This is Cody. Cody is a North American raccoon living in Stevenage, England.
Cody likes doing ~raccoon things~ like eating spaghetti.
Playing video games.
And generally looking after his owner, Kasey Valentine.
Valentine is 24 years old. As a teenager, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue. Years later, she was also diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder, and told to quit her job. Stuck at home, she felt lonely and disconnected from the world.
Four months ago, Valentine acquired 6-month-old Cody on Gumtree from a local man who was keeping him in cat carrier and unsure how to care for him. The pair bonded as she weened the young raccoon from milk.
The pair soon became inseparable. Valentine says that caring for Cody has allowed her to become more sociable, meeting people whilst taking Cody for walks and visits.
"He naps with me during the day when I'm feeling very unwell," Valentine told BuzzFeed News. "Without him I would probably never leave the house so he has been a huge confidence boost."
Valentine also said that Cody has been given special immunity from a new EU law which could ban people from keeping raccoons as pets.
What a special raccoon.
