Feeling kind of bad...

[raybeck]

Since moving into our new house, well even before we actually moved in, we have had a possum that insists on eating with the cats at night. He is the ugliest thing I have EVER seen in my life. Kind of a cross between a monkey and a rat (if you can even imagine that combination), some of his hair is falling out and he shows up during the day, as well as night! My DH had to shoot him yesterday and now I feel kind of sad. My DH doesn't want to talk about it (men are funny about letting their feelings show, aren't they). We have a schnauzer so the two just could not meet...besides, I tell myself, the possum probably would carry all sorts of bad stuff and give it to my dogs and cats...I dunno, just feel kind of bad...

[kezzer]

It was probably for the best. They are nocturnal, and coming out during the day could be a sign of rabies. Personally I don't like them, but that stems from the first time I ever saw one I was 3 and it was scratching on our back proch door like the cats did to come in and I almost let it in. Thank goodness Iturned on the light first, but to see such a sight. OMgoodness I don't think I slept that night even after my dad told me it wasn't a monster!

[Justawoman]

We have possums here. You see them rummaging through the garbage. I can't imagine they were meant to be around your pets Ray. They just look so unclean.

[raybeck]

I didn't think you would normally see them out in daytime, either. I saw a skunk by one of our ponds coming up to the house this morning, don't think they normally roam at daylight either. I just scooted on by...didn't want to alarm him...lol One guy told me that possums are pretty much blind, and I told him that must be because if they could see one another they would not reproduce!!! I did worry constantly about him getting into the garage and then my house! eeek I always try to keep the garage doors down as much as possible, you never know out in the country what might come visiting.

[jamesglewisf]

Did you know that hamsters are nocturnal? I just found that out the other day. The ones that are pets must go nuts getting played with all day.

[Madge]

That's funny, raybeck! They ARE ugly, but I've always felt bad for them. I'd worry if I saw one in the daylight, for sure - especially if it looked like it had the mange (hair falling out). That was a sick possum.

[raybeck]

Well, guess I can take peace in the fact that he spent the last couple of months of his life living on Science Diet cat food! That's what would kind of irritate me, I'm buying this expensive food for the cats and the Possum would put his back feet in the double bowl and then chow down...smart Possum, I would say. (if there is such a thing...lol)

[Madge]

I don't know if I'd say SMART - just survival of the fittest! Or the first set of jaws at the trough! There's got to be a reason the poor possum was put on this earth as such a repulsive looking little thing...

[Justawoman]

We haven't always had possums here. But a group of boys brought one by the house in a cage last summer. They thought I would keep it for them. I said, "just take that thing right back where you found it." It was a baby but it was still an ugly baby. That is the closest I want to a possum at any size.

[raybeck]

Now JAW...there's no such thing as an ugly baby...well, maybe a possum baby...lol

[Madge]

Never seen a baby possum. I think I'd have a hard time saying ANY baby was ugly... :)

[Justawoman]

They look like a grown possum.

[Noseypoo]

Possum Family Picture (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/images/opsinbarrel.jpg)

{toothy}

[raybeck]

Oh, gee...those were cute possums, believe me, our possum did not look near that good, guess he had lead a hard life. I have to say most anything that is a baby is just cute or so ugly they are cute. Even some of my kittens, right after birth were not such a pretty sight, but it didn't take long for them to come around.

[JacMac]

I think opossums are adorable. they are totally harmless little things too. Aside from possibly carrying rabies (and acting out of sorts, like nocturnal animals coming out in the day, or wild animals having no fear of humans, is one strain of rabies). I volunteered at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center for a while, and I got to see plenty little opossum babies. They are so cute. They make this sound like a cross between a cough and a hiss...or maybe a heavy breather. It's their warning I guess. They open their mouths and hold them open like lizards trying to cool off and they look like little furry alligators! The momma opossum has little to no maternal instincts and they are marsupials, the only marsupial in North America, actually.
If you are interested in learning more about these little guys click on http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/opossum.htm

Hate to see people making judgements on animals without actually knowing them.
I think I might quote Samuel Taylor Coleridge here for a moment. My favorite line in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner..."He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all."

