Possums Have No Manners!

Possums are slobs! The bag of cat food I had laid on a table was now torn open and cat chow was scattered everywhere over the floor of my garage. They have no manners at all and the one staring at me did not seem to care about the niceties of eating. Bits of dry cat food were soaking up water from where it had been thrown into the cat's water bowl.

This particular possum had come in through the pet door into the garage and was happily eating leftovers from my cat Spike's dinner bowl. He obviously had no fear of me because he kept eating as I walked over to the work bench. Even though possums rarely get rabies, I was trying to keep a little distance between me and him; images of sharp teeth and rabies shots flashed through my brain.

Spike sleeps in the garage. He has a cat door to the outside, so he comes and goes as he pleases. Only on the coldest winter nights does he sleep in the house, preferring the solitude of his own kingdom. Once again his garage appeared to be invaded by possums and raccoons.

Now the possum scooted through the door to the outside, then turned around and stuck his head back through the door, staring at me as if he was belligerent about me interrupting his dinner.

Spike has become accustomed to seeing raccoons as well as possums enter his garage at all hours of the night. Tonight he was sleeping in his bed on top of the garage refrigerator. He was now peering over the side of the cardboard box that was his bed, at the possum that was making a mess of his eating area.

The real name of this critter is opossum. But down here in the south we just call it a possum. They are really, really fond of cat food, but will eat almost anything; rodents, insects, frogs, road kill, grains and fruits. Possums are rather lazy, so if there is available food in a garbage can or cat food in a garage they will find it.

While their appetites knows no bounds, they are cowards and will rarely attack any animal bigger than them or any animal that might fight back, including cats. Chances are though, it will just find a cluttered corner of your garage and "play possum."

There are humane ways of possum removal. A 12 gauge shotgun is no longer appropriate for getting rid of possums; especially since I now live in the city. Such an action now would surely lead to spending a night in jail.

City dwellers like me are finding that what once were considered to be wild animals are gradually becoming less and less afraid of humans. City growth is slowly taking over the wild animal's habitat, making the aroma of a trash can irresistible to critters who want a free lunch.

As a result, raccoons and possums have no great fear of man! More and more they are associating man with free food. Possum removal or raccoon removal might appear to be a simple thing, but the lure of food is stronger than many animal deterrents.

Trapping possums and raccoons in cages never worked for me. All I ever caught was my cat Spike who was lured into the trap by a can of cheap moist cat food. Wild critters like cat food too, but they were smarter than my cat. Supposedly, if the culprits have found a way into your garage or attic and will not leave, blaring music from a radio is supposed to scare them away. The same goes for very bright lights shining continually, which should make both possums and raccoons, think that it is day time and leave the premises. This never worked for me.

Possum deterrents sold in feed stores and on the internet are mostly made from urine of natural predators of the animals you're trying to remove. That didn't work either! The way that works for me is to simply open a can of cat food and place it next to my neighbor's yard. There is a 50/50 chance that the critter will move to his house instead of mine!

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, gardening, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his site at: http://www.homeandgardenbob.com