On Possums and Cats
by Elizabeth Trent

I have this big sign out front (not visible to humans)...that says 'sucker' over my front door.  This must be true, otherwise, every feral cat and creature in the neighborhood wouldn't stop by Liz's Kitty Boutique and Day Spa (my official name for my front porch).
 
Year before last, I noticed this possum on my porch railing.  I named her Pauline.  She would climb up the rose bush and hang out at night.  She was so tame and so friendly.  I was worried about her - I checked all her little feet and her fur to see if she was hurt because I just didn't think it was natural for a possum to be so unafraid. 
 
I did some research online and found the National Opossum Society and gave them a call.  One of their experts called me and talked to me for about 45 minutes.  I sent pictures so she could see if there was anything to be concerned about.  She told me that Pauline had just come to trust me and that she felt safe there.  She told me to feed her bananas because they just don't get enough potassium in their diet....also to feed her cheese so she would get enough calcium.  She told me not to be surprised if Pauline had babies nearby.
 
Pauline won't eat out of my hand but she comes very close.  She will sniff the food in my hand and if I set it in front of her, she will eat it.  She loves bananas and cheese...loves any kind of fruit.
 
In time, Pauline came to trust me so much that she would let me pet her!  I don't recommend this with just any possum as they have 50 very sharp teeth and their bite is every bit as dangerous as a feral cat's.  When friends, neighbors, or family would come to visit - they would just freak when I pointed out my "pet possum", Pauline.  They just wouldn't notice her there at first and couldn't believe how friendly she was.
 
Last year, Pauline had two babies -- Pierre and Pinkerton.  They are very trusting too and they like to hang out on the porch and love it when I give them treats.
 
Mama Kitty stays on the porch a lot - she doesn't mind in the slightest if they help themselves to her food.  One night last winter, I opened the door an startled one of the younger possums.  He jumped right in the cat bed with Mama Kitty LOL  Neither one of them seemed to mind the other.

   

If it should be that I grow frail and weak,
and pain should keep me from my sleep,
then you must do what must be done,
for this, the last battle, can't be won.

You will be sad, I understand.
Don't let the grief then stay your hand.
For this day more than all the rest,
your love and friendship stand the test.

We've had so many happy years,
what is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;
when the time comes, please let me go.

Take me where my needs they'll tend,
and stay with me, if you can, to the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me,
until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time, you will see,
it is a kindness you do for me.
Although my tail its last was waved,
from pain and suffering I've been saved.

Don't grieve that it should be you,
who must decide this thing to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years,
don't let your heart hold any tears.

Smile...
for we walked together for a little while.

Author Unknown

On a Cat Aging

He blinks upon the hearth-rug,
and yawns in deep content,
accepting all the comforts
that Providence has sent.

Louder he purrs, and louder,
in one glad hymn of praise
for all the night's adventures,
for quiet, restful days.

Life will go on for ever,
with all that cat can wish:
warmth and the glad procession
of fish and milk and fish.

Only-the thought disturbs him-
he's noticed once or twice,
the times are somehow breeding
a nimbler race of mice.

Alexander Gray

The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?

William Butler Yeats

Kittens! Kittens!
Kittens kittens everywhere
Kittens chewing on my hair
Kittens climbing up my jeans
Kittens hanging from the screens
There's a kitten on each shoulder
Will they do this when they're older?

Kittens fighting on the chairs
Kittens tumbling down the stairs
There's a kitten on my head
There's a kitten in the bread!
There's a kitten in my shoe
I don't believe we just have two!

Author Unknown or William Wordsworth

The Cat and the Moon

The cat went here and there
and the moon spun round like a top,
and the nearest kin of the moon,
the creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
for, wander and wail as he would,
the pure cold light in the sky
troubled his animal blood.

Minnaloushe runs in the grass
lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
what better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
tired of that courtly fashion,
a new dance turn.

Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
from moonlit place to place,
the sacred moon overhead
has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
will pass from change to change,
and that from round to crescent,
from crescent to round they range?

Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
alone, important and wise,
and lifts to the changing moon
his changing eyes.

William Butler Yeats

Cat's Prayer

I hope I'm not asking too much, Lord;
All I want is a home of my own,
And to know when my next meal is coming
Instead of the scraps I get thrown.

I've been out in the cold for so long now,
Just coping as best as I can;
But it's not been so long I've forgotten
The touch of a soft caring hand.

I look in house windows at Christmas,
As cats doze by the fire, quite replete;
How I'd welcome a box in the kitchen,
And tasty food for me to eat.

For me there was tinsel and giftwrap,
But the fun didn't last very long.
They put me outside with the rubbish;
I still don't know what I did wrong.

I really don't want to be greedy;
At the moment I'm all skin and bone,
So would it be too much to hope for
That someone will give me a home?

Author Unknown

When God Made Cats

When God made the world, He chose to put animals in it, and decided to give each whatever it wanted. All the animals formed a long line before His throne, and the cat quietly went to the end of the line. To the elephant and the bear He gave strength, to the rabbit and the deer, swiftness; to the owl, the ability to see at night, to the birds and the butterflies, great beauty; to the fox, cunning; to the monkey, intelligence; to the dog, loyalty; to the lion, courage; to the otter, playfulness. And all these were things the animals begged of God. At last he came to the end of the line, and there sat the little cat, waiting patiently. "What will YOU have?" God asked the cat.

The cat shrugged modestly. "Oh, whatever scraps you have left over. I don't mind."

"But I'm God. I have everything left over."

"Then I'll have a little of everything, please."

And God gave a great shout of laughter at the cleverness of this small animal, and gave the cat everything she asked for, adding grace and elegance and, only for her, a gentle purr that would always attract humans and assure her a warm and comfortable home.

But he took away her false modesty.

Lenore Fleischer

"Of all God's creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat." - Mark Twain

"I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior." - Hippolyte Taine

When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not passing time with me rather than I with her? - Montaigne

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." - Anonymous 

"Cats are kindly masters, just so long as you remember your place."- Paul Gray

There are no ordinary cats. - Colette

"Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" - Theophile Gautier

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow." - Jeff Valdez

"There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats." - Unknown

"Of all domestic animals the cat is the most expressive. His face is capable of showing a wide range of expressions. His tail is a mirror of his mind. His gracefulness is surpassed only by his agility. And, along with all these, he has a sense of humor." - Walter Chandoha

"A cat's eyes are windows enabling us to see into another world." - Irish Legend

"Anyone who has accustomed himself to disregard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives."  Albert Schweitzer

 Some people believed that if a cat washes its face and paws in the parlor, company's coming. 

If a cat continually looks out a window on any day, rain is on the way. 

A black cat seen from behind  a bad omen. 

A stray tortoise shell cat  bad omen

Sailors used cats to predict the voyages they were about to embark upon. Loudly mewing cats meant that it would be a difficult voyage. A playful cat meant that it would be a voyage with good and gusty winds. 

Some people believe that cats are able to see the human aura, the energy field that surrounds each of us. 

A cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means bad weather is coming. 

A cat sneezing once means there will be rain. 

If a cat sneezes three times, the family will catch a cold

A sneezing cat is a sign of future wealth. 

A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. - Italian superstition 

If there is a cat washing on the doorstep, the clergy will visit - American folklore 

When the pupil of a cat's eye broadens, there will be rain. - Welsh superstition

If you find a white hair on a black cat, you will have good luck. 

A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. - Scottish superstition

Tortoiseshell cats were believed to be able to see into the future and could give the gift to a lucky child in the household. 

Sailors believed that if a cat licked its fur against the grain it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was on the way; and if it was frisky, the wind would soon blow.