I had just finished my nightly routine when a heard a gurgle in the toilet. My first thought was "big plumbing bill coming up" because that toilet is the end of the line in our house. Then I saw something moving in the toilet. A possum, about 6" long plus tail, was swimming in the toilet! DH used kitchen tongs to put the little guy in a trash can and release it outside, assisted by our very excited dog. I found the heaviest books I could find and put them on the closed toilet lid in case our swimmer had been playing chase with his siblings.
We released the little guy because possums eat lots of bugs and they are harmless. We figure he was chasing bugs down the vent and slid down, or he was after water. It did take a little while to go to sleep that night.
I used to feed my friend's cat when they left town. I learned to open the freezer and check some ice cubes. Melted ice cubes let you know if the refrigerator or freezer lost power for a period of time. Look under the sink and check for water..pipes do break. And lift the lids and check on the toilets. My friends came home to a dead squirrel in the toilet.