Of late, we heard some strange noises in the attic.  Over the past two years, our attic has become a birthing center for mother cats.  Hubby had even bought a cat trap so we could catch the mother cats and take them to the animal shelter.

The strange noises were quite irritating.  My daughters thought the noises were really spooky and find it too early still to celebrate Halloween. So, hubby climbed up the attic to have a look. It was quite dark up in the attic and with the flashlight, he saw something that looks like a cat. But then, he said it could be a “Musang” (commonly used term for civet cat).

He set the cat trap as how he normally does.  And last night, we heard a loud ‘trap’ sound. And lo and behold, that’s indeed a Musang!.  It looks rather catlike in appearance and it has a thickly furred long tail, small ears, and a pointed snout. 

This is also the animal that produces the most expensive coffee in the world.  In Indonesia these animals are known as “Luwaks“. If you have been to Indonesia,  I’m sure you have heard of “Kopi Luwak“.  It is also called cat poop coffee.  This coffee is said to have been produced from the coffee beans which have been digested by the Luwak or civet cat.  The price for a single cup of Kopi Luwak runs $35 to $80 and a one-pound bag of beans costs $100 to $600.

I have not tried this famous poop coffee because I am not willing to spend $35 or more for a cup of coffee. And I don’t think I would ever try it after reading the article in the national geographic.

This morning hubby called the Wildlife Department to come rescue this Musang.  It’s a protected species and we better not think of keeping it as a pet or to use it to produce poop coffee, because should the authorities find out we could be slapped with a fine of up to $10,000.

So, farewell Musang friend.  It was a pleasure meeting you!

How can we expect wild animals to survive if we give them nowhere in the wild to live?–

 Anthony Douglas Williams