re: Girlfriend's cat got in a fight with an opossum

And those cases are extremely rare. Their benefits far outweigh that rare risk. I get why people don't like them, but a lot of it is misleading.

From Terminix:

As a homeowner, you may see opossums as unwanted pests, but they can also be helpful critters. Having opossums around can be beneficial because they are known to eat harmful insects and annoying pests such as cockroaches, rats and snakes. In fact, a single opossum can eat up to 5,000 ticks a year, as found by the Environmental Institute of Houston.