Of the many pests that inhabit Quebec, the raccoon is certainly the one you should be most wary of. While they may be cute, these animals can be dangerous for many reasons. As carriers of many diseases such as rabies, they are a danger to humans as well as to domestic animals such as cats.
The professional exterminators at Elite Pest Control explain how raccoons can be dangerous to you and your pets.
Raccoons carry disease
The main danger associated with raccoons is that they carry many diseases, some of which can be very serious.
Rats can transmit rabies
Raccoons can carry several dangerous diseases, including raccoon rabies. While incidents involving rabid raccoons attacking humans are rare, you certainly don’t want to take the chance that an infected raccoon will transmit this severe disease to you.
After being bitten, the rabies virus spreads through the nerve cells. When the virus reaches the brain, it multiplies rapidly. This causes severe inflammation of the brain and spinal cord after which the person who was bitten suffers a rapid deterioration of their physical condition. If the case is not treated quickly, the consequences can be disastrous.
Raccoon droppings are dangerous
Raccoons also carry two other diseases, roundworm and leptospirosis, which can also be transmitted to humans.
If a raccoon has roundworms, there will be eggs in its droppings. These eggs are a very real danger if they are ingested or even inhaled.
Roundworms
For this reason, you should wear disposable gloves and a mask when cleaning up raccoon droppings. You are unlikely to contract roundworms, but your pets might. If you are dealing with a large amount of droppings, you should have them picked up by a professional exterminator to limit the risk of propagation.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that can be found in soil and contaminated water. Infected raccoons shed this dangerous bacteria when they urinate. This infection is also rare in humans, but it can cause liver failure, kidney damage and more. In some cases, it can lead to death.
Raccoons are dangerous to your pets
Besides being a danger to humans, raccoons are even more dangerous to your pets. There are many people in Quebec who own dogs or cats. This makes raccoons as dangerous to your cats as they are to you.
In the vicinity of these pests, your pets are at risk for disease, rabies, worms, bite wounds and ingestion of feces. In order to protect your cats from raccoons, make sure that animals from outside cannot access your property and vice versa. Alternatively, do something to keep raccoons away from your home.
If you witness a raccoon attack on your cat or suspect that a raccoon has bitten your pet, contact a veterinary clinic immediately.
Raccoons are dangerous to your property
Although raccoons are omnivores, their canines are designed to shred food. While their lower canines are rounded, their upper canines have the potential to do serious damage.
If raccoons get into your attic, they can wreak havoc, even creating short circuits, thereby increasing the risk of fire. In other cases, they can cause thousands of dollars of damage by damaging the insulation materials in an attic and soiling them with their droppings.
To prevent this kind of damage in your home, you should take action to prevent pests. This will help you avoid any unpleasant surprises or unexpected encounters in your home.
Contact Elite Pest Control to protect yourself against raccoons
As you can see, raccoons present many dangers that are important to protect against. Keeping raccoons away from your home is the best solution for everyone.
However, when raccoons intrude on your property, there are many dangers for you and your pets. To prevent your cat or yourself from being bitten, you can call our raccoon exterminators for a responsible and sustainable capture.
Contact Elite Pest Control now. Our team will come to your home, make the right assessment and take the proper steps to rid you of these pests for good.
