My mom shared this with me and said I could share it with you.

My folks live on a farm with woods in their backyard. It’s not uncommon for random wild animals to show up in their yard or on their doorstep. They knew that a possum regularly visits their outdoor cat’s food bowl because my dad has caught it in the act several times. One time he opened the door and surprised it so much that it fell over and almost ran into the house. Normally, though, it just runs around to the opposite side of the house and waits for my folks to leave.

One night this week when my dad opened the front door the possum, in its hurry to escape and hide, ran up what it probably thought was a tree growing on the front porch but was, in fact, a walking stick. Nevertheless, it ran up to the end of the stick and proceeded to “play possum.” When my mom walked out it was still there and remained there as she stood looking at it. When my dad came out next to my mom to take pictures, it was still there. When they walked over to the van and got in, it was still there. As they drove down their street, they looked back and, yes, it was still there. But it was gone when they returned a couple hours later. But the cat food was gone. Smart possum.