Here Kitty!

My kids have always wanted a cat, but we have not had one since leaving Germany.  One late summer evening the whole family was outside our house talking with friends when the younger kids ran over and excitedly informed me that there was a 'kitty' in the back yard.  I just smiled and continued with my conversation and the kids took off to the back yard again.  Our yard was completely fenced in so we didn't worry about them being in the back while we were in the front.  We could hear the laughter and giggling and were not in the least bit worried.  Besides we knew all the cats in the neighborhood and they were all friends of ours who would stop by on BBQ nights for scraps.

The laughter in the back continued for quite a while.  We could hear the children running from one side of the yard to the other, up the hill and down.  At first I was amazed that the cat was humoring them for so long, but decided that after about 45 minutes the poor creature was probably worn out so I called the kids to the front.

"But mommy, the kitty!" they protested.  That poor cat was probably so frazzled by now that if they did catch it, it would probably scratch the heck out of the kids, so I sent them into the house to clean up for bed.

It was about 2am when I was awaken by an awful smell.  Our window was wide open and the overpowering, suffocating scent of a skunk filled the air.  Gagging, I shut the window, but sleep was out of the question.  A skunk in the neighborhood?  Impossible!  As I lay in bed, trying to filter the smell by breathing through my pillow, I felt a growning suspicion.  As soon as the children woke up I ran to their room.

'What did the kitty look like?'  I asked, 'What color was it?'

'Black!'

I found our Division of Wildlife Hunters Ed book and opened it to the animal identification section.  "Show me the kitty" I instructed my youngest son.  He casually turned the pages then pointed to a color sketch.  "Kitty!" my daughter squealed with excitement.  "Kitty" was a skunk!

Why that creature didn't spray them that night while they chased it across the yard for almost an hour I'll never know. It would take a full day for the air around the house to clear, butI never complained about the smell because I knew it could have been worse, much worse!  And yes, the kids got a quick course on how skunks are not kitties, and why we should not chase them!