Rajah and the raccoon

Apologies for the blurry picture but everybody was moving pretty fast.

I was sitting in my office, wrapping things up for the night, when Rajah, my feisty little Abyssinian cat, began hissing and spitting near the door. Only two things make him do that: the cat that lives three doors down and raccoons.

I quietly got up and turned on the deck lights and, sure enough, a young raccoon was planted just outside the back door, inviting Rajah to come out and fight like a raccoon. Rajah was more than willing to oblige (fortunately he still can’t figure out the lock).

Usually the hiss and bluster is all on Rajah’s side of the door with mostly yawns and an occasional sneer coming from the raccoon. Tonight, though, this raccoon looked every bit as annoyed as Rajah. I don’t know if he saw Rajah as a rival or a particularly tasty after-dinner snack, but he definitely wasn’t going to let this fat furry red thing go without a challenge.

Rajah arched and hissed. The raccoon arched and hissed. Rajah bodyslammed the window; so did the raccoon. My camera and tripod were (fortunately) right by the door so I quietly reached over and got this shot. It startled the raccoon; he looked into my eyes and headed under the deck.

Rajah claimed the field, purring.

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