possum type thing (or your equivalent)
It will probably be very pissed off, if you have an old towel and big gloves you could try and get the tin off it’s head but that’s very much at your own risk.
Google wild animal rescue or similar to see if anyone is on duty, your local vets may be able to point you in the right direction.
Story – I got back from the park this evening a little after dusk. I went around the back of the house to the patio to let the cats in as they had been out for the evening. As I’m walking, I see some sort of shape moving past on the ground. The cats see it too, and they are real interested in whatever it is! It moves into the shrubs, and I shoo the cats inside. I go in the house, get a flashlight, turn on the floodlights, and go back out. Whoops, missed a cat! Which is sort of good because he’s pointing toward whatever it is. And he’s the big, slow orange cat that is easy to catch, not the little black one that you can’t find in the dark! So, grab big cat and put in the house. And investigate shat it is.
It’s way too slow to be a cat, and it’s not barking so not a dog. The animal is walking, not hopping like a rabbit. It’s not black and white and smelly, so not a skunk. It doesn’t have a rat like tail, so not an opossum. I get a garbage can that I use for leaves and sticks in the yard, and use a stick to get him into the can. After the obligatory photos, I put on leather work gloves and grab the can, hoping that it will pull off its head. The aminal comes up with the can. Try a couple more times, same result.
Then I remember that my neighbor volunteers at an animal shelter and walks the dogs there. Go next door in the dark, ring the doorbell. Her shelter only deals with dogs and cats, she suggests calling a 24 hr vet in the area for ideas. I go back to the can, put the gloves back on, and give it another try. I pick him up by the can, and give it a pretty good shake down. SUCCESS!
A small groundhog. I roll the can on its side after more photos. He scampers off.
Canned groundhog meat…I’ll bet that it would be popular in West Virginia! 😀
He wouldn’t have starved, lack of water would have got him first. Its been real hot (90 F) here for the past week and will continue through the weekend at least.
*Dude, where’s your can? The one you wears on yer head that scares away all dem cats?*
“Man, I jus got mugged, strollin along mindin mah own business, stoopid cats couldnt touch me and then all sudden like this real big, real uuugly mother grabs mah can and shakes it right off me”
*Goodam, dem hoomans is jus a mean teifing bunch of….*
I’ll bet that the can was a dare. Another groundhog said “I’ll bet that you can’t lick the bottom of the inside of that can.” Then the others laughed like crazy when his head got stuck!
The odd thing is that it was an old rusty can. I would understand if it was a can with some food left in the bottom. But that wasn’t the case here.
Posted 10 years ago
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