Claudia Hankin was unwinding on her porch with a captivating book when a charming cat caught her attention nearby. Given the frequent presence of stray cats in her vicinity, Claudia wasn’t overly alarmed by its presence.

Not wearing her glasses while engrossed in her reading, Claudia’s vision of the cat was undoubtedly a bit fuzzy. However, upon putting her glasses back on to get a clearer view of her new feline acquaintance, she was in for a startling revelation.

Claudia swiftly reached for her phone, eager to capture some snapshots of her unexpected nocturnal visitor. However, as soon as the flash illuminated the scene, the possum darted off into the darkness of the night.

Reflecting on her encounter, Claudia shared her sentiments about the surprise visitor. “I wasn’t actually scared at all,” she remarked, “as possums are harmless and very sweet, helpful neighbors.”

“But I would have been mightily startled if I’d realized it was a wild animal WHILE I was petting it.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen!

Despite the initial shock of discovering that the possum wasn’t a cat after all, Claudia Hankin still found herself appreciating the unexpected company. “I wasn’t actually scared at all,” she reiterated, “as possums are harmless and very sweet, helpful neighbors.”

“[But] I would have been mightily startled if I’d realized it was a wild animal WHILE I was petting it.” Fortunately, both Hankin and the possum sidestepped that potentially jarring moment. Perhaps the possum will return one night to say hello again, now that she knows she’s welcome anytime—as long as she’s honest about her true identity.