I have possums that regularly come up on my porch to eat any catfood my outside cat does not eat. My cat will set right next to him and watch him eat. I have read possums and cats get along just fine. My question is what are pros and cons of having possums around? Someone said they eat ticks and I also read they cannot contract rabies? I try to remember to pick up my cats food bowl at night and bring it in the house but I don't always remember.

Awhile back I had one eating the fish food out of the bag that was in the back of my side by side. I walked up one morning and it played dead in the back of the side by side. So, I hauled it off a mile or so away as it layed there. Dumped it out and within a day it was back.

I would avoid attracting them with food, but otherwise leave them alone since they eat ticks. They can become a nuisance by getting into thinks and making nests where you don't want them. They also have sharp teeth and smell bad.

I don’t mind them around til they get into the garden and put the hurt on the tomatoes..... even put an electric fence around it

I'm with Pat. ^^ I think Id rather have the ticks. take a bite out of every tomato, I wouldnt mind them eating one if they hungry but have a hard time tolerating them ruining every tomato. they cleaned out my grape arbor in one night several years in a row before I wised up and was ready for them the next year.

Ge I don’t want the ticks either but I just try to keep those poor possums out of the garden , other than that I have no problem with them doing what they do. Coons are another big problem

They also eat all venomous snakes. They are immune to the venom.

Not only do they eat ticks but other animals, such as deer, will allow possums to clean them of ticks.

Down here in SE Texas we have lots of ticks, probably because we have so many deer. I pick them off daily.

I used to be butt deep in ticks. Then we had a 4 year drought that eliminated them and chiggers.

I like having possums around. They'll make a mess of your tomato patch, but in general they don't cause much trouble.
They're known to eat a lot of ticks, and they help the vultures clean up dead critters.

My dog loves to play with them. There's been a big male possum coming around about once a week since January.
The dog catches him, then she wallers the dickens out of him and drops him on the porch by the front door.
He must not mind it terribly, or maybe he's in training for possum MMA, because he keeps coming back for more.

Gotta love the critters. Constant search for food. I thought I was planting enough for them and me too but discovered it doesn't work that way. They eat everything before anything is ripe and if there is a surplus, they just make more critters.