Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: You Can't Shoot A Possum In Your Own Garage!

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.

They are always hungry and they are cowards.
Anything larger than them is rarely in danger of
being attacked.

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.

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 a retired son of the southern
USA. He has reached expert status in eating
barbecue, fishing stories, gardening and leisure
living. Visit his site at:
http://www.redfisbob.com

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=134716

>