When Sidney the cat saw his owners come home from holiday, he probably didn't expect to end the day forced into a sudsy bath.
But Sidney was skunked near his False Creek home and Robyn Worcester, conservation programs manager for the Stanley Park Ecology Society, found herself dousing him in the tub.
"My parents' cat was sprayed while they were away," Worcester said. "When they came home their whole house smelled of skunk. They called me over to deal with him."
Although the cat hated the bathing experience, Worcester said a solution of one-quarter cup baking soda, one litre of hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of dish soap got rid of the rank odour.
"After washing the cat, I could still smell the skunk on me for a couple of days," Worcester said.
A skunk's stench is something wildlife services supervisor for the Vancouver park board Mike Mackintosh also experienced first-hand.
Mackintosh's dog took a direct hit from a skunk in his backyard in West Vancouver three weeks ago, and Mackintosh says he's still smelling skunk.
The skunk population, along with other urban wildlife such as coyotes, squirrels and raccoons, appears to be prospering in Vancouver and the surrounding suburbs.
"Certain species [including skunks] are thriving because they're highly adaptable," said Mackintosh. "Skunks are hardscrabble. They will eat carrion, small birds, eggs, meat and fruit."
Despite the stinky encounter, Mackintosh says people shouldn't be afraid of skunks.
"Skunks are really very docile animals and quite interesting characters," Mackintosh said. "If you just let them go about their business everything should be fine."
Skunks are best left alone, and would prefer to spray as little as possible.
"They don't like to use their spray, because it leaves them defenceless. They warn you before. They stamp their feet, they put their tail up and they stare at you before they spray," Worcester said.
Baby skunks, in particular, are more high-strung and nervous as they venture out into the world, so there's more chance of them letting go, Mackintosh said, adding that skunks' litters are getting larger as their food source grows.
"They have few enemies except for humans and automobiles and the manner of their defence offers them a great deal of security," Mackintosh said.
As summer wanes, the skunk population will decrease.
"A very large number of these animals will die over the winter from anything from starvation to exposure to being run over," Mackintosh said.
tsherlock@vancouversun.com
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