Was it a full-on pet or just a wild one that got inside? (I have to know the vibe.) My cousin in Asheville tried to "rescue" a baby raccoon once and it ended up living in her drop ceiling for three months, just shuffling around up there and knocking her pictures crooked. She said the worst part was the constant sound of tiny hands pattering above her while she tried to watch TV. It finally left after she started leaving the attic hatch open with a trail of cat food leading to the yard.