Friday Not-A-Cat Blogging

by Bryan

8 comments

1 hipparchia { 08.30.13 at 5:17 pm }

the fluffy black dog once invited one of these into the house. it took me two weeks to capture it and usher it back outside.

2 Bryan { 08.30.13 at 5:48 pm }

I have a bit of history with possums around my Mother’s house.

3 hipparchia { 08.30.13 at 9:34 pm }

that’s a wonderful story.

this one just walked into the house – i was in the habit of leaving the door open for the dog to go in and out as he pleased. i don’t know if the possum wandered in on its own or if the dog thought it was a funny-looking kitten in need of fostering and invited it in. it was roughly the size of a kitten.

i got up in the middle of the night on several occasions to find the two of them sharing a snack in the kitchen from the dog food bowl, but it always managed to run and hide behind the refrigerator. i did consider putting out a litter box for it and letting it stay with us, since the dog was so obviously enjoying the company, but i needed another pet like we need more rain right now.

i did finally catch them in one of their midnight forays where the possum jumped up on the counter and hid in the sink instead of running behind the refrigerator (apparently they’re not the brightest creatures on the face of the earth). fortunately there were a bunch of clean dishes drying on the countertop, including just the right size stainless steel mixing bowl and cookie sheet, so i had both the possum and the materials for a possum trap right at hand. it was a really fine night that night, so once i had transferred the little interloper to the front yard, i sat out on the porch for the next half-hour or so watching the two of them playing by streetlight.

4 Bryan { 08.30.13 at 9:49 pm }

They are nearly blind in bright light, not particularly fast, and not likely to appear on Jeopardy, but they eat a lot of bugs, so I don’t mind them as long as they stay out of the attic. They really make a mess and you don’t want them using your ceiling as a bathroom.

A full-grown possum can be a problem and quite nasty if cornered, but the little ones are just clowns.

FBD was a real collector of waifs and strays.

5 hipparchia { 08.30.13 at 10:05 pm }

FBD was a real collector of waifs and strays.

he was that. he himself had been found as a stray, starving and covered in mange, by someone who couldn’t keep him (that’s how he wound up with me) so perhaps that influenced his later actions. or not; it’s always dicey anthropomorphizing our non-human friends.

as for possums, yes, they stink the place up, and yes, i was once cornered by a large and grumpy adult possum… cute though this one was, i was totally reminded of ogden nash’s quote about kittens.

6 Bryan { 08.30.13 at 11:33 pm }

A friend had a cocker spaniel that she bought and had fixed immediately following the weaning of the dog’s first batch of puppies. Cody never came out of mommie mode, and mothered every animal she encountered that was smaller than her. Trying to walk Cody was always a problem because she would be joined by six to ten cats who all had to be licked. Among her ‘puppies’ were some of the nastiest pieces of work in the neighborhood, but they loved Cody and were loved in return.

Animals have personalities, just like people. Some are naturally really friendly.

7 hipparchia { 08.31.13 at 1:16 pm }

Trying to walk Cody was always a problem because she would be joined by six to ten cats who all had to be licked.

🙂 i can just picture that.

8 Bryan { 08.31.13 at 10:05 pm }

You probably saw a lot of it with FBD and the kittens. 🙂