When you look through Cecilia Velazquez’s Instagram photos, two things stand out. Number one, she loves her family. Number two, she loves dogs. That warm and caring personality may be exactly what drew a surprise guest into her home at 3 a.m. when she says she discovered a baby raccoon sitting on her stove.
She shared a video of her discovery on Instagram, where it went viral. The video quickly made its way around the internet as most cute pet videos do, and the story was shared by other online video services like Pawsome Pets through Yahoo! Life.
Of course, everyone who loved the video couldn’t help but gush over the cute little baby on the screen, with some people revealing that they would’ve been too tempted to keep the little guy as a pet.
Fortunately for him, Velazquez helped him get back outside, where I can only imagine his worried mother was waiting for him.
The Raccoon Came Through the Doggie Door
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The surprised homeowner took a few minutes to look at the cute visitor before returning him to the wild.
“For everyone wondering how I got the raccoon out of the house… I covered the little guy with one of my jackets, gently picked him up, and took him back outside to the yard where he came from—safe and sound,” she captioned the video before adding that she also put out some extra food and water for his new friend.
People Were Obsessed with the Little Guy
There’s a reason why Jimothy (a famous Seattle raccoon) is so popular on social media right now: Everyone loves cute raccoons! That was also made very clear in the comments on Velazquez’s post, where people couldn’t help but talk about how they wish they’d gotten to meet the little guy.
“Damn, you’re better than me for putting them back outside,” one person joked. “I would’ve fed him some cereal just to watch him eat with his hands.”
“They want to be domesticated so badly,” another person added.
Stay Away from Wild Raccoons
While these little critters are undeniably cute, there’s a reason why wildlife experts like Critter Control say that you should keep your distance when you see raccoons in the wild. These animals are known to carry infectious diseases, like rabies and salmonella.
Additionally, they can be unpredictable and could lash out if they are scared or feel unhappy. And while some of us (it’s me, I’m some of us) would really love to have a raccoon as a pet, these animals aren’t domesticated, so they aren’t suited for living with humans. Meaning if you really love these little masked bandits, then you’re better off leaving them in the wild where they belong.