CAUTION: SKUNKS!

I think we need a “CAUTION SKUNKS” sign in our back garden!  Some of you may remember a Post of some time ago, which included an incident with a skunk. I was just working in the garden when my neighbor called  “Colin. Don’t move!” Apparently there was a skunk about three feet behind me. What it was doing was presumably done, because it soon turned around and wandered off.

Just recently, odors of skunk have been quite noticeable early in the morning, and my general thought is that there is a family living underneath my neighbor’s shed! That shed is destined to be moved this Spring so that could be an interesting project!

Clearly the local skunks are very “active” at night, which could well be the results of meetings with outdoor cats, and/or the foxes and coyotes that are sharing suburbia with us. (As an aside, I don’t understand the mentality that says it’s okay to let a cat roam around here. Not only is it in contravention of a local by-law, but they are no match for a coyote or a fox, and then we have some quite large birds of prey living overhead in the trees! No wonder missing cats and small dogs  are often never found).

Anyway, our recent freeze/thaw weather has created a lot of ice in our back garden which could well be disastrous for an over-exuberant Ray, so he is leashed for his early morning visit into the garden. I also have two plastic containers on our back porch which are half filled with stones (they make a noise!)

This morning, I put his leash on him and took him outside. The smell of skunk was really strong, which I would assume was the result of some very recent activity! I proceeded to hurl the two containers over to a couple of blind-spots in the garden, and then controlled Ray as he went over to find his “comfort spot” for the morning!

All was well! Ray’s feet slid a few times (as did mine), and we did not see a skunk. Life was much simpler before Ray moved in! 🙂

16 thoughts on “CAUTION: SKUNKS!”

  3. Life is always simpler, the house is always cleaner, and everything is more boring without children whether 2 or 4 legged. Oh, and remember an ionizer if Ray should ever get sprayed.

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  5. But not near as much fun. Just this week I noticed the early morning aroma of nocturnal skunk visits. We have bird feeders so I assume they clean out underneath. We back up to a water retention basin that is wild (as in not mowed) and there is a lot of cover for critters. My old cat Jake (deceased) got a mild something. It wasn’t real strong so he couldn’t have been sprayed but perhaps walked through a recently sprayed area. It took a few days to dissipate. Agree with you on any pet running loose. I no longer have cats that go outdoors and my life is a whole lot easier and with a lot less worries. When you put your heart and soul (and money) into a pet, you don’t want to lose them over something that can be prevented. Jake had his fair share of almost encounters with foxes. Now our cats watch them from inside.

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