Raccoon Completely Ignoring Furious Indoor Cat Delights Internet

Raccoons are part of the canine family, so it makes sense that cats may see them as the enemy.

One cat showing how they feel about a raccoon visitor has gone viral on TikTok in a video with over 1.1 million views on the social media platform.

In the video posted to @wcarter05, a long-haired tabby cat can be seen pawing furiously at a glass patio door as a raccoon hangs out on the porch.

While the raccoon looks on, slightly perplexed, the cat keeps going crazy.

With outdoor pets there is always the risk that they may have an encounter with a wild animal. So, is your cat at risk from raccoons?

"For the most part, cats and raccoons are indifferent to each other," says Ontario-based organization Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. "If they happen to cross paths, there is usually little to no interaction, and then the animals go their separate ways. Cats are usually small enough that raccoons don't feel threatened by them, so almost all interactions between the two species are peaceful."

While a raccoon may not bother tangling with a fully grown cat, a smaller or particularly young cat may be at risk. "A raccoon is almost likely always going to beat a cat in a full-blown fight, despite the cat's superior reflexes," says Pet Keen. "The bandit is simply too big for your kitty. Fortunately, it is highly unlikely that a raccoon will kill a cat during a fight. Battles usually last a few seconds, with the less-determined party scurrying away."

Despite not posing a large physical threat to your cat, a scuffle may result in a few open cuts, and therefore the opportunity for a raccoon to pass on various threatening diseases.

"This is where the real danger is; raccoons carry all kinds of parasites and diseases, including rabies," says Pet Keen. "Therefore, even if your kitty did not die during the fight, they can contract a nasty infection or disease from the raccoon. And without immediate vet care, your cat might succumb to the disease or infection."

Raccoon disease in cats is called Baylisascaris procyonis and is a lethal intestinal roundworm that uses a raccoon, who remains fairly immune to the parasite, as a permanent host.

"Felines that contact this roundworm experience severe inflammatory processes caused by tissue damage," report Wag Walking. "Invading the brain, central nervous system, and even the eyes of a feline, raccoon disease is a very serious condition that often causes death."

They add that an effective treatment for raccoon disease does not currently exist.

"Your veterinarian may treat your cat's disease with heartworm medication, milbemycin oxime, or other internal parasite treatment drugs such as flubendazole, fenbendazole, albendazole, moxidectin, ivermectin, pyrantel, or piperazine," Wag Walking adds. "The inflammatory damage to the cat's tissues is permanent, but symptoms can be treated with corticosteroids and pain medication."

Users on TikTok loved the video.

"I can relate! This is my cat almost nightly with our masked bandit visitor," said one user. "It would be interesting to see who would win that fight," commented another.

"This had me cackling," said another user.

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