Skunk Mating Season is Upon Us: How to Get Skunk Smell Out of Your Pets If They Get Sprayed

Picture it. It's 1 a.m. and you are fast asleep. Deep, warm, relaxing sleep... Then a smell so awful that it wakes you up from a dead sleep permeates your bedroom. You get up to investigate. Is your house on fire? No, worse...

This happened TO ME on Saturday night. It smelled like burning onions, mixed with fresh summer asphalt, mixed with hot Corona beer, mixed with DEATH. I looked outside - didn't see anything but the smell. EWWWW THAT SMELL. I called for my kitty to come inside. Without hesitation he ran in and dragged the smell with him. He had been sprayed by a skunk!

I've seen skunks out all over the place this week. Turns out, according to the Indiana DNR, it's almost skunk mating season and the warm weather just might have brought it on early. "Skunks mate during late February or early March, with four to seven mouse-sized young born 62 days later in May."

Now remember, I was fast asleep and my brain was just trying to catch up with what in the hell was going on. I couldn't let him touch anything. The last time our dog got sprayed it took forever to get the smell out. But, I remember a friend told me about a secret recipe that worked. I got my husband out of bed. I found some gloves. We went to work.

Here's the recipe from the American Kennel Club. We used it once and it worked but be careful, the peroxide can burn their eyes.

How to Get the Skunk Smell Out of Your Pet's Coat

• ¼ cup of baking soda
• 1-2 teaspoons of mild dish washing detergent
• 1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution
• Mix in a bucket and use immediately
• Work the foaming mixture well into the coat
• Leave on for five minutes
• Rinse with warm water
• Follow with dog shampoo if desired

And some tips I learned the hard way:

1. The hydrogen peroxide can bleach their coat. But it's worth it.
2. I would strongly suggest using rubber gloves. I did use them and can't get the smell out of them now so I had to throw them away.
3. It's an oil so Dawn is your best bet for removing it the first time.
4. Use an essential oil diffuser in your home to lessen the smell but make sure you use a pet-friendly oil.
5. Make sure your pet is warm when they are drying off. My aloof cat wanted to get in bed and snuggle with me. I covered him with a blanket and he stuck around all night so I knew he was cold.

Washing a cat in the sink at 1 a.m. wasn't fun for any of us. But he's pretty much stink free now. For this, I am grateful.