I'm all for hunting game for food but killing a possum just doesn't make any sense. Can someone please explain what damage or harm a possum causes to property? They eat dead animals which helps keep disease from spreading. Their low body temperature makes rabies extremely unlikely. The attempt to breed them probably failed because opossums are very difficult to keep. Their diet is so varied that it's hard to get them the nutrients they need in captivity.
My suggestion is leave the possum alone and keep the cat inside where it belongs. Domestic cats are a completely unnatural predator in the US. It's basically like introducing a tiger on a smaller scale. Unless they are keeping mice and rats out of the barn they belong in the house. They kill millions of song birds annually and are a major contributor to their continual decline in population. Bottom line is the opossum belongs there, the cat doesn't.
Possums also don't stick around one area for long. They might stick around for a few days but then they move on.
from
http://www.opossum.org/discourage.html
# Opossums regularly consume insects, snails, worms, rats, mice, and carrion. They can actually help keep your yard free of these pests.
# They are far less of a health risk to you or your children or pets than nearly any other wild animal. By eliminating the opossums, you may create a niche that will be filled by a less desirable species. Rabies and viral diseases (e.g., distemper) are practically unheard of in the opossum.
# They are exceptionally non-aggressive and non-destructive. They will not dig up your lawn, chew wood or wires, or create burrows. They do not "attack" anything that is not a food source, and is not threatening them. If you keep prey animals such as birds, rodents, or rabbits, you must keep them secure in their enclosures from any wild animal. Adult cats and adult opossums generally get along together, or ignore one another. Dogs are a serious threat to opossums, but not vice versa.
# Just because you see an opossum around does not mean that they are the ones causing your trouble. Opossums are much less secretive than animals that cause damage, and you are more likely to see them, when it is actually another animal doing the deed. It very unusual for them to be the culprits of any damage to property or lawns.
I find that some of the descriptions of the inhumane methods of killing or attempting to kill these non-destructive animals posted on this thread paint a rather disturbing picture of the mental health of the posters. Somehow taking the high road doesn't seem to apply to opossums.
