I think I just adopted a possum.

[zanana1]

We leave old dry cat food out on our back porch for strays. (Our cats are so spoiled, they barely eat their dry food, so we recycle it). Anyway, all summer long a few possums have been helping themselves to it. A few days ago, I was calling my cats in for the night and I saw this possum waddling over. He came up the stairs to the porch and looked at me as if to say "What"? Then he started eating. My three cats hang around with the possums. I think they're becoming cats. Anybody have any such possum experience?

[redwitch]

1. Have never gotten to know one.

But they make me smile they are so funny looking and sort of sweet. I love the way the babies travel too.

[TZ]

2. They are kinda nasty critters actually

They will hiss at you and growl at you and show some sharp teeth if you get too close..(yes, I've gotten close). Some seem to not be very afraid of people..We had one that sat on the back porch and looked in our sliding glass door.
In all seriousness the OP needs to be wary, these critters are surprisingly aggressive. I have a feeling they could do serious damage if scared or angry enough

[zanana1]

4. My cats have been hanging out with them for a couple of years.

Sometimes, I'll look outside at night and they're all lying around together on the grass, sleeping. I'd really hate to find out I had to keep them away, but I'll heed your warning. Thanks. (By the way, my sister lives in the country and her cats hang out with wild turkeys.)

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Don't worry too much. These possums appear to be comfortable

around you and your cats. They are a little scary, they do hiss and show some sharp teeth, but that is only show. They rarely will attack. I have rehabbed possums, and they are not all that bad--kinda smelly and play mean. (What is this about them playing dead when confronted, I usually see hisses myself.) Enjoy them, just don't try to pet them. And if you are like me, I am sure that your neighbors hate you.

[zanana1]

17. Thank you for that.

Especially the part about my neighbors.

[Curmudgeoness]

20. LOL, I am constantly on the shit list in my neighborhood

for answering the question "would you go in on money for an exterminator to rid the neighborhood of raccoons and possums" with "I not only will not agree to extermination, but I used to volunteer as a rehabber to save their lives, and oh yeah, I feed them". Of course, I also told them that if we get rid of them, that habitat will be open to all comers---maybe more raccoons and possums, or maybe rats. LOL.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. I have the same problem with Komodo Dragons.

Put out some dry cat food for the strays, and the next thing I know, there are a bunch of stray cats which are subsequently eaten by Komodo Dragons.

[zanana1]

5. A few of my neighbors would like that very much. nt

[XemaSab]

6. And here I am wondering where I can get some

:D

[driver8]

15. Ha Ha -- now that's funny! n/t

[applegrove]

8. Had raccoons eating my cats food at the cottage. She was a kitten then. She chased the whole

family up a tree. Mom raccoon finally got a good look at this tiny little cat chasing her up the tree and stopped at about a food up the tree. My kitten was so proud of herself.

[hair2mynees]

9. No, the possum has accepted you. n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. Possums will move on eventually.

They may mark a post near your home to let other hobo possums passing through know you're an easy touch, though.;)

[GoCubsGo]

19. Not always.

The one living under my shed has been there over a year. (They only live about 2 or 3 years.) This spring, she had 4 babies. The kids may have moved on, apparently, but Mom is still there.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

21. Are you sure it's the same one under your shed all this time?

I can't tell one from another.

[marzipanni]

11. We've had only a few (known) possum visits here, in 23 years

Twenty years or so ago, I was awakened by a noise in the kitchen, and found our dog had been awakened, too. I opened the door to the kitchen, turned on the light, and we discovered a possum eating kibble crumbs from the dog's bowl. It had come in through the cat door. Dog did not appreciate another animal eating his food and charged at the possum, barking. I sent the dog out of the room, turned off the light, closed the kitchen door, and left the possum to his own devices, to go back out through the cat door.

A few years ago our current dog tree'd a possum when she went outside after dinner. My son took this picture-

[denbot]

12. I had a neighbor who had a possum move in with him.

In my bachelor days my next door neighbor called me into his second floor apartment because he heard a hiss from something that was definitely not a cat. Under his bed there was an unzipped suite case with something in. We used a golf club to open the suitcase lid and saw a possum unhinged his jaw and let out the creepiest hiss I have ever heard.

We both jumped up on to higher ground. My buddy on a chair, me on his desk. Just as we retreated my roommates girlfriend walked in to see what was going on, seeing us cowering on our perches she rolled her eyes left..

We used couch cushions, longboard skateboards, oven racks, anything we could find to make a channel from under his bed to the front door. After coaxing him out we examined the suitcase and realized he had been living there for a while.

My neighbor used to leave his front door slightly open with just the bolt chain latched so his cat could come in and out as he pleased. We think the possum was a roommate for a month or more before my neighbor discovered him.

[hedgehog]

16. LOL! Reminds me of the time I developed a roll of photos only

to come up with an odd series of pictures featuring boards and garbage cans laid out in the garage. It turned out my Dad and brother found a possum in the garage, made a guideway into a garbage can, captured the possum and took him to an empty field. They used my camera to document their adventure.

[zanana1]

18. That's hilarious. nt

[MajorChode]

13. Check out the 3rd picture

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9458333

[LWolf]

14. No, but since you are so kind, I've got

a thundering herd of packrats I'd like to send your way. They're cute. Really.