Animal tracks

For the last few weeks we've been tracking a new visitor in our backyard and up on our deck. Looks like the visitor is a climber! At first I was suspicious of some very faint paw prints on our deck (they looked canine), but after this weekend, I know I am not imagining things. This animal is real, it is muddy, and it is pretty big. I've compared raccoon tracks and opossum tracks online, and yes, even dog tracks too, but I have a preettty strong feeling this isn't a dog climbing on our railing, leaving prints on our back windows and climbing on our roof.



Aside from scaring the cats pretty regularly, this animal seems to keep coming back for something, although I am not sure what. Our garbage and compost cans are two stories down and seem to be left untouched, and we don't keep compost or trash up on our little deck. Our garden has been fairly neglected for the past few months, and I don't think the raccoons have been rooting around down there. We have a few potted plants up on our deck, rosemary, catnip and a flowering houseplant, but I can't figure out what this raccoon is after. I read that a rag soaked in ammonia is a good, safe animal deterrent, but I also know that raccoons are crazy smart, and may not be deterred.

Maybe our roof or chimney is about to become home to some super cute baby raccoons? Maybe we need to keep our windows closed from now on?  I am pretty sure our landlord is going to be super annoyed if I bother him with this issue... but then again, I wonder how much he likes (sometimes) ferocious baby animals and their mother nesting in his moneymaker. Yep. I just typed that.