In Southern California, along the coast, it rarely freezes. They have gas fired water heaters outside, they kind of look like a small outhouse along an outside wall of a house. Door in front, air hole near the bottom, air hole near the top.

I was over at a buddies house, leaning against the water heater door talking and drinking Beer out in the back yard. Something reaches out the top hole and grabs my ears from behind. I made like a Kangaroo and jumped a 5-6 feet, maybe three times. That Coon was hanging half out of that hole laughing at me. That hole was maybe 5 inches in diameter and this was a 20 pound Coon. I have no idea how that Coon got through that hole.

He hung around my buddies house for years. His favorite pastime was opening overhead telephone junction boxes and disconnecting all the wires and trashing garages. All the neighbors knew never to leave a car window rolled down or he'd use the car as a Cat box.