Raccoons are cute and funny to look at. In the USA, many people in rural areas are lucky enough to enjoy this sight right on their doorstep.
But in this story, things are different from ordinary raccoon-human encounters.
Raccoon with a handicap
Eryn and her parents often see raccoons on their property, but this one furry visitor is different from the others.
It’s unusual enough that it appears during the day, even though raccoons are nocturnal. But what’s really unusual are his eyes and his behaviour.
Eryn explains:
„His eyes glow bright green during the day. He is at least partially blind. He runs into things. He’s afraid of the wind, tall grass, birds and snow.“
The family puts food on the raccoon’s porch. Despite his blindness, he finds it immediately – always following the smell – and is very happy.
From then on, the animal-loving family even gave the friendly raccoon a good portion of food three times a day. This way, the blind animal doesn’t have to go out of its way to find food in the wild.
The lovely habit continues for a few years, but then something happens that Eryn and her parents hadn’t expected.
Suddenly the raccoon has bodyguards
When the raccoon has come to eat again, two black cats suddenly appear.
One of them comes up to the raccoon on the veranda, then accompanies him down the stairs. Downstairs, the second cat joins them and the three animals go their separate ways.
Eryn explains:
„They magically appeared when he came to eat. So they deduced: Blind raccoon = FOOD. So they appeared when the blind raccoon (and sometimes other raccoons) turned up.“
But you can clearly see that the stray cats are not (only) interested in food. They look after the blind raccoon and show it the way. In some pictures, you can even see the cats walking to the left and right of him like real bodyguards.
From then on, the raccoon always comes with his two cat bodyguards, who of course also get something to eat.
A sad and at the same time beautiful ending
Unfortunately, the intimate animal friendship doesn’t last long, as the raccoon soon dies.
He had a long and good life, which even lasted two years longer than is usual for raccoons. This is certainly thanks to Eryn’s good care.
The cats now have no one to protect them. Eryn therefore makes a decision: she tames the two strays and gives them a good home.
What a touching story! Watch the moving video on YouTube:
Source: Animal Channel
