Cat advice ping.
Possums don’t scream, they growl, unless you have a baby.
The cat should be fine if the shot is current.
If so, I've an idea that would involve a shotgun, a railroad tie, a pickup truck, a chainsaw, 30' of chain, and about a cold-pack of beer...
Lots of info and tips in the forums on catching and killing varmints.
WORD OF CAUTION...the site is NOT for the squemish! Graphic pics. THen again their varmints.
prisoner6
Our Possums are a bit different to yours in the US, although I understand they may be somehow distantly related. They are certainly a bloody nuisance if they get inside, as are rats.
> Woke around 1:30 AM hearing strange noise in the kitchen. My daughter’s Persian cat had what looked like a possum or rat cornered. Needless to say I was startled a bit.
Was there a strong, pungent smell? If so, probably a rat.
> When I turned on the light I noticed blood then the long tail animal escaping behind the baseboard.
If a decent amount of blood, the animal (whatever it was) is likely to die of infection if not shock.
1) The Persian has her front claws out (Indoor cat) and upon inspection did not notice any blood or bite marks on the body. Could the cat have used the back claws?
Yes certainly: could have clamped with its teeth and scraped repeatedly with its back claws: cats often do this, and it is one of their more effective attacks.
> If the cat did bite the thing would there not be blood around the mouth?
Not necessarily: their bite would render a puncture wound, which is more likely to seep than to spurt. Cats are also pretty good at cleaning themselves, so if there was blood it wouldn’t stay there for long.
> 2) ‘Belle’ the cat has her rabies shots up to date. If the long tail possum or rat had rabies what are the chances ‘Belle’ could contract the disease?
Unlikely. That is what the shots are for.
> 3) Anyone have any tips on catching possums or rats?
Possums are harder to kill than rats. Here in NZ we have a proper possum trap. Most people will use Cyanide baits or 1080 poison, or the good ol’ .22 to kill the mungrels. I have killed possums with my .177 hi-powered air rifle, but that requires a clean head-shot.
Rats respond to warfarin-based poison baits best. Use proper bait stations. Alternatively, the British make an excellent all-steel rat-trap that kills them stone dead. The trouble is, if you have seen one rat chances are you have twenty or more, so killing them one at a time is a rather pointless task. Again, the .177 air rifle is a good choice for one-off killings: find a good killing ground and set bait there for a couple nites at a consistent time. Consistency is the main thing: be consistent so that the rat develops a habit of visiting there. Then after say four or five nites, set the bait and be waiting in the dark with your air rifle and a good flashlight. Take the precaution of being loaded and having your rifle pointing in the general direction of the bait — you will have one shot when the flashlite goes on, and it will be a snap-shot. The mungrel will move very quickly after being initially surprised — you will have 2 seconds max to get your best shot off.
Air rifles are a good bet because you can retrieve the body immediately and dispose of it. They also kill instantly due to shock so there is little blood — even if you do not hit the rat in vital organs, the shock will kill it stone dead.
Rat poisons, on the other hand, rely on killing the rat from dehydration and thirst, and desiccating the rat like an Egyptian mummy. This can lead to unpleasant smells if the rats die in your ceiling or walls and fail to desiccate, because they will then rot. It is therefore important to limit the availability of water in your house while you are poisoning (ie empty your dishwater, keep your toilet seats closed, cover your fishbowl, &tc). This will encourage them to go outside in search of water, and hopefully die there.
> I can see the tail hanging out of the baseboard. Seeing it’s not even the crack of dawn yet, help would be futile from “expert” rat/possum catchers.
Get the .177 out and blast ‘im if you can get a clean shot at the body. Anything traveling faster than 500 fps should do the trick.
> By the way judging from the short glimpse it looked like a possum. Had that triangular feature but then again the thing was screaming.
Rats scream. Possums in New Zealand growl something horrid!
> Thank you in advance
Good luck and good hunting!
*DieHard the Hunter*
YouTube - Catch A Possum By The Tail
A cat paws at a possum’s tail, and the possum reacts.
Watch video - 26 sec -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZl15ROk8K8
LOL...
Possum and Persian Cat Confrontation (YouTube Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxOS2iuVNvw&feature=related
First of all, ID whether it is a possum or a rat. If it's a rat, shoot it with a .22 - might bite you!
If it's a possum, "Lasso" it with some rope, and drag it out of the house. (At least, that's what I did.)
After you get it outside, undo the rope, and it'll scamper off. (Getting the rope off without getting bit is the hard part. I pet the one I caught, then untied the rope. I smacked him on the hip, and he ran off!)
Many years ago I lived temporarily in an old house and a young possum starting coming in at night. I chased him down the hallway every morning and when he “sulled-up” in the corner I grabbed him by the tail and carried him outside. He never tried to bite me. He just hung there playing dead. If they don’t “sull-up” they will bite. I did this until he got big enough that he couldn’t get in wherever he was getting in.
