Terryr, why are you saying it? Obviously, you don't know anything about opossums. I'm sure they were dead. There is no way an opossum will "play dead" for 24 hours. A 6" baby wouldn't even know how to play dead. They don't know who or what to be afraid of. I have seen many adult opossums playing dead after they had been confronted by my dog. They will come back to life within hour and even in the presence of a human (but not a dog!!!) . Chilled babies can look dead, but you can bring them back to life if you place them in warm water,with the head up (if it's not to late and they are still alive). After 24 hours the body will become "stiff" and a little hard if it's dead. If it's soft and floppy, it could be alive. Also, a dead animal will be cold to the touch. Less than a 7" baby should be with it's mother. Without the mother they will die quickly from dehydration and from exposure (even in warm weather - they can't control there body heat at this point.) Mother-opossum's will not return for lost babies, even if she is alive. So leaving 6" babies where they were would not be a good idea. Please, check the link bellow.

The only situation where I can imagine Domestic cats killing 1 or 2 birds per year, is a domestic cat that is kept indoors virtually all year, or in an area where the bird life has been devestated. My cat had ample and constant access to food, but still managed to kill more birds than I could tolerate (hence no new cats after Dinah passed on), and they were only the birds I saw - could have been plenty I didn't see. Also cats do not just kill to eat - female cats tend to do this as a natural survival instinct, but male cats kill for the sheer pleasure, and often do not consume their kill. Bacteria from birds? I never heard that one on 5 years of vet school and many years of practice! What cats get from birds and small mammals, that is good for their guts, is roughage, in the form of fur and feathers. They need this far more than dogs. I once attended several tigers from one of the circuses that go round the states. They were ailing because they were being fed only raw meat, and were getting no roughage from fur in their diets. You can satisfy your cat's need for this by giving it an unskinned rabbit or letting it eat dead mice or rats. THEN - de worm it because it will have picked up worm larvae from the mice (and birds if it eats them). I think people will go a fair way towards solving the problem in the next few years, because, sadly, fur is back in vogue. Have you noticed all the fur coats and furry collars in shops. Mostly just synthetic of course. Back in the 70's we, and many neighbours) lost a cat to a fur trapper - mostly tortoiseshell, and I knew of many people who were losing dogs - black and white ones in particular. The people doing the killing were fussy about colours and types - no doubt to satisfy their market.

lady of the bats We feel your pain. I am currently facing the three horsemen of the apocalyse: Deer, Wallaby and Yowie. If it wasn't for the kind words of encouragement from the forum-mongers, Uncle Remiggio and I would have long ago surrendered. I won't bore you with the long history or soul-crushing defeats, outright routings and dismal failures we have had to contend with, but believe me, my Ice Berg roses will never be the same again and Uncle Remiggio still has a slight limp and one eye is more askew than socially acceptable. Be advised, don't waste time exploring the various solutions on offer - their is no chemical, device, detector, emmitter or philosophy that has any effect on these creatures (I include possums as a potential fourth horeseman). Their is one and only one solution - extermination. After months of research - literally weeks spent acting and thinking like animals, Uncle Remiggio and I have engaged in a ruthless guerilla war determined to eliminate the foe or die trying. You will be abused. You will be reviled. The percieved cuteness of the possum is seem by many as more than enough reason to allow them to eat your plants and defecate on your Ice-bergs - but be strong - kill - kill - kill. Please note that any comments in defence of "native" animals will be ignored vigorously.

New Dawn is viciously thorny, and repeats, but as Jackie says, not sure it would deter them. I had got rid of my possums with a sonic deterrent - Campanula poo- pooed this, but it worked for me. Was without them for 3 years. But my daughter works and volunteers for Wires, and one of the babies she was minding escaped, and has obviously survived, as my fenceline is now being munched. One thing it doesn't seem to like is Solanum Wendlandii, which is available from Diggers. It's thorny, vigorous and evergreen. I tried to post a photo of it that is on the Digger's site, but it didn't work.