Keep the cats in or get rid of them til you catch it.

get a bigger cat, problem solved

Heh...too bad no house cat would stand a chance vs. a coon.

Easy problem!![&:]
keep the cat inside the house,(not the garage).put a live trap just outside t5he cat door(put a board over the cat door).bait the trap with sardines in oil.
I have never saw a coon pass up sardines.it may take a couple of days,the coon my prowl the neighborhood and tak a couple of nights to come back.

if that doesn't work kill the cat and nail the cat door shut![]

get a dog pruf coon trap, they sell them in most trapping catalogs or get a copy of fur-fish & game magazine. I have some that were called the egg trap, another is called duffers dog pruf coon trap. A coon has to reach into a small hole and pull back on the bait to trigger it. I have caught alot of coon with them and never a dog or cat. I bait it with cotten balls soaked in mollasses.

another thing that's good for coon bait is peanut butter and molasses (spelling)

Have you thought about using a sling shot I mean the range in a garage cant be that much. At close range a strong sling shot will do the job without damaging anthing (except the coon)
Hey! dont trash it till
you think about it

, i'm talking about a big cat

My first question would be has she seen this coon?? Some people automatically assume that's what it is... and if all she knows is that SOMETHING (her cats) is tearing through her garbage, it might not be a coon. If she has seen it, try some anise oil mixed in canola oil and put it in the live trap. Also cover the live trap with cardboard (on the inside too) to make it less suspicious...and to make to coons curiousity take over.