Claudia Hankin was enjoying a relaxing evening with a good book on her porch, and a cute cat nearby caught her eye. Claudia is not overly concerned, because many stray cats tend to hang out near her house.

Hankin doesn’t wear her glasses when she reads, so the cat she was cooing at was definitely a little blurry. She put them back on in order to see her new friend — and was shocked to discover who she’d been trying to befriend.

Claudia quickly grabbed her phone to take some pics of her late-night guest. But as soon as the flash went off, the possum took off into the night.

So, how did Claudia feel about her surprise visitor? “I wasn’t actually scared at all, as possums are harmless and very sweet, helpful neighbors,” she said.

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

Even though Hankin had been shocked to discover the possum wasn’t a cat after all, she still appreciated the company. “I wasn’t actually scared at all, as possums are harmless and very sweet, helpful neighbors,” Hankin said.

“[But] I would have been mightily startled if I’d realized it was a wild animal WHILE I was petting it.” Luckily both Hankin and the possum avoided that jarring moment,

and perhaps the possum will come back one night to say hi again now that she knows she’s welcome any time — as long as she’s honest about who she is.