Ferrals And Possums

[Northernlitez]

I"ve been feeding ferals for years. I am caring for one who came yesterday bloodied and unable to use a front paw. It is VERY feral and is staying in an insulated dog house on my deck. I am giving it antibiotics in soft food. I have also been feeding a huge possum for a few months. it hogs a lot of the cat food, but it needs to eat to, I saw the wounded feral battig at it last week. i stepped outside to break it up and they scattered. tonight the possum went into the dog house and brought the bowl of food out and ate the remaining. My question is....should I worry that the possum will hurt this feral? I'm wondering if this is how the cat was wounded. I'd love to hear from those who have come across this. thanks

 

[Willowy]

Possums are usually very passive and won't fight. I suppose it's possible that this cat and that possum have some sort of blood feud going on, but probably not. The poor cat probably got hurt some other way. Maybe you could make the possum up a little dinner tray with stuff cats usually don't like (any human food leftovers really; possums will eat anything) so he can eat a little bit apart from the cats so they don't get mad? But he'll probably still eat the cat food too.

 

[Northernlitez]

I feel he will go for the soft cat food along with his kibble, but I think I will just feed the feral a good amount of soft food in the am and take it away in the evening before the possum shows up. He can still have his kibble....I feel better knowing they are passive. thanks

 

[jen]

They also don't carry rabies which is another good thing to know.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

They also don't carry rabies which is another good thing to know.

Yes! So many people think they are rabies spreading vermin poor things. They also EAT ticks! In New England, we will take all the help we can get! I doubt the possum would bite if he’s getting food already, and they are generally very gentle.

 

[Northernlitez]

never even thought of that.....that's super news. I'm happy to feed him, just didn't want to put a wounded cat in any danger

 

[Northernlitez]

Every living thing deserves kindness....glad I found this site

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

Every living thing deserves kindness....glad I found this site

May there be more with your heart

 

[Northernlitez]

Yes! So many people think they are rabies spreading vermin poor things. They also EAT ticks! In New England, we will take all the help we can get! I doubt the possum would bite if he’s getting food already, and they are generally very gentle.

In WI we have tons of those nasty ticks. i'm way out in the boonies where they're rampid. Possum is welcome to them

 

[Northernlitez]

May there be more with your heart

Thank you....I love them all. I wish everyone did...thanks for all of your help cat experts! I will sleep soundly instead of poking my head out the door every 5 minutes to see if there is any feuding.

 

[surya]

I have seen them eating peacefully with the cats I feed. But I have read that if they feel cornered they will attack. So if they are fighting over food and they are backed into a corner, like a dog house that only has a front opening that could cause the possum to attack because it has not way to get away. From what I have read it is better to have two openings in a cat shelter for cats to get away from an attacker.

 

[weebeasties]

My (from a distance) experience with opossums has been good. Though one morning when I opened the door in the predawn hours to leave for work, a startled young possum almost ran inside the house!
When I was a kid my parents wouldn't let pets in the house. Our outdoor kitty was friends with a possum and we would frequently see them eating together side by side out of the food dish.
I do think a mama possum may get aggressive if she thought her babies were being threatened.

 

[trudy1]

Possums are non threatening. You can even pick them up by the tail and move them. Now I’m sure if you were to grab one by the face it would probably bite . I suspect your cat was in a cat fight or tangled with a racoon.
Possums are real survivors so you could relocate him if you wished. Just get some leather gloves, walk up and pick him up by the tail, drop him into a carrier, and take him for a drive. Their sight is not the greatest. They depend more on smell and movement. I would find a quiet wooded area with water away from the road. They don’t do well in the car avoidance area.