I heard a thump on the back door this evening and looked out and saw the big fat skunk voraciously wolfing down Meow Mix and feral black kitty on the end of the deck looking alarmed. Then the skunk charged black kitty and the cat fled. The skunk returned to the cat dish.
I cracked open the door and told the skunk to leave, and was greeted by the end of the skunk no one wants to see up close. The underneath of the huge fluffy tail and a very pink anus aimed directly at myself in the open doorway less than a foot away.
White Kitty appeared and the skunk challenged him.
Enough was enough. I recalled my response to the skunk last fall, and grabbed a pitcher full of cold water and opened the door and tossed the water, and quickly shut the door and looked out the window.
The skunk, alarmed, jumped and FELL off the deck. Only about a two foot drop. Then it stood up and stalked off, tail high, shaking itself vigorously. Oh, if only my camera hadn't been in the car!!! I laughed until tears came. That skunk was so mad, stomping away with a HUGE upraised tail, shaking off the water.
No, it didn't spray. It was too busy getting the heck away from another gush of water.
After I finally stopped giggling (is this an evil side to my persona, or too much bugs bunny as a child?), I went out to the car for my camera. White Kitty was right at the door, purring and sooo happy I chased that skunk away for him! Black kitty was hiding under the deck (he is afraid of white kitty), meowing and meowing.
I put some more dry food out, some under the deck for black kitty, and went in to finish frosting the Firebird's birthday cake.
Just as we were headed upstairs for the night, I looked out and saw this raccoon in the cat bowl. I called the saplings to see and grabbed my camera. I cracked open the door for the second pic. I cropped it strangely, because the raccoon is standing on our "NO GEESE!" sign which we prop on that broken chimney tile to keep the geese from sitting and pooping on the deck all day.
When I shut the door with a soft click, the raccoon fled. Must have sounded like a gunbolt sliding into place. A raccoon was in the chicken pen a week or two ago, so although they look cute, they are not welcome around here!!
A neighbor joked I must have forgotten to put the bowl of cat food out that night and it was hungry. Hmmmm.
Well, once the raccoon ran off, I looked out in a bit and there was black kitty with his face in the bowl.
*edit*
while I was waiting for my coon pix to upload (I am on dialup, snooze), I heard a thump at the back door and went downstairs and saw ANOTHER skunk-this one much smaller than the first at the cat bowl.
I went upstairs, grabbed the cam, opened the door and took a pic. I guess I should have had it on macro setting, since I was holding the cam very close to the skunk's bottom. And hiding behind the door.
Then I repeated the water pitcher trick, and the skunk went the other way with a very wet tail. I didn't laugh this time and felt sort of bad, but hey, it's just water...and it's not too cold out tonight.
