Rockin' the Suburbs

Someone trained our dog Steve to bark her head off at the Opossums that come up on the front stoop during the day, which, if you’re not ready for it, will cause heart palpitations and loss of bladder control. Our little thirty pound shelter dog was persuaded by my daughter that possums are fun to bark at. And in her own way, my daughter likes to torment the possums as well--with cameras and dangling a stuffed possum from upstairs’ windows.

POSSUM!!

But why are we being visited during the day by wild, though decidedly suburban, possums? Because like many other people out there, my wife’s tender-hearted attempt at helping feral cats has spilled over into feeding wild animals as well. And while seeing possums feeding on our stoop is an up close and thrilling encounter, part of me knows better.


After a quick check online, I decided that this time of year, an opossum, which isn’t likely to carry rabies, though it is possible, is supposedly more active during the day because he’s looking for love. And what better way to fuel up for the ladies than a quick bite of  Meow Mix courtesy of my wife and the not-my-cats that never clean their plate. But the two male possums that are enjoying the buffet are the only wild animals we actually see, and I wonder what else has been stopping by.

Obviously, feeding wild animals isn’t the goal of anyone who puts out food for stray, usually-domesticated animals and it isn’t a good idea according to Perry Sumner, the Section Manager for Surveys and Research for Wildlife Diversity at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC). He says the act of feeding strays only makes the animals even more dependant on us humans--both the strays and the wild animals.


“Cats, in particular, destroy birds and all kinds of wildlife. Cats are going to hunt no matter how much you feed them,” he says which I can vouch for having seen my wife and daughter gifted dead trophies from the not-my-cats and the one reformed stray we picked up which, though we all know better, enjoys indoor/outdoor status. By the way, the cats we have lolling about the house have all been neutered as payment for their movable feast.

Sumner says it isn’t illegal to feed wild animals either by choice, or like my family, accidentally, but he says when you do so, it’s to invite all kinds of animals to your door. Feeding wild animals is just about impossible to avoid when food is left outside. The usual suspects here in the piedmont are possums, raccoons, red and grey foxes, and  coyotes. Elsewhere in the state and you run the risk of attracting black bears and bobcats--imagine that.


And while Sumner speaks for the NCWRC, which is the state agency designed to protect and manage our wildlife, Debbie Moss, an Animal Welfare Manager at the Humane Society has a similar take on the inevitability of feeding wild populations but with a more kitty-friendly take. She agrees that one can’t keep wild animals from dipping from the same well, but also realizes that people are going to feed stray animals nonetheless.


Both recognize the risks involved with maintaining a food source for multiple animals no matter the species. Foremost is the risk of rabies when animals are “eating out of the same bowls and sharing food,” says Moss. And that’s what my biggest fear is as well watching Mr. Possum drool happily into the bowl of cat food as he scoops it all up until he notices Steve’s frantic, nose-pressed-to-glass stares and barks. No one wants to swap spit with him I’d wager.


However, Moss suggests a committed watch over our outdoor freeloaders even up to point when we‘re dealing with an outdoor, feral “colony“. For me, that conjures up a sense of overwhelming numbers which doesn’t apply to us except for her sage advice which is to maintain rabies vaccinations for your pets and the ones you want to help and feed. But for Moss and her coworkers it’s just another day at the office.


Moss says, “in a perfect world“, us feeders would trap these stray cats and whisk them away to our veterinarian’s for, first and foremost, rabies vaccinations, and then, if we could swing it, spaying and neutering. Of course, that doesn’t apply to wild animals, but vaccinating the animals you feed would alleviate some of the risk of raising a colony of rabies vectors.


So what can be done to avoid feeding local, suburban wild oddities? Sumner, our Wildlife biologist suggests not to feed strays at all. Easy to say, but hard to do when faced with emaciated animals in your neighborhood. But both he and Moss offer the same common sense approach to mitigating what I see is a problem--creating dependant wild animals.


First thing we can do, according to Moss, is to get your strays on a schedule. Feed them when you can monitor them and make sure they aren’t sharing with coyotes or others. Also, since many of the species we’re feeding inadvertently are nocturnal, both Moss and Sumner suggest bringing in left over food before dark. 


That may not keep amorous and diurnal possums from finding your feed bag like they have at our house no matter what time of day. But you could train the strays to chow down in the AM as you get ready for work, school, or life and then take the leftovers back inside until you get home and can keep an eye on the bowl until sunset.


Moss also suggests raising the food and water bowls to a height that would discourage larger, dog-like predators from gaining access. Naturally this won’t discourage smaller, clingier and climbing varmints from raiding the till, yet it’ll make things easier on your back and discourage foxes and such.


So while it might be thrilling to see wild animals just a glass pane’s thickness away, it probably isn’t a good idea for your “colony” of strays and definitely not for the animals who otherwise should fear us and avoid us for their own good. Plus, it drives your tubby house-dog crazy!