Possum Chronicles

Critter tales.
So, apparently Rascal was at it again over the weekend. I found a little bit of poop on the floor in front of the bathroom. I cleaned them up and didn't think much of it. Maybe one of the cats had stepped in some crap and tracked it there? In any case, it was clean. A day or two later (Tuesday) there was another little spot. Now I was certain there was a critter lurking around. I have no idea where it was hanging out, but apparently, it thought a good place to take a shit was in front of the bathroom. He had the right idea, I guess. So, as I was getting ready for work on Tuesday I was thinking I would probably have to do a sting operation to find it, since most critters Rascal would be interested in are nocturnal, much like himself. But that idea was unnecessary, as he came out of his own volition. There he was, little gray, furry, rat-like critter: yes! another baby possum. He was littler than the one we caught a couple of months ago, but attempting to look just as fierce. Hissing at me, snarling at Pearl. This is not an easy prey for a cat. Rascal seems not to be bothered. But Pearl is a true scared-y cat. She was definitely interested in him, but very cautiously.
I couldn't believe my eyes! This time I had a better plan on how to catch it and what to do with him once he was safely in a carrier. I am getting good at this wildlife rescue thing. I threw a kitchen towel over him and threw him into the cat carrier. He was a fierce little guy, but thankfully didn't bite me.
I have decided that I am going to name all of the animals I have to rescue from Rascal. Having just read Harry Potter, I decided his name was going to be Percy. I took him to work with me so I could take him directly to a rescue place from there. He was the talk of the office. Everyone came in to get a look. He was really very cute.
He climbed around the cage and at one point was hanging onto the front with all four paws/claws, and alternately sticking his nose out of the bars and trying to chew them. According to a website, possum have a keen sense of smell and their eyesight is pretty poor. This would explain the constant sniffing around he was doing.
He wasn't at all interested in the raisin bran flakes I gave him to eat. I found a few internet sites that suggested fruit. He devoured the piece of pear I offered. He took to drinking the water right away. Eventually he took a long nap curled up under the kitchen towel.
At the end of the day I took Percy out to the Lindsey Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. They told me I could call to follow up on Percy in four days.