local coon hunting club or a responsible trapper in your area and ask them to remove a portion of your raccoon population each year.

“You will never eliminate the problem completely, but reducing the population locally will help your situation. It is not recommended animals be transported to other areas, because the risk of spreading diseases is high. It is better to handle population excess during the regular season, when the fur can be used and not wasted.”

Due to the high population of raccoons, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has issued a stern warning about interacting with the animals. As Hoosiers head outdoors to enjoy the summer weather and engage in activities like camping, hiking and hunting, state health officials warn people to be cautious when encountering raccoons and other wildlife, which may appear harmless.

“We’re entering the time of year where we’re seeing a lot more raccoon-to-human contact,” said Dr. James Howell, D.V.M., veterinary epidemiologist with the Indiana State Department of Health. “Many young raccoons appear to be tame or orphans and will even approach humans; however, raccoons are wild animals, and should not be petted or fed, especially by children.”

Howell said a number of individuals have already been bitten by raccoons this year and have been treated for possible exposure to the rabies virus. Left untreated, rabies is fatal.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies can only be confirmed in a laboratory, but any raccoon that is active in the day, shows no fear of humans, acts aggressively or appears listless is more likely to have rabies than one not exhibiting such behavior.

As a result, raccoons should never be handled. Bites from raccoons, as well as from other wild carnivores, pose a high rabies transmission risk.

In addition to the rabies threat, raccoons – especially young ones – are often infected with the raccoon roundworm, which can cause severe disease in humans, including death. People get roundworm by ingesting the worm eggs that may possibly be on the animal’s fur, as well in fecal material. Raccoon feces may contain thousands of worm eggs.

Young children may accidentally ingest traces of the material if playing where raccoons have defecated around a home or in a yard. To assist in disease prevention, children should wash their hands after playing in sandboxes or other areas where they may have become soiled before placing their hands near their mouths and before consuming food or drink.

When it comes to wildlife, a policy of “hands-off and keep your distance” is best.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments can contact Jack Spaulding by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.