That wasn’t a cat the size of a rat you just saw. It was probably an opossum, the only marsupial in Illinois and all of North America.
How to identify opossums
Opossums have gray fur tipped with gray or black, long narrow snouts with 50 sharp teeth, pink noses and bare ears that are black inside. Their best-known feature is the tail, nearly as long as the body and almost hairless.
Habits and lifestyle
Opossums have adapted well across Northern Illinois, especially Cook, Kane, DuPage, Lake and McHenry counties. They’re nocturnal, so you’re most likely to see one at night.
They’re naturally passive and evasive. Confronted, they’ll bare their teeth and hiss, and if that doesn’t work they “play possum,” playing dead and sometimes releasing a foul green fluid.
Opossums don’t build shelters. They move into existing ones like sheds, old buildings and the space under patios. They’re omnivorous scavengers that eat insects, berries, plants, worms, bird eggs, frogs and roadkill.
Why it matters
Opossums aren’t an immediate health hazard, but they do carry parasites and other diseases, and they get into garbage, bird feeders, pet food, garages and sheds.
How we handle opossums
We’re licensed, highly trained nuisance wildlife professionals. We remove opossums humanely, then find and seal the way in so the next one can’t follow. See animal trapping and animal proofing for how that works. Deck and shed screening keeps them from moving back in.