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The return of the possum?
Oct. 1st, 2007 12:36 amSeveral weeks ago, I was walking Lacey down the driveway when I noticed the remains of something that had once been living in the leaves by the side of the drive. The remains consisted of some odd bits... and a hunk of flesh with a light gray furred tail attached. To me it was obvious that - whatever it was - it had been caught and eaten by our cats, most likely Ink Jet and Cotton.
The tail was far too big to be a rat's (I hoped) and there was too much fur on it as well. I hoped it wasn't a kitten, but I didn't think our cats - particularly Cotton - would eat their own kind. So, I settled on it likely being a juvenile possum, this being the time of year that baby possums are sent off into the world by their mothers.
The Girl, once she had examined what was left of the tail (which was less than I'd seen), didn't agree. She thought it might have been a baby squirrel or something... until tonight.
She came in from her nightly walk and asked me to guess what she'd seen waddling across the front lawn and around the side of the house. The answer: a possum. I asked her how big, and she described something far larger than a juvenile! She conceded that what the cats had caught and devoured was very likely what her ol' Mom said it was.
Of course, this put me in mind of our first encounter with a possum, one that felt free enough to come inside and explore the house! I wrote that one up as a piece of creative non-fiction, and you can find it here. I just hope this isn't the same one come back for another visit! I did put chicken wire across the holes, but not all the way up... it would be possible for a very determined possum to get inside. If it does, I'll let you know!
The tail was far too big to be a rat's (I hoped) and there was too much fur on it as well. I hoped it wasn't a kitten, but I didn't think our cats - particularly Cotton - would eat their own kind. So, I settled on it likely being a juvenile possum, this being the time of year that baby possums are sent off into the world by their mothers.
The Girl, once she had examined what was left of the tail (which was less than I'd seen), didn't agree. She thought it might have been a baby squirrel or something... until tonight.
She came in from her nightly walk and asked me to guess what she'd seen waddling across the front lawn and around the side of the house. The answer: a possum. I asked her how big, and she described something far larger than a juvenile! She conceded that what the cats had caught and devoured was very likely what her ol' Mom said it was.
Of course, this put me in mind of our first encounter with a possum, one that felt free enough to come inside and explore the house! I wrote that one up as a piece of creative non-fiction, and you can find it here. I just hope this isn't the same one come back for another visit! I did put chicken wire across the holes, but not all the way up... it would be possible for a very determined possum to get inside. If it does, I'll let you know!
