Tanner got sprayed by a skunk this weekend. I've known that skunks have been in the neighborhood for some time. Just a few days before this encounter, I stumbled upon a skunk in the garage, eating food meant for the local stray cats. And a mere hour or so before the incident this Friday night, I was going to the gym, and saw the skunk skulking around in front of the garage door. Adorable looking guy, very sweet, if I didn't have to worry about Tanner getting a snoutful of nastiness, I'd gladly let him stay in our yard. When I got home, Tanner was agitated, like there was something in the backyard. So I looked outside, to see if I could see a skunk lurking around the periphery, but didn't see anything, and let Tanner out. He, of course, makes a bee-line to the skunk, brazenly sitting smack tab in the middle of the yard. I see Tanner snip at him, and I see Tanner quickly turn tail and saunter into the house, head held low. It takes a few seconds for the odor to hit me, but he was definitely skunked. I don't think it was a direct hit, because the smell was not as overpowering as I expected. But it was unpleasant. And Tanner immediately spread it throughout the house.

Looking online, it seemed that baking soda and hydrogen peroxide was the preferred treatment, so we tried that, and it helped a little. The next day, I went to the pet stores and eventually found some deskunking agent, which helped a bit more. But Tanner still stinks. In fact, on Saturday, the entire house stunk like hell. Fortunately, we seem to have almost gotten the smell out of the house, and now it's only really noticable when you get some face time with Tanner. I'll give him another treatment or two with the anti-skunk spray, and another bath or two, and hopefully the smell will dissipate more. But I imagine he'll have a hint of skunk for some time.

As for the skunk, when I went outside later to clear the yard so Tanner could go potty, I saw the skunk scurry through a hole in the fence. The next day, I blocked off that hole, and stacked some bricks where it looks like he was coming around from behind the shed. I hope that, along with the fear Tanner put into him, will keep the skunk away. And needless to say, no more food out for the cats at night. They'll have to eat while I'm out there to supervise. Which is probably a good thing; Sable hasn't been around like she used to be, so I think the skunk might have been chasing her out.