Another THING in the backyard!

Yesterday, early morning, I glanced out of the window and saw an
oPossum cross the lawn in the backyard. Then it tried to climb the
fence to get out but the fence curves in at the top to stop my cats
from getting out. It stopped the oPossum as well.

So I went out and opened the weak area of the fence and hoped that the
oPossum would be gone by the time I got home. I got home, kept the
cats inside while I poked around the little backyard, and found the
oPossum under a bush. I know from the last THING in the backyard post
(back a few years) that it is a possum and that they are fine,
upstanding animals, but I still need to get it out of the yard. So I
straightened out the fence where the THING tried to get out yesterday,
and hopefullly it will be gone when I get home.

It's not fully grown yet but no longer a baby. I think it's kind of
neat that we have possums in New York City, but even though they are
supposed to get along ok with cats, I really don't want them together
if I can help it. I'm more worried for that possum than the cats.

The funny thing is, if I hadn't glanced out at just the right moment,
I wouldn't have known that it was back there and would have let the
cats out when I got home. I know that at least once before the cats
were back there when there was also a possum around and nothing came
of it.

If it isn't gone when I get home today I'm going to put some cat food
on my neighbor's side of the open section of fencing in hopes of
enticing the possum to head over that way.

Anyone have cat/possum stories to share?

"dgk" wrote in message
...
Yesterday, early morning, I glanced out of the window and saw an
oPossum cross the lawn in the backyard. Then it tried to climb the
fence to get out but the fence curves in at the top to stop my cats
from getting out. It stopped the oPossum as well.

So I went out and opened the weak area of the fence and hoped that the
oPossum would be gone by the time I got home. I got home, kept the
cats inside while I poked around the little backyard, and found the
oPossum under a bush. I know from the last THING in the backyard post
(back a few years) that it is a possum and that they are fine,
upstanding animals, but I still need to get it out of the yard. So I
straightened out the fence where the THING tried to get out yesterday,
and hopefullly it will be gone when I get home.

It's not fully grown yet but no longer a baby. I think it's kind of
neat that we have possums in New York City, but even though they are
supposed to get along ok with cats, I really don't want them together
if I can help it. I'm more worried for that possum than the cats.

The funny thing is, if I hadn't glanced out at just the right moment,
I wouldn't have known that it was back there and would have let the
cats out when I got home. I know that at least once before the cats
were back there when there was also a possum around and nothing came
of it.

If it isn't gone when I get home today I'm going to put some cat food
on my neighbor's side of the open section of fencing in hopes of
enticing the possum to head over that way.

Anyone have cat/possum stories to share?

We put out the leftover food from our cats' meals for any stray cats in the
neighborhood. But besides cats, we have raccoon and possum visitors so
often that we've named them. Once when we were a little late getting the
food out a "Posey Possum" scratched at our back door!!! "Rocky Raccoon"
will stand next to the dish while we pour food into it! Even the squirrels
will start screeching at us and peeking in the back door (glass french
doors) when it's supper time. We have a whole herd of wildlife mooching off
us. ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

"dgk" wrote in message
...

Anyone have cat/possum stories to share?

This doesn't involve a cat (so I guess this makes this OT), but I do have a
possum story to share . . .

My mother (who died last year at the age of 91) grew on a farm in Ohio. She
used to talk about going out to gather eggs when she was a child. The
chickens, of course, were free-ranging -- no cages in those days. One hen
would lay eggs in what Mother called the "boot" of an old car, and Mother
got used to just reaching in without looking. One day, she reached in and
heard this loud hsssssss. She jumped back quickly and peered in carefully,
expecting to see a snake. Instead, she saw an opossum and several tiny
babies. She ran to get her father, by the time they returned she could only
see the adult possum and no babies. That's when she learned that a possum
is marsupial. Of course, her father explained that by saying that possums
carry their babies in a pouch, the these babies were by now safely hidden
away in their mother's pouch.

MaryL

On May 28, 9:43*am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"dgk" wrote in message

...



Anyone have cat/possum stories to share?

This doesn't involve a cat (so I guess this makes this OT), but I do have a
possum story to share . . .

My mother (who died last year at the age of 91) grew on a farm in Ohio. *She
used to talk about going out to gather eggs when she was a child. *The
chickens, of course, were free-ranging -- no cages in those days. *One hen
would lay eggs in what Mother called the "boot" of an old car, and Mother
got used to just reaching in without looking. *One day, she reached in and
heard this loud hsssssss. *She jumped back quickly and peered in carefully,
expecting to see a snake. *Instead, she saw an opossum and several tiny
babies. *She ran to get her father, by the time they returned she could only
see the adult possum and no babies. *That's when she learned that a possum
is marsupial. *Of course, her father explained that by saying that possums
carry their babies in a pouch, the these babies were by now safely hidden
away in their mother's pouch.

MaryL

I haven't seen opossums in my yard lately but I have touch a few
babies when they wandered into an open cage. They don't bother my cat
or rabbits which ignore them.

Only thing is they look like rats and I'm afraid people might put out
rat poison. Good thing is I only see them at night so people probably
don't even know they're around.

On Wed, 28 May 2008 08:20:20 -0700 (PDT), James
wrote:

On May 28, 9:43*am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"dgk" wrote in message

...



Anyone have cat/possum stories to share?

This doesn't involve a cat (so I guess this makes this OT), but I do have a
possum story to share . . .

My mother (who died last year at the age of 91) grew on a farm in Ohio. *She
used to talk about going out to gather eggs when she was a child. *The
chickens, of course, were free-ranging -- no cages in those days. *One hen
would lay eggs in what Mother called the "boot" of an old car, and Mother
got used to just reaching in without looking. *One day, she reached in and
heard this loud hsssssss. *She jumped back quickly and peered in carefully,
expecting to see a snake. *Instead, she saw an opossum and several tiny
babies. *She ran to get her father, by the time they returned she could only
see the adult possum and no babies. *That's when she learned that a possum
is marsupial. *Of course, her father explained that by saying that possums
carry their babies in a pouch, the these babies were by now safely hidden
away in their mother's pouch.

MaryL

I haven't seen opossums in my yard lately but I have touch a few
babies when they wandered into an open cage. They don't bother my cat
or rabbits which ignore them.

Only thing is they look like rats and I'm afraid people might put out
rat poison. Good thing is I only see them at night so people probably
don't even know they're around.


That's what I found out the last time this happened and I called an
animal control trapper to take it away. He talked me out of it by
explaining that they are harmless and eat stuff I want out of my yard
anyway. Plus, if you take away the one that's occupying the habitat,
another will just move in. We have them around but most folks have no
idea. I didn't. We're city folks and don't know squat about animals
outside of a zoo.

After looking them up on internet, it's clear that it's best to leave
them be. They apparently move on after a few days anyway.