[Justawoman]

Oh I love em alright but I don't want to raise em. They belong out amongst the trees where God intended for them to be. This baby was not going to die just because I didn't take him/her in. It was a fairly big baby that they caught in some boys house. After you have seen them rummaging through the garbage behind the local Allsup's you don't want one for a pet. I just believe somethings were meant to always be wild. Now if he had brought it to the house and it was injuried we would have helped. But it was fine and healthy and wanting loose. I don't like seeing anything in a cage that shouldn't be. Zoos are even kinda creepy in that respect.

[Madge]

Thanks for your post, JacMac. Now I feel bad (which is GOOD) about calling possums ugly. Did you look at the link Nosey posted of the babies? Now THEY'RE cute! I certainly would never HURT one, but I've always tended to keep my distance. We caught one once in a Have-A-Heart trap (wild cat problem) and it was so pathetic looking, like it felt stupid for having gotten caught. I just the trap in the back yard, opened the door and he waddled out towards the woods, looking back a couple of times to make sure I wasn't behind him.

[Justawoman]

I'd have a hard time killing one too Madge. We have used those traps here to catch stray cats. But as luck would have it our nosey Ms. Andy got trapped and the strays were taking notes. I know this because we never caught one after she was the first in the box.

[Madge]

Doesn't that just grab you? You put the HAH trap out to catch these kitties so the coyotes don't get them, and the first and only thing you end up with is one of your own!! At least my cat had the decency to LOOK embarrassed - she should have been!!

[Justawoman]

Our cat was p'oed at me the rest of the day.

[JacMac]

That's hysterical! My kitty's indoors and my yard is tiny and fenced (in a little beach community. not much land :( don't really have to worry about relocating anything now!) I wasn't trying to make anyone feel bad! Glad you all liked the link!

[Justawoman]

No one is upset. I just know that with spring coming I will be hit with everything from baby mice, baby rabbits, and the tossed out kitten or puppy. We try to find everyone a home but sometimes you just can't and affording them all is a job. The baby rabbits are the saddest. Usually left without a momma because of coyotes or a tractor plow.

[JacMac]

yeah...we have that problem here too. The wildlife rescue and rehab program I volunteered at had it's own "baby bunnies" program because there were so many orphaned ones. I guess that's the cross to bear when you are put on this earth as food for others. I think bunnies are the #1 preyed on animal, hence the reason for their characteristic fertility. Like that visa commercial with the guy trying to write a check and the bunnies are multiplying right in front of them (well, the camera looks away for a second and comes back to 20 more bunnies). Do you remember that commercial? Funny...

I completely respect that you can't save all of them and I agree that that opposum belonged outside. I have a hard time with keeping exotic pets because I agree that certain things should be kept wild. Dogs chose domestication because it was easy survival; caging a lizard just doesn't seem right to me either. I wish I could afford to have all kinds of animals (and the land and habitats appropriate to them). I saw this really cool show on the BBC (I think) with an animal behaviorist going to different houses and helping the animals and humans to get along. One was about a hampster that bit all the time, etc. and it turned out she was totally bored. The behaviorist built her this awesome cage that had edible plants (appropriate for hampsters), certain dirt/moss/something or other for her to burrow in, as that is one of her behaviors, and it had all kinds of levels. It was so cool! And then he led the family through a socialization program to make her comfortable being held. She was quite a happy hampster in the end and her demeanor totally changed. I love that type of stuff....it was very cool.

[Alec]

It sounds cool to me also. I wonder what the show was.

[JacMac]

I've been looking, can't find any info. bummer. I'll keep looking.

[raybeck]

JacMac, didn't mean to judge them, heck, I didn't even spell their name correctly! lol I just don't want one on my back porch and possibly slipping into my back door when I open it and being inside my house. I love all of God's creatures, but some I'd rather admire from afar...and I did admit, the babies were adoreable.

[Justawoman]

That commercial is hilarous Jac Mac. Bunnies everywhere.

What gets me are those folks who will keep big cats for pets in cages. They are just asking for trouble.

