I finally managed to grow a winter squash. It's a huge plant with one small Red Kuri squash on it that has turned a dark golden color and probably on its way to be ripe very soon. I had hoped to pick it in the next week or so.

I went out today to check it and found some scratch marks on the top and lifted it up to find a little bite or chunk taken out of the bottom. The part taken out is about the size of a quarter, but didn't look to go so far deep that it opened up the squash. In other words, the inside is not exposed.

Looks like some sort of animal got to it. It can't be deer because we have a fenced in yard and I've never seen a deer around here. Most likely it was a stray cat that jumps our fence sometimes or maybe a racoon as I've seen one on our fence before.

My question is, what do I do now? Is it just no good now and will rot on the vine? Is it still edible -- although I'm not sure I want to eat it after a wild animal has taken a bite.

I can't believe this has happened. I battled the squash vine borers and thought they would surely win and I finally got one small squash and something else gets it before me. I was so excited over one my one squash and thought surely I was home free on this one. Sigh.

Has this happened to anyone else before? What did you do?