Re: Opossums a vector for FeVL?

[ETrent]

Kelly - I'm glad I'm not the only sucker out there ;-)  The Opossum Society told me that their intelligence rates higher than dogs -- it's up there with pigs.  Of course, they don't have very good street smarts.  The NOP has a bumper sticker out there with a darling possum drawing that says 'Give 'em a brake -  www.opossum.org.  (stuck it on one of the boss' door -- he HATES them :0)  (I have a lot of work stories)   You have to mind the teeth though -- they have 50 sharp ones and you don't want to stress them to the point they feel inclined to use them.  Treat an opossum bite as seriously as you would a cat bit.  In my experience though - they've been very friendly.  The mama possum (Pauline) brings her babies to dine (Pierre and Pinkerton).  The lady I talked to gives her possums baths and gives them vaccines.  I'm not ready to do something like that -- I have my hands full with kitties.   A lot of people don't know this -- but when they finish their banana (or dinner) -- they wash their faces with their little paws just like kitties do.  They are such dear creatures - and totally innocuous.  They love overly ripe fruits and veggies.  Nature's little sanitation engineers.   One winter -- when Mama Kitty was still staying outside....I opened the door and frightened one of the possums.  He jumped right into the kitty bed with Mama Kitty.  She didn't mind in the slightest - they were sweet to each other.  Vet tech told me today they would tear each other up -- but I think that because of the environment - they understood the circumstance and didn't feel a need for violence.  I didn't tell her otherwise though.  It's all about caring for each other here :0)   elizabeth       In a message dated 11/6/2006 8:59:07 P.M. Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: At 06:44 PM 11/6/2006, you wrote: I feed my possums on the front porch also, They called me from my husbands work when they found a cute little baby oppossum in the coke machine, they were all afraid of this cure little thing. One day when my Siamese Sammy was a feral I thought it was him in the the front porch til I got a closer look. As marsupials they have a lower body temp so rabies is not a worry, They are so harmless and keep neighborhoods clean, Kelly