Apparently we have a porcupine in the neighborhood, based on a screetching noise which sounded like a cross between a cat meow and a high pitched bark of a small dog.
I have seen skunks, racoons, possums, groundhogs, rabbits, foxes, squirrels and chipmunks, and voles and moles, but I have yet to see a porcupine.
Porcupines are rodents best known for their coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend them from predators. The porcupines include the fourth largest rodent, after the capybara, mara, and beaver, and are not to be confused with hedgehogs which are insectivores. Most porcupines are about 60-90 cm (25-36 inches) long, with a 20-25 cm (8-10 inch) long tail. Weighing between 5-16 kg (12-35 pounds), they are rounded, large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, grey, and the unusual white. The name "porcupine" comes from combining the Latin for pig and French for spine, hence the nickname "quill pig" for the animal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine
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