Sookie, Dillo & Furry Thing

The month of July was the hottest recorded here in Florida and August seems to be heading the same way - it has not only been hot but VERY humid and Mom refuses to take us out in it - she says she worries us over heating - bah humbug we say!  Now to make things worse - Mom herself has started walking again - she is already doing 3-5 miles a day and goes out very early in the morning to miss the worse of the heat. At this time of morning she has also come across some interesting creatures - the first one is "Sookie Cat" - Mom says every morning this little cat comes running over to her to have its head scratched - she says it is the friendliest cat she has ever come across. She also sees "Dillo" most mornings - he or she is an Armadillo and is often scratching around in peoples lawns looking for bugs to chomp -  Mom often walks within feet of it and it doesn't seem to take any notice of her. The last critter Mom calls "Furry Thing" - this critter is a little more elusive and Mom hasn't been able to get a good picture of it yet as she usually sees it right at dusk. The weird thing is - it looks just like an armadillo, same size and shape and moves like an armadillo but it is furry and has a slightly bushy tail. Dad thinks maybe it is a muskrat as there are lots of lakes around where we live. Mom has seen it close up and it says it definitely isn't a possum or raccoon.  Now don't you think if she took us with her on these walks that we would be able to scare check out these creatures for her???