Crows scavenging carcasses -- wild animals versus pets

Factual Questions
1

I’ve noticed on the roads near my house recently a couple of poor pets that ended up as roadkill. The carcasses have been there for several days unmolested by scavenging crows. Then yesterday, an opossum became road kill near one of the pets (guess I know what he was up to). And before the day was over crows were hopping in and out of traffic to pick at the opossum while a few yards away lay the dead house cat, which was far enough away from the edge of the road that the crows could have picked at it without having to dodge traffic.

Is there any reason these crows seemed to prefer the wild animal to the pet?

2

Could have been because of how intact the carcass was left after the animal was hit. If the hide of the opossum was split and the guts were exposed, it would have been easier for the crows to get at them. If the cat’s skin was mostly intact, the crows would had a harder time getting at the insides. (Also, long-haired pets could be more difficult to deal with as well.)

I have never noticed scavenger birds to make any distinction between wild roadkill and pets.

3

I hadn’t considered that, the opossum was cracked open pretty good.