A rat, on the other hand, will bite and can carry rabies. They will also growl. The possum never tried to bite me and I’ve never heard of one having rabies. I’m not saying they can’t; I’ve just never heard of it.
I know! I’m a country girl and most of you won’t know what I’m talking about. :-)
Love your screen name - that was a great movie!
When in doubt, ask the experts...be sure to turn up the sound first...
The Possum Cookbook
http://members.tripod.com/~w3lap/possum_cook_book.htm
How to Catch a Possum
Since all the recipes here involve possum, I figured it might be worth it to include a section on how to get your hands on one.
I know of several ways to catch a possum. Perhaps the easiest is to simply drive around for a while in your truck. The problem will soon resolve itself.
(SCCRRRREEEEEEECCHHH!!. . . SPLAT. . .)
Much more fun, however, is to take your dogs and shotgun, and go into the woods and hunt one down. The advantage to this method is that you don’t have to scrape the possum off the pavement. The disadvantage is that you do have to worry about shotgun pellets in the meat.
(OUCH! Dadgum it! There went my best tooth!)
Not to mention that a shotgun blast can really mess up the hide, which makes it a lot harder for the taxidermist.
It is also possible to set traps to catch a possum, but this method is notoriously unreliable. Possums like to stay in the trees, and you’re much more likely to catch something else.
(Hey, Ed! There’s something in the trap! See them bushes moving? Let’s see what it is! . . . OH, SH*T! IT’S A SKUNK!!)
Possums are also notoriously hard to kill, and they will play dead if threatened. I remember hearing about someone who had a possum get in his garage one time. He was real mad about something, and having a possum rooting around in his garage making a mess just made it worse, so he took after that thing with a shovel. The possum never had a chance. He did have to chop its head off to make sure it was dead; otherwise they just get up and walk off. It was real strange; right after he beheaded the possum, lightning or something struck the garage, blowing out all the lightbulbs and giving him quite a shock. (If you don’t get the joke here, don’t worry.)
Please note that we’re talking about the North American opossum here. There is a species of possum native to Australia which is endangered. It is strictly illegal to hunt, trap, or kill an Australian possum.
**SCHNIPP**
And my personal Culinary advice is: Long, slow, moist heat guarantees your possum will be nice and tender...
Put on some heavy gloves, grab the garbage can with your left hand, grab the tail with your right hand, pull hard enough on the critter then dump it into the garbage can.
Then the choices of what to do with it are endless..........
Check the internet, there are some great possum recipes out there........
2 weeks ago my neighbor saw 2 young ones in the afternoon so the following evening I got out the trap and caught one of them. When they're small and young they are kind of cute but the reality is that they grow up and become snarly and ugly.
Its best to put them down once trapped.......no sense releasing it somewhere and letting it become someone else's problem.........
Once you finally get the critter out, you may want to figure out where it came in. A hole in one of your eaves, clothes dryer exhaust vent, etc. If they’re in your attic or walls, throw some moth balls in. Most critters, bats, snakes, etc. will leave and not return.
Both possums and rats are omnivores, meaning they’ll eat anything. Rabies is much more common in wild carnivores such as raccoons, foxes, and skunks. Bats also can carry rabies but so can any mammal. If your cat’s shots are up to date, don’t worry about rabies.
What a wonderful country. In New Zealand dinner delivers itself!
OPOSSUM PIE
2 c. flour
2 sticks soft butter
Blend together and add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Pat this in a 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool.
Blend 8 ounce of soft cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar. Stir in 1 cup of Cool Whip (13 ounce container). Pour 1 large box of instant chocolate pudding (made up) on the crust, then pour on the cream cheese mixture and spread the remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Opossum are not considered a rabies vector species.
They can carry other things but usually it’s safe to say rabies isn’t one of them. Their metabolism just doesn’t assimilate the virus very readily. (Neither do rabbits) It isn’t impossible, but it’s highly unlikely at any rate.
Rats also, are not considered a rabies vector species (fox, bats, raccoons, skunks) and generally wouldn’t survive initial live contact with another animal that would have rabies, but being scavengers, any contact with infected CNS tissue on a recently dead animal could create an exposure problem.
Rats can carry other extremely dangerous viruses/bacteria however.
If you suspect the animal is still in your home, what you really should do is contact a *licensed* nuisance wildlife control operator in your area. If the cat brought the critter in, that’s one thing but if there’s a hidden point of entry that critters are using — a NWCO will spot it and make sure it’s repaired or tell you what you need to do so.
And you definitely do not want a dead animal in your wall, not only will it stink and cost you a lot more in repairs, but will attract other undesirables.
And yes if your kitty is up to date on shots, that’s a good thing but you might want to call the vet about a booster perhaps. Just let him know what’s happened. It isn’t unusual for wild animals to carry distemper which can mimic rabies as well.
You really are better off calling a NWCO though.