Still, I like raccoons. Photoshop or not.
I had two pet raccoons in the 8th grade. My Dad and I snatched them out of the attic of our ranch house when their Mom wasn't around. They really didn't even have their eyes totally open. Babies in the true sense of the word. They bonded with me as their parent. Raised them at first on baby formula via a big syringe thingy then on to solid food.
My Dad's best friend was a vet who schooled me on taking care of baby wild critters. Neatest pets I have ever had! Named them Tom and Jerry after the cartoon characters. Tom was the male, Jerry the female. My Mom's name was Geraldine but she went by Jeri so the female 'coon got the Jerry moniker.
They drove our pet cat crazy. They always wanted to play rough and didn't really know they were raccoons. They lived in a big wire cage in the garage that the vet loaned me. But I had them out and about every chance I could. Really smart critters! I'd put food (veggies, fruit, meat, etc.) in a small glass jar with the lid screwed on loosely and they figured out how to un-screw the lid in about 10 seconds. They also loved anything shiny. They were always after my Mom's earrings!
They finally drove my parents crazy after about a year and they made me give them up. Broke my heart. Dad gave them to someone he knew who lived out in the country and had owned several pet raccoons in the past. The male grew up and got fiesty and ran off... hormones? But the female stuck around for years as a pet and I finally lost track of her and the new owner.
Can't look at a live 'coon, a picture of one or sadly a dead one on the roadside without thinking of Tom and Jerry.
Sorry for the trip down memory lane.
