What is This Cute Animal + What was it Doing in a Colorado Home?

There's a good chance you've seen a raccoon in Colorado, and maybe even had an encounter with one of them as they're pretty common in the state and have a tendency to help themselves to garbage.

However, what was believed to have been a raccoon was reported to Animal Control recently as being inside a Colorado home, but the animal that they found is much rarer.

Elusive Ring-Tail Cat Found in Colorado Kitchen

The call was made to Animal Control on Friday, January 19, 2024, from a resident of Longmont, Colorado, reporting that they believed a baby raccoon was hiding under their kitchen stove.

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Animal Control responded to the call and subsequently placed a humane trap in the kitchen's pantry. The following day, the trap had been successful and the animal was caught, but it was not a raccoon after all.

The animal is what is known as a ring-tail cat, which bears resemblance to raccoons in certain ways and is a closely related species, despite its name that suggests it could be a member of the feline family.

The discovery was surprising to Longmont Animal Control in particular because these animals are much less likely to enter homes than raccoons, and are typically only active at night.

Luckily, the ring-tail cat was successfully caught with no injuries, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife relocated the animal to an undisclosed location away from the neighborhood in which it was found.

While these animals are found in Colorado and unfortunately trapped for their fur, they typically prefer a more arid environment.

[Longmont Times Call]