Eric Herlein’s grandmother is a very loving grandmother.

That’s why she regularly feeds stray cats who live near her Kansas home.

She even set them up with tiny little beds and food inside of her porch.

And once in a while, she lets them come inside to spend time with her.

But one day, one of her furry friends gave her quite a surprise.

She had been taking care of this “kitty” for months before she finally realized that he wasn’t a kitty at all.

It was Herlein who finally discovered that grandma’s cat was actually an opossum.

Herlein came to visit grandma and met grandma’s typical group of strays there.

Herlein did a double take when he spotted an odd-looking stray that was snuggled up in a tiny bed.

Grandma told him that the “kitty” was one of her regulars named Tete.

“She reassured me it was one of her cats,” Herlein said. “I told her it wasn’t what she thought it was.”

Herlein had to point out the opossum’s unique facial features and how they weren’t cat-like. Grandma was confused and Herlein had himself a very good laugh.

“She didn’t realize what I was laughing about until I started pointing out the pointy nose and skinny tail. She didn’t realize he wasn’t a cat,” Herlein said.

Grandma was in shock for a moment before taking a closer look at Tete.

She came up with a big grin on her face. She decided that she would let Tete stay regardless since he hasn’t “bothered” her yet.

In addition to grandma, the cats also accepted Tete as one of their own.

Herlein believes that Tete may have been orphaned since he was just a baby when he first arrived.

So, he probably looked more like a kitten when he first arrived.

According to the Opossum Society of the United States, opossums often become orphaned after their mom dies.

Sometimes they fall from her back or are separated in other ways. Orphaned opossums require rehabilitation or someone to raise them.

Opossums that are less than 7 inches long from top to bottom are considered to be too young to be on their own.

Experts advise that you should reach out to wildlife rehabilitators if you come across an orphaned opossum.

Tete considers himself to be one of the cats. He’s very friendly and enjoys sitting on the porch with his kitty gang. He’s just wary of being petted by humans.

So, Tete is still a part of grandma’s porch gang. Despite her newfound knowledge of him.

Grandma might even find that he’s even more special now. Herlein shared his story on social media where it went viral and was picked up by several media outlets. Many applauded grandma for her kindness in taking the strays in.

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Source: The Dodo, Ducky312, LoveMeow, Opossum Society of the United States