I used to have a racoon that did this

[ashling]

but he would run off and then come back when I started reading again

[sakabatou]

1. "I want attention and I want it NOW!"

[siligut]

2. Your raccoon?

Seriously, she reinforces the behavior, what does she expect?

[ashling]

3. Actually, it was my little brother's racoon

we raised it from about 16 weeks of age.

He had the run of the downstairs. He was a really cool critter.

One time I was sitting on the couch reading a book about Huey P. Long and I saw him out of the corner of my eye

Not Huey P. Long, but the racoon. He had climbed up on the back of the couch down a the other end of the couch

I didn't think anything of it, but then he scampered down the back of the couch to where I was

and reached out with his little racoon hand and pulled my glasses off

then he jumped off of the back of the couch and disappeared.

I was kind of amused and put my glasses back on and continued reading.

After a little while he jumped back up on the end of the couch, scampered down the couch and did it again

rinse, lather, repeat

It was the funniest thing

that was 40 years ago

[siligut]

4. Whoa, a pet with thumbs?

Did your raccoon get into everything?

Was he cuddly? Did he sleep with your brother? Did he stink?

Was he more like a dog, or a cat?

I love the idea of a pet raccoon and you confirm my suspicion that they are very clever.

I know they don't exactly have opposable thumbs, but almost.

[ashling]

5. As I say, it has been 40 yars, but I do remember

that he used to play with our dog, Fred He would also play with frogs - he didn't eat them, but he would turn them over and over in his hands - they usually didn't fare so well

We had a large (maybe 1.5 feet in diameter that mom had in the garden area inside. I was full of holes from being worn by water. The raccoon would spent what seemed like hours putting his arms down one hole and then another.
Really cute

He was maybe 5 - 8 inches long when he would do the glasses thing - when he got older he stayed in a cage outside most of the time.

He died from canine distemper.

That's about all I remember offhand.