Conference misery::feline

    Well I haven't had a cat sprayed....but two years ago (when Van Gogh
    was still feral) I looked on my porch to find Van Gogh eating
    out of one bowl...and a skunk eating out of the other.  I panicked
    and decided to go put the porch light on and maybe it would scare the skunk 
    away.  Well.....the light went on and Van Gogh ran away...the skunk 
    turned and looked at us and continued to eat!!!  Bold little devils!!!
    
    Most of the cats in the neighborhood are "curious" about the skunks...
    but they do stay far enough away. (so far)  
    
    Does tomato juice really work...or is it a old wives tale!!
    
    Sandy
    
                                                         

    sandy, are you suggesting i drink bloody maries if lea gets skunked?
    :^)  
    
    just found out that she's home and she's ok.  still, it would be nice
    to know what to do in the event that it happens some time in the near
    future!

    Cats and skunks -- my limited experience.  
    
    Before the outbreak of the feral population at Nubble Light, my friend
    fed the wild families -- foxes, raccoons, and skunks.  I watched them
    feeding one night...the raccoons came and ate and when they left the
    skunks came and went and when they left the foxes came.  Then all were
    feeding together ... until a cat approached.  When the cat entered the
    picture, all the wild ones ran into the bushes and watched the cat. 
    Until the cat left the yard all you could see was 8 pairs of
    eyes...watching from the bushes.
    
    Tomato juice.  I used it once on a toy poodle.  It seemed to work on
    him, but I wasn't impressed.  The side-effect was almost as bad as the
    skunk smell, though much funnier.  Little Pete was a white poodle --
    after his tomato juice bath he was bright orange.  We called him
    pizza face, spaghetti head, and other undignified things for weeks.
    
    Your vet probably has bottled stuff ($$) that's supposed to take the
    smell out.  And I've heard of a vet recommending (because that's what
    he used) Massengil douche -- powdered, mix-your-own variety.
    
    Jo-Ann

    Cheryl...if Lea gets skunked....just drink 15 bloody maries...so
    you can't smell a thing!!!
    
    Glad to see Lea is home and smelless!!
    
    Sandy

RE: DESKUNKING AN ANIMAL

it is wise to use what you can buy from the vet, and follow the directions
exactly.  tomato juice is very caustic to eyes and other delicate membranes.
Cat skin is so sensitive, i would bet you'd get a real skin problem if you
used tomato juice on the cat - and the cat would probably get royally sick
licking it off after the bath....

    I spoke with my vet's assistant this afternoon.  She confirmed what
    Yonee said earlier, Massengil(?) douche!  She said they had a supply of
    it out back and when people visit and get a tour, they often do a
    doubletake of why that stuff is on the shelf at the vets.  :^)

    She said to use a combination of Massengil, lemon juice and bleach. 
    Quite interesting and not a recipe I would have whipped up on my own.

    Hi All,
    
     Yup, that's what my vet told us to use on Fluffy. She got sprayed at
    least once a spring (before she remembered what those black and white
    kitties could do to her!) and we always had a supply of Massengil
    powdered douche to bathe her! He didn't tell me to use lemon juice or
    bleach, but to mix the mixture a LOT weaker than we would use for the
    product! ;-) 
    
     It usually took a couple of bathes (over a couple of days) to get all
    the smell out, but just the one bath, and we could at least let het in
    the house! ;-)
    
     We always had the box in the bathroom, but we had it labeled "Fluffy's
    douche bag"! ;-)
    
     The funny part was that my husband called the vet, and the vet was a
    man, and they were on the phone talking about douche!! Cracks me up to
    think of that even now!
    
     Hope this helps. Tomato juice does not work on cats. Believe me we
    tried that first. I think it's because dogs fur is more like hair, and
    cats have rreal fur. It acts differently to skunk spray anyway! ;-)
    
     Love,
    
     Y

    The product I use to desmell the kitty boxes will also delete
    skunk smell.  It works, is harmless to plants, pets and people.
    It's OderMute.  My guess is that Natures Miracle will do the same.
    They both change the chemical structure that is responsible 
    for giving out the awful smell.
    
    Best of luck.
    
    FYI - My cats have had very good relationships with skunks, playing 
    in the yard with younger ones.  In the moonlight I thought Pete had
    found a black and white kitten and was shocked when I realized he
    hadn't.

    P.S.  I forgot to add -- it works on laundry as well (socks, footy
    gear, and sweaty shirts).

    I'm not impressed with the tomato juice remedy.. we used it on Sam
    years ago and it didn't work.  Old neighbors of mine raised Shephards
    and kept them outside.. they used a concoction of 1 part bleach to 3
    parts water when the dogs got skunked.  I don't remember what I used on
    Ben.. I think I just kept him outside until the scent wore off (it was 
    not a "direct hit").
    
    I have also heard about using Massengil and heard it works.  
    
    Mary
    

    It only works if you drink the vodka while you apply the juice.  You
    need the vodka to get past the stink.  
    
    Seriously folks, a friend of mine has a dog that gets skunked all the
    time and she uses the tomato juice - I'll tell her about the other
    stuff.  I have experienced a very sick puppy once who got sprayed in
    the mouth - so it can be dangerous.
    
    Giudi

    I agree with .11  but would suggest that you  forget about trying to 
    to apply the juice if you own a cat.  Mix it with the vodka!    
    At least you feel better.
    
    BTW my cat came home early April STINKING of skunk. IT did not seem to
    bother him, so we let him into the garage for feeding until things
    improved.
    
    

    Hmmm, maybe we should use Shmirnoff's vodka since we've all been
    calling their 800 number for posters of "Bruno and the Girls"!

    I know this is late, but if anyone else reads this note it's here! 
    Many years ago a cat of mine got skunked and the vet recommende the
    Massengil powdered douche.  It worked fine!  I have looked for this
    stuff on occasion when the thought hits that it might be good to keep
    on hand, but have not seen it.  Do they still make it?
    Karen

    It used to be in any random drugstore.
    

    Yes, you can find it in any CVS in the "feminine" aisle.
    
    (Sounds like it should have little pink bows up and down
    the aisle...)
    
    It worked great on my parents' dogs.
    
    helen