What, Lassie? Timmy's in the well?

You need to know I have been attempting to bring a neighborhood thug cat to its knees. He's been lurking around for over a year and has gotten increasingly more aggressive. I bought a trap at Home Depot and put some Jack Mackerel (awful smelly stuff that I found out about on the internet and bought at Publix) in a plastic dish at the back, and set it again last night. (Ever since I got the trap last Saturday, the feline delinquent has only made one very brief appearance, and not in my trap! I suppose it has been so hot, that even he has been lounging supine all day and all night.) I have slowly progressed from cat food, to tuna, to the incredibly smelly mackerel in my attempt to lure him in, though. (Just like the commercial, I set it ..... and forget it.) I'm such a wussy animal lover, though, that even though I'm trying to catch him to send him up the river, after I've baited the trap each morning to catch the little creep, I do place it in the shade so that he won't die of heatstroke if he were captured in it.)

Well, when I went out to get the paper this morning, I noticed that the trap had been sprung! I've made my first capture! Hooray! Boo immediately followed that hooray when I realized that it was a little opossum in the cage and that he had pooped all over everything around him! (Scared the %#@& out of him, I guess.) Bleagh!! But now what to do? Do I call animal control to come get him? He's so cute. Can I get him out of there myself? Will he bite me? Do possums have rabies? Are they mean? He's so cute. What will Animal Control do if they take him? How long will it be til they get here?

Bravery and a heightened sense of independence overcame me, I got a pair of heavy gloves and slowly, quietly, approached the caged animal. With an unusually calm determination, I unlocked the trap and set the door open and stepped back, waaaay back. Lucy hovered in the background. Muffin hid under the bed. Kimmy, as usual, continued sleeping on the couch. (All of us with our own individual elevated senses of anticipation, I guess.)

The little thing scooted out immediately and waddled its way out into the woods to safety. Peace in the valley reigned supreme once again.

I now have to hose down the cage and the surrounding area (remember all the %#@&) and try this all over again. Hopefully, the smelly mackerel will eventually lure the vicious thug into the cage. Or I can just keep the cage out and it, even empty, serves as a signal to the beast that I mean business! Either get into the cage or stay completely away!