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*
Thanks for the info.
Wow....is that the only solution you see? To kill it by poison or a rifle? IS there a reason why she couldnt just open the doors and let or chase the thing out the door and let it live? They are great bug eaters.
The main problem I had was disposal. I buried one or two of the ugly things then got to thinking why not just put him on the hood of the 4X4 and take a short drive? It was usually late at night when I shot them anyway. So up on the hood went the possum and down the road I went and hit the brakes watching the possum becoming another roadkill statistic. LOL