Noah’s Ark in the attic
For the past three weeks, a cat has been living in the attic, an area about 20 cm high that provides a certain amount of insulation in the house through its own vacuum. Our building is old, the goosenecks used to ventilate the structure are rusty as wrecks on the bottom of the water, so the slats of one of them, which are used to counter the invasion of the animals, have fallen. Hence the presence of the young cat who will probably have climbed the neighbor’s ash tree and, unable to go down, it is a stupid cat, found refuge on our roof and then found the ideal hiding place.
My neighbor on the ground floor recounts in great detail his attempts to tame the beast (see The Cat). The adventure, which may seem rather funny, began to change its tone when one or two raccoons arrived attracted by the food offered to the cat. At first, we thought we had chased them away after cutting off the famous branch that allows such easy access to the roof.
It’s a waste of time. This morning, I was woken up by the sound of unbalanced footsteps. 6:00AM. It can’t be the neighbor. He’s more of a bat type; at this time of day, he’s asleep. As the noise does not fade, I fear the worst. It is September, some animals are preparing for winter and are looking for the best place to face the impending cold. We have not yet put the gooseneck back in place, out of respect for Mr. the cat who will have to leave one day or another, all the same. We even created a shelter above the opening so that the rain would not damage the roof.
I decide to go upstairs and see what happens. I bring my camera, open the hatch and fall on the cat off the roof, the round back and the head of the raccoon coming out of the ventilation pipe chewing something. Further away, a furious squirrel is shaking. That explains a lot. The squirrel will also have discovered the hideout and placed its warehouse there, but since Nature is at its smartest and strongest, the raccoon does not care about the fate of this other rat. As for the cat, he can go and get dressed.
While it knows how to maintain a graceful balance in its quest for survival, the animal world does not do so in the lace. At the strongest pocket, as Quebeckers know so well how to say. Anyway, my attic is not a Noah’s Ark. I like animals, I’ve already given. I don’t want to end up with the 101 Dalmatians version of pest raccoons. Since my living room is under renovation, since I have access, with a well felt saw cut, to the top, I take out the heavy artillery. I will open and use all means to chase away intruders. Some have suggested light, a radio, the Valkyrie loop or a picture of a politician... any other ideas?
