we have a possum problem and we have to many cats to use a trap?

Question

we have about 17 cats that live out side and the possum keeps attacking them and we think that it already killed one and it was fighting with one of our dog who are both small can anyone help us but we cant aford a person to come get it and we dont want to kill it.

Answer 1

The problem is not the possum...it is a wild animal, living in its environment. The problem is the 17 or so cats that are roaming around outside.

A cat is a domestic animal, a pet. It is not part of nature. It does not belong outside. Being attacked by dogs, cats and wild animals is just one thing that can happen to cats being allowed to roam free. They can also get lost, get hit by a car, ingest poison, suffer from the elements, contract diseases (that they bring home to their human owners) and become infested with parasites (which they also bring home to their human owners). They are also targets for sick individuals who torture and kill helpless animals.

In addition to that, cats that are alowed to roam free kill billions of native wild birds and animals every year.

"How many birds and other wildlife do domestic cats kill each year in the U.S.?
Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that nationwide, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, each year. Cats kill common species such as Cardinal, Blue Jay, and House Wren, as well as rare and endangered species such as Piping Plover, Florida Scrub-Jay, and California Least Tern."
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf


Please do your cats - and the native wildlife - a favor, and keep the cats indoors!

Answer 2

I agree with margecutter. The problem here is your excessive cats - not the possums. The possums are hardly the only threat - raccoons are worse. Either can transmit rabies to your animals.

All pet owners have a responsibility to properly care for all of their animals, protect them from harm and disease, while keeping them from harming wildlife.

I'm guessing that your cats have killed plenty of wild birds and animals. Now that's a shame.

Are you even aware of the feral cat over-population and how you are contributing to an already massive problem?

If you are going to leave your cats outside (which is a horrible idea) - you need to get over the fact that your animals WILL BE ATTACKED. You are allowing it to happen by refusing to protect them.

Fix your cat problem. They should all be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and examined by a vet every year. If you can't do this for each and every one - find new homes for them where they will be responsibly cared for. You're not doing them any favors by keeping more than you can handle. Everyone suffers.

Answer 3

It's highly unlikely the opossum has killed the cat unless the cat was sick or previously injured and couldn't get away fast enough. Cats are very quick and agile with reflexes that put a lot of animals to shame. Possies are just the opposite. They are fairly slow and, especially compared to a cat AND dog, pretty slow in the reflex department. They're fast enough to make other animals take heed, but slow enough that they really aren't a huge threat.

If the possie was fighting with the dog - it was only defending itself. They do not go out and look for trouble. The dogs are doing what comes natural - defending their territory from this intruder.

If you knew what you were doing - you could actually "herd" a possie in the direction you want it to go - including into a carrier for relocating. They're a lot of growl and put on a huge show...and will grumble the whole way...but keeping a broom between you and it on one side - and another person doing the same on the other side - you could gently use the broom not only as a safety barrier, but a tool to gently nudge the possie in the direction you want it to go.

Calling someone out who knows what they're doing is really your best option. Many charge only small fees in the $35 - $50 range. It's worth it to keep you from getting bitten and to have peace returned to your home.

With 17 cats - I do hope they have all been fixed and immunized. If they're not - this will create a bigger danger to the cats themselves than any possie.

Answer 4

Can you change the feeding schedule to the daytime? Possums come out at dusk or dark.

We have three here, none of them fight with the cats (The Raccoons do though!). I've live trapped the raccoons and moved them 5 miles out to the country (I'm in the city) to stop aggression here.

You can set up a live trap even with cats around. Get one that's long enough to not hurt the cat's tail when it closes, the raccoon size is best. Set it up where you can see it out your back window, bait it with cat food, stick a white kleenex on the door that's open. Check it every 15 minutes out the window (the kleenex makes it easy to see if the door is closed without you going outside--I use a flashlight shined at it on dark nights if there's no moon) and if there's something in, go out and check.

Cat's won't hold it against you if they're caught, you just release them and make sure the trap is still got catfood in it, and reset it. I had one dummy cat go in three times in one night... he was a slow learner. But by checking every commercial break till you decide to stop for the night, you don't have anything in the trap long enough to get stressed.

Once you get the possum, put plastic on your car seat in case they pee or poop (only one raccoon did) and drive them to a safe country/woods/park area with a water source, and release them. It has to be at least 5 miles away or they'll walk back.

You can get a trap from the humane society for a rental fee - ours is $40, but you get it all back when you return the trap.

Answer 5

The problem is the cat food like your first responder said, but there in no place a cat can get to that a opposum can't. You can look into live traps, basically what it is, it's a long box, usually wire or steel with a door in one end, you raise the door and there is lever inside that when the animal goes in and stands on the lever it trips the door and it slams shut, the animal can't get back out until you lift the lid. You can take it somewhere out in the country, I would recommend waiting till dusk and find someplace with a stream or something and some trees, raise the door and move away quickly. opposums are nasty unpredictable creatures. Good luck!

Answer 6

The problem is likely that your cat food is outside too - and the possum has claimed it as his. You will continue to have problems until you get the food to a place the possum can't get to but the cats can.

Answer 7

You CAN use a live capture trap.

If there's any way to contain the cats, it would help. If you have a dog in your family, it would protect the cats.

Answer 8

cage? call in the pros

Answer 9

animial control? should be free