My House had started stinking. It smelled just like when I had a Water leak dripping down on the dirt under my House. My House does not sit on a Concrete slab and you can crawl under it.


So I went under. Found no leak but found a Dead Animal which from my view looked like a Cat but was too far to reach easily.


If you ever wondered where Gophers put the dirt from their tunneling in my case the piled it under my House raising the level of the dirt under the house and restricting the crawl area right where I needed to go.


So got out of there and tried to think of ways to get the Animal out. But, figured I just out to tough it out and go under and get it.


I decided to get it over with and brought a shovel and plastic bag. I got but not close enough to grab it and got wedged in and panicked. First time I ever had a mini panic attack.
Got my self out of there.


I cut out one of the vents on the House and with a Hoe and a 4 foot tube to make the Hoe longer was able to get what turned out to be a stinking dead Opossum. See pic. I spared showing you the side with the worms and maggots.

So then I started thinking what killed it?

I have 3 Cats and they all appear to stay away from Opossums or the sometimes large Raccoons that come around to drink Water or steal Cat Food.
A couple of Months ago I started feeding a large Male alley Cat. He is energetic and aggressive. On time I got in on the tail and of where I believe he chased a Raccoon. I listened to the typical cat fight yowling but when I came out the Raccoon was leaving the scene.

Since the Cats seem to stay away from the Opossums I was thinking the Raccoon killed the Opossum. When I first searched the internet I read stories of them all getting along with each other. But, then I found a bunch of youtube vids that say otherwise.

This one starts of with a Dog but ends with Cat verses Raccoon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ-aee3p9go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_obA_LfPHho
This cat does not like Opossums or Raccoons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdsEDiDOMAg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJZMunpgOtI


Opossum fights Raccoon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjChbYf2y5E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR6ejI7foms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYaycAfI3aE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KiZST8DGGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR6ejI7foms


Raccoon bites man:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl8CpkxyBmM


This video remined me of something one of the nights before the house started smelling from the dead Opossum there was a Skunk smell. Maybe a Skunk killed the Opossum. Although I have never seen a Skunk like I have seen the Opossums and the Raccoons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTuLb5bRVTg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTuLb5bRVTg

Note that Raccoons are usually larger then Cats or Opossums.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Tom W. is our resident opossum expert. Perhaps he can advise you.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

I don't think he can tell me how to prevent them from killing each other

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I guess he's not just playing dead. Cats won't touch opossums, it's a primal instinct. A large enough dog could do it. Maybe a fisher, fox or coyote if you have any of those in your area. Opossums, skunks, raccoons, all prefer to run than fight. But skunks and raccoons are frequently rabid, and in that condition they can be vicious and unpredictable. OTH, possums are almost never rabid. If there are rabid critters running around, you may have a worse problem than a stinky corpse. Make sure your pets are vaccinated. And be cautious about whatever lurks under your house.

I think I would have rigged up a fishing pole with a big hook and sinker and cast for it.

I feed all kinds of critters here in the country,my cats,possums,skunks,and coons all eat together.Dogs stay away from the skunks.i feed birds,deer,chipmunks,and their tree cousins too.I put out 150 pounds cracked corn,and 50 pounds sunflower seeds a month.The possums and such like cat food,and left overs.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I feed my mice,it keeps them out of my foodstuffs

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I get along fine with Pogo and I also like pussy.

Thanks for the Deference. My opinion is that that opossum is dead.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I did not spell check.
There quite few videos that show that were food is involved none of them may just get along with each other.

The big male stray cat that I feed went after a larger Racoon but they did not make contact as when the Raccoon saw me it retreated.

Possums out here where I am appear to be like 1/2 the size of the large ones in the vids the one I drug out from under the House was around 8-9 pounds and that is large for the ones I have seen.

The 2 small kind of small female cats (fixed) I have that are also actually stray cats stay away from other animals including the Male Cat.

I find it strange that there was a Skunk smell under my House then about 3 days later the House started stinking from the dead Possum. There has been lots of times where there was coons, possums and cats around and that resulted in no dead possums.
Highly coincidental that there was the presence of a skunk sell from under the house and then a dead possum.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Ive had one cat maimed and another killed by racoons over the years. They dont get along.

To throw a wild card into the mix, they all seem to run from a pissed off wild turkey.

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I think a defensless kitten are game to these carnoviourse ,if mamas around its on .The fact Im under the sitiation as Im watching 2 cats at the time for my landlords wife.Its interesting this subject came up.The cat food tub she dropped off is latchable but plastic and one early morning last week it happens that a group of 3 coons where at the cat food container.I watched the mother coon push on the sides of the container as it landed on its side after being wrangled to the porch floor from the table it orig. was on .The 2 small ones lapped up any spilt food from the opening, it was Like a grizzley pushing down on a bear proof container video .I let them work out some of the food but was worried the mother coon would turn on the smaller of the cats so shut down the diner. The tub is now in the cabin but hasnt stopped the coon family coming around.One night my 25lb weiner dog got a face to face at the glass frt door ,the coon wasnt backing dwn so I dont think she would fair well with this encounter.The cats seem to let them move thru without any bother to them but they are little safe crackers.Opened up the screen doors on either side of the screened porch area is the latest activity .One huge owl nest locally AND HAVE seen it fly during a full moon one late night.This is the smaller cats biggest threat ,some lost cat signs are from the flying variety of predator.

Coons are tough customers.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Ya, the youtube videos clearly show any of the animals in the title can be aggressive and end up in a fight.

The internet said Raccoons carry feline distemper and of course rabies.
Opossums can't carry rabies.

One of my Male Cats got bit on the neck and was missing for like 5 days. When he came back he was not eating well.

He had some of the symptoms of distemper but while the neck wound healed (even after a visit to the vets and IV fluids) the Cat died about 4 days later.
He could have been bit by another Cat or a Raccoon and contracted distemper from either.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

My friends live out in a more rural area and there was a large empty field with tall grass behind their property. They believe 2 of their Cats were taken by Hawks.

Further back in time they lived in the Hills an a Mobile Home. Up there Bob Cats would eat a German Shepherd and lesser Dogs. House Cats did not last long there either.

Nature is wonderful but takes care of itself.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

It is a pain because my female cats will not stay around when the male cat is around but I have been making an effort to feed them an bring the food back in so my area is less attractive.

However, water is still out there and due to the drought out here people have gotten used to not watering their Lawns like they used to. That means less water for the critters. Although there is a river bead with smelly water about 1/4 mile away.
It is sad my Cats don't get to have an occasional Gopher treat for about 2 years now. I never see the parts of the head they usually leave around the yard.

One time I have seen one of my Cats with a Rat. I did not know we had Rats in the area.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel