Orange Tabby...He Stays and His Name is Finn (Update with Videos Dec 31)

[speckledhen]

Finn loves to stalk grasshoppers, of which there are many around here right now. He never catches one but he keeps trying.

 

[speckledhen]

Finn is one smart cookie, which I know but from time to time, he renews that opinion. New Finn story for Finn fans today: Last night, DH had just let him outside. Backstory-we've had terrible sleep over the past week and a half due to coyotes caterwauling all night, every night. But, Finn refuses to stay in. He does have his heated condo, which he takes full advantage of. So, he goes outside. Almost immediately, DH hears thumping, which is Finn clawing the screen door, making it hit the threshold. So, he opens the door and sees Finn all curled up against the outer deck railing, just sitting and looking to the left. Then, he hears growling, in the pitch black dark. No moon. He can't see, no light other than weak light coming from the windows. He thinks coyote, of course, immediately, and doesn't know what to do, eases back into the house, flips on the porch light.

Steps back outside, hears more growling, follows the sound and sees a big fat possum against the house, facing off with Finn. Finn, however, is not getting too close to that huge, toothy, growling rat. It takes off around the corner of the house, Finn runs after it, at a safe distance, it turns and growls at him from time to time, and he stops. DH goes around the porch the other direction and the rodent is trapped between him and the cat. Our Louisville Slugger little league bat hangs beside the kitchen door, what I call my "predator bat", so DH grabs the bat and "golfs" that nasty critter right off the deck.

Finn sure didn't want to tangle with that one! He got Dad to come out and deal with it, smart boy, that Finnikins.

 

[robhuncor]

Finn is one smart cookie, which I know but from time to time, he renews that opinion. New Finn story for Finn fans today: Last night, DH had just let him outside. Backstory-we've had terrible sleep over the past week and a half due to coyotes caterwauling all night, every night. But, Finn refuses to stay in. He does have his heated condo, which he takes full advantage of. So, he goes outside. Almost immediately, DH hears thumping, which is Finn clawing the screen door, making it hit the threshold. So, he opens the door and sees Finn all curled up against the outer deck railing, just sitting and looking to the left. Then, he hears growling, in the pitch black dark. No moon. He can't see, no light other than weak light coming from the windows. He thinks coyote, of course, immediately, and doesn't know what to do, eases back into the house, flips on the porch light.

Steps back outside, hears more growling, follows the sound and sees a big fat possum against the house, facing off with Finn. Finn, however, is not getting too close to that huge, toothy, growing rat. It takes off around the corner of the house, Finn runs after it, at a safe distance, it turns and growls at him from time to time, and he stops. DH goes around the porch the other direction and the rodent is trapped between him and the cat. Our Louisville Slugger little league bat hangs beside the kitchen door, what I call my "predator bat", so DH grabs the bat and "golfs" that nasty critter right off the deck.

Finn sure didn't want to tangle with that one! He got Dad to come out and deal with it, smart boy, that Finnikins.

Finn, calling for backup! Too cute!

 

[N F C]

They make a deadly duo, don't they?

I hate possums, they are nasty ratty things. Glad Finn knew not to tangle with him.

 

[speckledhen]

They make a deadly duo, don't they?

I hate possums, they are nasty ratty things. Glad Finn knew not to tangle with him.

He wasn't taking any chances with that mega-rat! DH was once again impressed with his cat. But when he heard growling in the dark, he was more than a little apprehensive!

 

[N F C]

Good to be careful when you hear growling...better find out what's causing it before charging in!

 

[Teila]

We have possums in Aus but ours are the cute, cuddly [well, I would not recommend cuddling them, they have claws and teeth] vegetarian kind

Many years ago, my sister, mother and myself came from to find a possum sitting on top of the kitchen door. Working at the Police Station at the time, I gave a couple of on duty burly friends a call and as it was quiet, they came over to lend a hand.

Step 1 .. get the dogs out of the house because there is no way this possum is coming off this door while they are around. Mum takes the two dogs outside and sits with them.

Step 2 .. open all the doors and windows and use batons to gently encourage the possum down and out.

Good plan, worked well .. possum came down off the door, bolted down the hallway and out the front door.

Slight hitch .. Mum had positioned herself directly in line between the front door and the first available tree …. Said possum raced across the lawn, up her back and launched itself into the tree!

I am pretty sure, with the amount of noise Mum made, that possum never came down from the tree again

 

[speckledhen]

Good to be careful when you hear growling...better find out what's causing it before charging in!

I knew they hissed, but never knew they growled! Good to know! Better than a coyote at the door!

We have possums in Aus but ours are the cute, cuddly [well, I would not recommend cuddling them, they have claws and teeth] vegetarian kind

Many years ago, my sister, mother and myself came from to find a possum sitting on top of the kitchen door. Working at the Police Station at the time, I gave a couple of on duty burly friends a call and as it was quiet, they came over to lend a hand.

Step 1 .. get the dogs out of the house because there is no way this possum is coming off this door while they are around. Mum takes the two dogs outside and sits with them.

Step 2 .. open all the doors and windows and use batons to gently encourage the possum down and out.

Good plan, worked well .. possum came down off the door, bolted down the hallway and out the front door.

Slight hitch .. Mum had positioned herself directly in line between the front door and the first available tree …. Said possum raced across the lawn, up her back and launched itself into the tree!

I am pretty sure, with the amount of noise Mum made, that possum never came down from the tree again

Oh, my! Good thing I wasn't drinking coffee when I read that last part!

 

[robhuncor]

Slight hitch .. Mum had positioned herself directly in line between the front door and the first available tree …. Said possum raced across the lawn, up her back and launched itself into the tree!

I am pretty sure, with the amount of noise Mum made, that possum never came down from the tree again

Hysterical! I can just see it! Too funny! Your Mum must have been so surprised!

I just recently found out about the Australian possums. I was at a fancy yarn store and was feeling the yarn. One kind was soooo soft. And it was made from alpaca,silk and bushy tailed possum! (do I have that name right?) Anyway, funny thing, there happened to be a lady from Australia in the store - with a picture on her iphone! They're cute little guys!

 

[Teila]

Tee hee, yep, my on duty friends had no trouble with the possum but were not sure what to do with my hysterical mother .. my sister and I were useless, we had no chance of helping her, being so weak from rolling around laughing

They are brush-tailed possums and yep, cute as. They can be a bit of pest if they decide to take up residence in your roof .. they are territorial and possum fights in your roof at all hours of the night is a little disconcerting.

They love fruit, so it is a good thing I do not like mangoes because the only mangoes we ever see from the tree out the back always have possum sized bite marks in them or, if we are lucky, we just get the stone on the ground, no mango flesh whatsoever