The Surprise at the Door

The other night my cat came to the door. I knew it was the cat as he has the habit of opening the storm door with his claws and letting the door slam and that gets me, his obedient servant, up. Further I could understand that immediately after the slam came the incessant tapping at the door. The cat does this as a means of making the matter urgent when say, it is raining, which it was. It was still dark as I was making my way to the door and yes, there was a steady rain and so my cat's obedient servant was shuffling off to the door. When I got there I of course expected as you would I'm sure, to see a cat. Instead to my astonishment there was not a cat at the door. Instead facing me was the rear end of a raccoon the size of a bear cub who on seeing me approach decided I guess that he wasn't after all interested in entering a human domicile. I don't know why, as I am sure he would have enjoyed some 9 Lives cat food which would I think be a delicacy for him compared to the rounds of trash barrels he visits on his nightly rounds. But be that as it may, I still wondered how he knew my cat's prodicol for entrance into his palace. Had he been studying my cat's ways? Or is the slamming of the door and tapping for urgency the litany all creatures inherently know, especially those who are about as interested in rain as a cat is?