[JacMac]

I hear ya JAW on the big cat thing. How miserable for the animal and then people will blame the cat for attacking the person if they ever get out. I'm bothered by the way people separate themselves from animals. When I used to train dogs I would have to tell people "well, how would you feel if...." and they'd always say "I never thought of it that way". Just because they are animals doesn't mean they are immune to pain, anger, jealousy, happiness, or any other emotion. Survival and adrenaline sometimes interfere with emotion at length, but I guarentee most animal mothers feel content while snuggled up to their young.


Beck, I understand where you were coming from. It's just an upsetting situation. You wish the lil' guy would have stayed in the woods where he belonged. I am just an advocate for the creatures without a voice. I'm a bit neurotic. I catch insects in my house and release them outdoors! I make my boyfriend save moths in the house so the cat doesn't get them - that REALLY bothers me. He likes to maul the poor things. He first tears off their wings then watches them flutter on the floor. He picks them up in his mouth, then he lets it go again. Sometimes they die and he walks away from them. I can't deal with that. At least if they get caught in a web it is for the purpose of feeding the spider and the venom kills them quick enough. No need for any creature to suffer.

Many people abbreviate the name although there are many separate species. At an etymological level, your question can simply be answered 'yes'.
Possum is just an abbreviated form of the 'proper' name of opossum. It
originally derived from a Native American word for the animal, and was
transferred to South America and Australia as a name for similar animals
there.

Biologically, the question is more complicated because there are many
species of opossums, but the answer is still basically 'yes'. The one you
are probably familiar with is the Virginia or North American Opossum,
Didelphys virginiana, but there are lots more of its relatives in Central
and South America. There are even more of its relatives in Australia, but
the S American and Australian possums have differentiated into two groups
because they have been isolated for millions of years.

All opossums are marsupials, pouched mammals considered primitive compared
to the other mammal groups. The Virginia opossum has the distinction of
being the only marsupial in North America.

Because there are so many different kinds, the word possum/opossum does not
have a well-defined biological meaning. It means something like 'small
arboreal insectivorous marsupial'. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jan2001/980029378.Zo.r.html


I just found another interesting link that explains them a bit more:http://www.pleasebekind.com/coexist/opossum.htm

If there is an opossum in your area, just leave it alone, it should move on in a couple of days. However, if you find an opossum continues to return to your area, try eliminating the things that are attracting it:

Do not leave pet food out at night.
Pick up fallen fruit.
Clear away bushes, woodpiles and other hiding places.
Do not leave garage doors open at night.

If an opossum gets into your house or garage, it can be safely trapped by leaning an empty, tall kitchen trash can at a 30-45 degree angle against something the opossum can climb onto. Place cat food or ripe fruit at the bottom of the trash can. The opossum will be able to climb into the trash can but will not be able to get out. Immediately take the can outside. Tip the can on its side and the opossum will leave when it feels it is safe. You can also try to leave a trail of cat food leading to an open door. Observe quietly at a distance. Once it leaves, shut the door. Do not try to push the opossum out with a broom. The frightened animal will freeze and not move.

If there is an opossum in your yard, leave it alone. If it is in your garden, it is helping you by eating the harmful pests that do damage.

If you find an injured or orphaned opossum, contact the State Department of Environmental Conservation for assistance. Ask for referral to a wildlife rehabber who will humanely capture and relocate your visitor. Be aware that they may refer you to an exterminator which in many cases will result in the death of the opossum. Municipal Animal Control Agencies often euthanize wild animals also.

If you find a baby opossum, keep in mind that where there is one orphan, there may be more. Be very quiet and listen for the "sneezing" sounds the young make to call the mother. Don’t try to care for the animals yourself. Unless you are a trained wildlife rehabilitator, you could do more harm than good if you don’t know what you are doing. If the baby is at least 7 inches from nose to rump, it can survive on its own and should be left alone.

[raybeck]

Thanks for all the info. JacMac, too bad I couldn't have just moved the cat food, (but it just wasn't an option) that probably would have solved the problem all together. I am a lot like you with the bug thing, if they are nice bugs, I like to try and just get them back outside.

