FREMONT COUNTY – The Burger King in Cañon City had an unexpected customer drop in for a drink over the weekend. Video shared on social media shows a ringtail cat drinking from the drip tray of the fountain drink machine. It was recorded by customer John McIntyre.
“I was peeking around, just looking around and there was a family that was in there at the time, and I peek over my shoulder to see if they’re still there and over by the fountain machines there as a ringtail cat that was drinking from the slushy machine,” McIntyre said.
He said the incident happened at around 8:00 p.m. Saturday. McIntyre didn’t recognize animal and first thought it might have been somebody’s pet.
“I was just going to go right on up to the county and you know bring it up to them, but I couldn’t help it. I had to pull my phone out and record the video.”
The video lasts just less than a minute, and McIntyre does get the attention of a clerk at the restaurant to remove the animal.
The restaurant was open Wednesday. Employees at the Fremont County Health Department said they would be visiting the restaurant to ensure that proper food safety regulations were being followed.
Ring-tailed cats (Bassariscus astutus) are members of the raccoon family. Their habitat extends across Mexico and the Southwestern United States.
