I’ve had cats and dogs in my novels, even a hairless cat, but in The Art of Rivers, I wanted to have a more unusual pet. I asked my good friend who is a veterinarian for suggestions. She had a friend with a possum. (Technically, they are opossums, but in Mississippi with don’t say or spell it that way, ha!) At first, the idea kind of grossed me out. I’d only ever seen the animals on the side of the road, but I decided to interview the owner. After our talk about her Templeton, I had a whole different outlook on these misunderstood American marsupials. I decided to formulate a pet named Phoenix for one of my characters based on her experience.
Here’s a little bit I found out from Templeton’s human mom.
How did you get Templeton?
A dog brought him through someone’s doggie door and she brought him to the vet clinic where I worked. He had a little gash on his front leg that we glued back together. I took him to raise and I’ve had him ever since.
How does he feel? Soft like a cat?
His hair is very soft. It’s actually softer than a cat.
Does he bite or scratch?
He has never bitten anyone nor does he scratch. I keep his nails trimmed down but he is very gentle.
What sounds does he make?
The only sound I have ever heard him make is when his asleep. He snores. He is so domesticated that he doesn’t hiss at anything.
Does he have to stay in a cage when you aren’t home?
He stays in a nice size kennel when I’m gone during the day, but he has a bed and he loves his cover.
He uses a litter box but I take him outside regularly too.
How do you interact with him? Do you have other animals? If so, how do they interact?
He gets out when I get home and wanders around the house. He is actually pretty lazy. I find him asleep a lot. He gets a bath once a week and he loves it. His hands and feet are very soft kind. He loves to be held and he likes to hold onto my thumb when I’m holding him. He lives with the other animals and thinks he’s just like them.
His vision is very poor but his sense of smell is phenomenal. I had him neutered when he was 6 months old which took a lot of the aggression out of him. He knows his name and will come when you call him.
What do you feed him?
He loves to eat. He eats cat food and various fruits. His favorite is strawberries. His little mouth is pink when he finishes with them. He smacks louder than any kid I have ever known.
Does he play dead?
He played possum on me several times and scared me to death because I thought something had happened. He gets in trouble when he does that. Outside of captivity their life span is very short. Like around two years. He does not move very fast at all. He could not survive own his own because he is absolutely spoiled rotten. My whole family just loves him to death. He has been to several of my Christmas gatherings with my family dressed in his Christmas sweater and hat. There will never be another like him. He is the best!!
So do you love possums now too? Sadly, Templeton passed away from pneumonia last spring, but I hope his memory lives on with his family. And I hope my character Phoenix helps remove some of the stigma about the American marsupial :)
What fun animals would you like to see in a novel? Do you have a funny pet story for me?
PS: My novel Magnolia Storms is on sale for 99 cents today!
Mary Preston says
All animals are fun in stories. They add so much.
Renate says
Hi Janet! Delightful blog. I enjoy learning about animals and reading about unusual animals in stories – like Valerie Comer’s goat Pansy and Aubrey Wynne’s pigeon. Also read a story with a tortoise and a rooster. Then Shanna Hatfield in her Friendly Beasts of Faraday series has Lolly the camel, Pete the Donkey, Bacon the puppy, Ivy the cow, Shep the sheep, and Jasper the Dove. A delightful Christmas series from the Nativity animals’ point of view. Our unusual pet was Hermie the hermit crab, who was an escape artist. While on vacation, he crawled out of his wash basin home and my dad who was watching our home was distraught since he could find him. When we returned, we looked all over and no Hermie. One day Hermie crawled out our son’s closet. While Hermie has his shell with him – I was afraid he had dried out and would die. Put him in the sink with some water and back in his wash basin and gave him lots of greens and he lived almost another year. Our Sheltie never knew what to do with Hermie when I let Hermie crawl around on the kitchen floor. The kids were intrigued. Best wishes. Fall weather is in the air.
Paula Marie says
Great post, Janet! I am still going to have to go with a “no” though on a possum for me, hahahaha!! I did enjoy it in your book though!!
Lelia (Lucy) Reynolds says
So cute. Thank you for sharing.
Janet Ferguson says
I think so too, Mary!
Janet Ferguson says
I need to check out all these books!! I love your Hermie story!! Glad he lived!
Happy fall!!
Janet Ferguson says
LOL! I think it has to be a special possum!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!
Janet Ferguson says
You’re welcome, Linda :)
Trudy says
I love books with animals!! I guess it started with Charlotte’s Web. Jeanette Oke had some children’s books that featured animals, and even though I didn’t have kids, I bought them and read them. Then, I loaned them to one of my sisters for her boys. I also have two books, Methuselah’s Gift and Methuselah’s Heart about a raccoon family wanting to know about Jesus. I love animals in “real” stories, too, as animals add so much fun to stories!
Janet Ferguson says
Me too, Trudy! I love Charlotte’s Web! Those sound like great books! Real animals are hilarious!
Merrillee Whren says
Janet, thanks for sharing about an unusual pet. We’ve only had the usual kind, cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, and birds. Right now we are petless. We travel too much to have to deal with finding someone to take care of them while we’re gone, sometimes for weeks.
Janet Ferguson says
Thank, Merrillee! We’ve been pretty normal, but my good friend who is the vet has had some cool pets, including a baby skunk once. It’s fun to see them. Yes, traveling makes it too hard, but I do love to travel!
Ellie says
I really enjoyed this post and now I want a possum! :)
Janet Ferguson says
Thanks! I made me want one too!
Ausjenny says
I forgot to respond her. I love the story of the o’possum and it would be so cool. I would love to see a squirrel in a book. I have seen a few stories of pet squirrels.
I only have cats but they are brats at times.
I know of people here (in Australia) who have had pet Kangaroo’s mostly cos they were injured and can’t be released back into the wild. My Uncle use to have pet birds. Cockatoos, Major Mitchel’s (now that was not a nice bird it use to nip if you got to close to its cage). And other native parrots. He had to have a special license. I loved the Indian Ring Necks.
Janet Ferguson says
Ha! I have bratty cats too :) My friend feed a baby squirrel who’d fallen out of a nest, but eventually it started biting. She taught him how to eat acorns and gradually introduced him to the wild. I would love to see a pet Kangaroo! Birds are beautiful! Not sure I’d like to clean up after them LOL. My cats are bad enough :) Thanks for commenting!
Iola says
That’s a lot cuter than our Australian and Kiwi possums :)
Janet Ferguson says
I’m surprised!