How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food? Easy Guide
Are you looking for a technique to know How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food? Possums are typical for homeowners who leave cat food out since they are excellent scavengers and will eat almost everything they come across.
However, it is an inconvenient situation. Not only because they’re stealing your cat’s food but also because they’re an unwelcome nuisance in the broader sense.
The following is a comprehensive guide on How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food? Including what to do if one of your cats’ food bowls is being raided by a possum:
Possums Eating Cat Food: How Dangerous Is It?
Your cat food is no exception to the possums’ fondness of all kinds of food. After discovering a nearby food source, they are likely to keep going back to the bowl all night long to get their fill.
What are the consequences of allowing possums to feast on cat food? He bears the price for his obesity. Plus, what else? Suppose a family of possums return each night to feast on more cat food.
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Possums are adorable creatures with a hardy temperament. But if you get in their way of eating, you’ll quickly become dinner. Natural cat tendencies to guard their food are rendered useless in the face of ravenous possums. There’s a chance that your pet and a tame-looking possum could get into a fight.
As a result, you must learn “How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food?“. Hence, we are here to assist you.
How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food? Things to Know
There are a few things you can do to prevent these cute little rodents from stealing your cat’s food. The following are examples:
#1) Keeping an Eye on Your Cat as They Eat
Possums can be a nuisance, but the best method to keep them at bay is to be out in the open checking on them.
Keeping track of a wild cat’s whereabouts can be difficult if you don’t know when they’ll return.
Possums are more active at night, so this is the first step. The first step is to put food out in the morning, so do that. Bring the dish closer to your home if you’ve built a trusting relationship with the cat.
To get your cat to eat, you should shake or bang the food bowl when you bring it out.
#2) Ensure that the food Isn’t Within Reach of Your Pets
Cats are more agile than opossums. You should locate a location where your cat can access the food bowl, but you cannot.
Perhaps you have a large window sill or a picnic table in your backyard? Take a closer look.
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You may need to be creative and construct a raised station. When the possum sits on the ground below and watches your cat eat, there’s nothing better for him.
#3) Your Yard should be possum-proof
Many people want to keep possums out of their yards, but this could be a little extreme. In addition to damaging plants, they go through garbage containers and scatter debris all over the place.
That’s why I’d recommend making some efforts to keep possums out of your yard at the absolute least. The following are the most efficient methods for accomplishing this:
-> You can use lights or sprinklers
You can use Motion-activated lights and sprinklers to scare away unwanted visitors. Because they are frightening, the animal will not want to return to that location when activated by movement.
-> Hair-gathering for pets
Another method is to gather your pet’s hair in mesh bags after brushing them and distribute it throughout the garden. The fragrance of a prospective predator can stop them from approaching or hovering on your property, therefore preventing them from getting too close.
-> Smells that are overpowering
You can also use a potent odor to get rid of these unwanted and invasive critters.
Are Possums Dangerous to Cats?
I’ve never been terrified of them, at least not in the traditional sense. Sincerely speaking, I think they’re adorable.
They expand their jaws to display their teeth and appear to be about to attack if you’ve ever encountered one.
A bluff to look nasty is what the Humane Society says about their open-mouth, defensive hissing.
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Cats and humans aren’t in danger from them. They have roughly 50 teeth but only bite if they feel threatened or imprisoned.
It is also unlikely that they will spread sickness to others. The hissing and dripping from the mouth is sometimes interpreted as a sign of rabies or another disease.
So, maybe this gives you some reassurance that they pose no significant danger other than taking your cat’s food.
Additional Possum facts
#1) Possums are marsupials.
Pouch-carrying mammals are known for their ability to raise offspring in their pouches. Other marsupial mothers give birth to tiny, undeveloped young (known as joeys) that immediately crawl into a pouch and suckle for the first few months of their lives. Eventually, when they’re large and strong enough, they’ll leave the pouch and go back to living on their mother’s back.
#2) They eat a wide variety of foods.
Small mammals such as mice and rats are also prey for them. It is common to witness them feeding on road deaths, a practice that puts them at risk of becoming road kills themselves.
#3) They are capable of pretending to be dead.
Possums are well-known for their ability to fool predators into thinking they’ve killed or harmed them by acting like they’re dead or hurt. When confronted with danger, they naturally resort to deception by feigning death.
#4) They have the potential to transmit disease.
Toxoplasmosis, Coccidiosis, Trichomonas, and Chagas disease are possible in possums even though they don’t usually transmit the disease. Possum rabies is not one of these diseases. Ticks, mites, and lice are all possibilities. Fleas thrive on them, especially in cities where cats and dogs are ordinary.
FAQs – How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food?
What will repel possums but not cats?
Garlic is effective in repelling opossums based on its smell and taste. Crush garlic cloves and scatter them throughout your yard, or use a spray bottle filled with chopped garlic and water to squirt it on opossum activity hotspots.
Can possums live on cat food?
Poses eat a wide variety of prey, including insects, rodents, and birds that have died. Eggs, frogs, plants, fruits, and grains are just some of the other things they ingest. In addition to dog and cat food, possums consume table scraps.
Will, a possum fight with a cat?
Cats and opossums in their adulthood appear to have an understanding of one another’s respect and leave one other alone. Most of the time, opossums are friendly and won’t harm your pets. If at all feasible, they prefer to flee and avoid conflict.
Conclusion
I hope the above guide will be significantly helpful for you to know How to Keep Possums Away From Cat Food? Possums are beneficial to humans since they eat nuisances like ticks and deadly snakes. On the other hand, cat owners are more concerned about the safety of their pets.
Possums are extremely unlikely to harm a cat. Please keep your pets away from possums and any contact with their excrement.
When possums are most active during the night, this may entail removing food sources like cat food. You can keep cat Food and your property out of the hands of possums by making your home less appealing.
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