I really am truly SAD today...we lost one of our favorite cows over the weekend. She was trying to give birth to a first time calf and gave out. By the time we discovered her the calf was half out and dead and Tammy Faye (the cow) was almost dead. My DH held her head up so she could breathe and got the vet to come out (this happened on Sunday, in the rain and I wasn't even in town, felt so bad for DH) the vet gave her a zero chance to survive so we had the vet put her down. Man...who new you could get so attached to a cow. We raised her from birth and named her Tammy Faye, because she had dark circles around her eyes and it looked like lots of make up. Whe was precious, followed us around like a puppy dog, we loved her. Not all of our cows are such pets, we have way over 100 and only about 10 are extra special, (not counting my longhorns...they are all pets) but we are very good to all of them. Some just stand out because of their sweet nature. Anyway, it's been a tough weekend...

[Justawoman]

I am sorry Raybeck. We do get attached to our farm animals. I know how you feel. We raised show pigs one year and Betsy, a big ole hampshire hog, had her babies and we had to help deliver them. I could call her and she would come to the fence wantin her lovin from Mom. When she got sick and died I cried like a baby. I do get where you are coming from. Farms animals are special when we allow them to be. I hope your heart gets to feelin better soon.

[raybeck]

You are so kind, JAW, I appreciate that you can really understand where I am coming from. I had to call my DH mother and tell her today and she cried on the phone with me...thanks for taking the time to say you care.

[Madge]

I don't think it matters WHAT kind of animal you have and love, when something goes wrong, it's devastating. Cows can attach themselves to you; they're very gentle, good natured animals and have BEAUTIFUL eyes. I am endeared to just about any animal (except spiders - they absolutely terrify me. Even typing the word gives me the willies...)

When I had to put my Jessie cat down a couple of years ago, I cried for a week. People who love and care for animals understand that.

I have to say, after partaling of this thread I will surely look at possums differently! Thanks for that, Frappers!!
Raybeck - I'm so sorry about your cow and her calf. Poor thing. You must feel awful because it happened while she was alone - I know that would have killed me.

[Justawoman]

I thought we could all use a smile. I saw this lil guy on Netscape's front page and had to share with you all.


http://cdn.netscape.com/wpt_tonr_03/200503090740_mb_hlm1_i1_2_0

The hardest thing I had to do was watch my childhood friend, Marmaduke The First, a miniature Scotty die. I was about 16. I kept his leash for years. Animals are truly a gift to mankind.

[CuriousG]

I had a cat that I had gotten when I was 4 years old. She passed away at the age of 18 when I was 22. That was a tough one to get over since I could remember her being around for pretty much my whole life. She even went to college with me.

[JacMac]

I had a cat that I had gotten when I was 4 years old. She passed away at the age of 18 when I was 22. That was a tough one to get over since I could remember her being around for pretty much my whole life. She even went to college with me.


This is a little creepy, CG. I had a cat and dog my whole life, too. Actually, the same ages you had yours! We had gotten the cat when I was 3 and the dog when I was four. They died within 2 weeks of each other when I was 22. The cat was 19 the dog was 18. That is SO strange.

My sincerest sympathy, Beck. My heart goes out to you. I love ALL animals SO much, I don't care how others view it. When you love an animal, you have a connection that is beyond words. It is too bad the corporate world doesn't respect the family that our pets become. I can guarentee I will need grievance time when I lose any of my furry four-legged children. Please check out this link: http://poetry-emotion.com/Loyal_Heart/Rainbow_Bridge/crossingover.html

From my heart to yours....

[JacMac]

for those of you who have never heard of the rainbow bridge:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Until you meet again, Beck.

[Madge]

Now you did it - I'm crying....

[JacMac]

I make myself cry every time I read it. But I love it so much I can't not read it. How ridiculous is that? I think that these images help the grieving process...maybe I'm crazy, I just hope they've provided some comfort.

[Justawoman]

I believe pets will be with us in heaven. Maybe a silly idea to some but I do believe that. I don't think God made animals just for us to forget them in the hereafter.

[raybeck]

Thanks JacMac, that was very touching. I like to believe animals will be in heaven, it's the perfect place...so they would just have to be there, too.

[Madge]

Heaven just wouldn't be what I've always beleived it to be without our beloved pets there by our sides.