Feb 16 2008
The Lost Cat
This is a photo going round my neighbourhood at the moment.
(Thanks to everyone who passed it on to me).
It’s claimed to be from a telegraph pole in a busy urban shopping centre and posted there by a couple of kind-hearted Japanese students. Have a look at the photo (click to enlarge) and make up your own mind.
For starters, that is NOT a cat. What you’re looking at is Trichosurus vulpecula, the common or garden brushtail possum. Anyone, overseas student or longtime resident, who mistakes a brushtail possum for a housecat, is in serious need of a trip to the optician. And anyone actually clutching a possum will also be in serious need of a trip to the surgery for extensive repair to damaged arms, face, legs and numerous other parts of the body.
A possum is not a cat. Look carefully at the image to your left and it will become clear that there’s quite a bit of difference. Mind you, it’s true that there are some similarities. Both creatures are essentially nocturnal, but can wander round during the day happily enough. Both possess a wild and free spirit but will deign to accept care and attention from doting humans. They can both be pretty noisy too.
You can see (and hear) a lot of them around the inner city area, both cats, and possums, thrive in a wide range of natural and human-modified environments. While cats are strongly discouraged from taking up residence in our parks or, heaven forbid, the open bushland, possums live comfortably in suburbia. They settle in our roofs, our chimneys and any other warm sheltered place. However if a possum decides to move in upstairs this can be a lamentably messy business, so keep your fingers crossed and your ceiling spaces securely sealed.
And here’s just what you always wanted to know but never got round to asking. This New South Wales Government website explains how to live in harmony with our native creatures by * Building a Possum House.
There are large numbers of people in Australia who believe that all cats should be exterminated (as an introduced species) and equally large numbers of people who would like all possums to be consigned to the dust-bin of history (as a pest who chews through your phone cable).
Despite all negative publicity, cats and possums have their loyal fans. I’m one, I have a cat in my house and a possum in my backyard and my life is the more enjoyable because of it.
Like to shout me a cold beer?
The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others. Friedrich Nietzsche
OK, this IS funny. This apparently is a running prank with variations of the non-bushy tail opossums in the US. Apparenly Will Ferrell has a site http://www.funnyordie.com that housed recordings of people calling in to tell the poster - it’s NOT a cat. Hilarious!
I’m curious what people get when they call in the number? Any sales people need to hit calling quotas? Might could call and report back???