Cats turn out to be great domestic pets. People do keep a cat as their domestic pet. Some consider keeping a cat with a dog. Though both are considered enemies when domesticated, they become friends.
We are sure you might have heard about skunks and the ongoing trend where more people consider it. You might be thinking about whether you can keep them or not. Firstly, do know skunks have a foul odor, making it difficult for you to adjust to the same surroundings. Secondly, if you have any other pet, especially a “cat,” do not go for it because skunks are carnivores, and they might harm your cat. Thus, It is advisable not to keep cats together to keep them safe.
For more details about skunks and cats together livelihood, keep reading till the last. Let’s get started!
Who are skunks?
Many of you might be unfamiliar with skunks. Skunks belong to the Mephitidae family of animals. Their capacity to squirt a liquid with a strong, disagreeable aroma from their anal glands is well-known. Skunks come in various colors and patterns, ranging from black and white to brown, cream, and ginger, but they all have a warning coloring.
When people think of having a skunk as a domestic animal, they need to take a newborn skunk for it. If the skunk has not been raised in captivity, it will be a dangerous pet to keep.
Who are cats?
The cat, or Felis catus, is a small carnivorous mammal that people keep as a pet. It is the only domesticated species in the Felidae family. It is often called the domestic cat to distinguish it from the other wild cats in the family. A cat can be a house cat, a farm cat, or a feral cat, which lives independently and doesn’t like people. People like cats because they are friendly and because they can kill mice. A number of cat registries recognize about 60 different types of cats.
The cat’s structure is comparable to that of other felids: it has a robust and flexible body, rapid reflexes, sharp teeth, and retractable claws that are designed for killing small prey. In addition, it has excellent night vision and a keen sense of smell.
Do skunks & cats get along?
Keeping a cat and skunk may be a good choice for some people, but there are some conditions that you have to deal with while keeping these together. Firstly, do know they are carnivores, and if you brought a wild skunk to the place, it would ultimately harm the cat.
Along with that, skunks release a spray that has a very strong odor, and as a result, it will be difficult for your pet to breathe. Although, skunks spray when they feel threatened. But this is their natural body response that can be observed anytime in the day.
Are skunks dangerous to cats?
Skunks are not dangerous to cats, they are non-aggressive, and don’t wish to encounter people or pets. Skunks spray only when threatened. If all of their musks are used up, it will take 10 days to regenerate. Tail-up and stomping feet are skunk warning signs. Quietly leave.
When skunks are raised in captivity, their habitat can be problematic. In addition, their spray lets a cat experience breathing issues because it smells foul-smelling. In most cases, humans feel suffocated due to their odor.
In which country is it legal to keep a skunk as a domestic pet?
To date, it is legal to keep a skunk as a domestic pet in 22 states only, including Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
States that allow the possession of skunks as pets
| State | Status | Special Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Legal | Must be obtained from a licensed breeder within the state; Black/white requires permits |
| Arkansas | Legal | Limit of six |
| Florida | Legal | Permit required |
| Georgia | Legal | Black/white illegal, all other colors legal |
| Idaho | Legal | (Cannot import), in-state purchase only, no permit required |
| Indiana | Legal | Permit required |
| Iowa | Legal | Permit required |
| Kentucky | Legal | Legal only in some areas of the state |
| Michigan | Legal | Permit required, In-state purchase only |
| New Jersey | Legal | Permit required, In-state purchase only |
| New Mexico | Legal | Permit required for pen-raised skunk, wild-born skunk does not require permits |
| New York | Legal | No new permits are being issued |
| Ohio | Legal | Permit required |
| Oklahoma | Legal | Must purchase from Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, license required |
| Oregon | Legal | Permit required; cannot buy or sell skunks, (they must be obtained for free) |
| Pennsylvania | Legal | In-state purchase only |
| South Carolina | Legal | Cannot buy or sell skunks |
| South Dakota | Legal | May only possess one |
| Texas | Legal | Permit and letter of authorization required, presently a moratorium on letters of authorization |
| West Virginia | Legal | In-state purchase only |
| Wisconsin | Legal | Permit required, cage requirements |
| Wyoming | Legal | No special conditions |
Can skunk spray cause any harm to a pet?
Yes. The skunk spray is a combination of alcohol and sulfur. Being a toxic mixture, it is responsible for causing so many problems if inhaled or spread on any part of the body. Majorly its contact induces nausea and vomiting. Apart from this, if it gets in touch with the eye, it can cause blindness too.
Can skunks go out of the way to attack cats?
No, as such cases were reported where skunks went out of the way to attack cats. But still, it is not an excellent option to keep them together.
Who would win a fight between a cat & a skunk?
Skunks and cats don’t interact much with each other. Cats sometimes approach a skunk out of curiosity, but they don’t seem to hunt or bother skunks most of the time. Skunks also try to stay away from cats as much as possible, and they usually wait until the cats leave before trying to steal their food or water.
Skunks can be very mean when they fight, but they only want to fight other skunks. Skunks avoid cats, and cats just watch them from afar. Even when they are at their worst, the skunks don’t want anything to do with the cats, and the cats don’t want anything to do with the skunks either.
Cats, on the other hand, are bigger, stronger, and more agile than skunks, and they are almost made to catch prey their size. So they wouldn’t have much chance against a hungry cat if they didn’t have their spray. But cats usually don’t care about skunks besides being curious and won’t attack them under normal circumstances.
When a cat and a skunk fight, the cat keeps hitting the skunk in the face from the top of a cat house, and the skunk keeps biting the cat’s paw in defense until the skunk decides that getting the food isn’t worth getting hit in the face by the cat. On the other hand, the cat thinks it’s a game. Aside from that, there have been a few standoffs, usually when they accidentally cross paths, and the skunks stomp and hiss a few times before running away. If a cat is very stubborn, a skunk might spray it, and the cat would then leave it alone, but usually, they don’t even try to fight.
If they were trying to kill each other, the skunk might hurt the cat, but the cat would probably kill the skunk before it could do much.
Do skunks like cats?
Skunks and cats do not dislike each other. On the contrary, skunks are adorable and only spray if attacked.
Skunks and cats get along fine. However, people have reported that their neighborhood skunks and cats eat from the same bowl in the barn. It can only be a problem when feral tom cats battle over territory with skunks.
Can a skunk blind a cat?
Skunk spray has been known to make dogs and cats temporarily blind. If your cat got skunk spray in its eyes, you should take it to the vet as soon as possible. If a cat has symptoms like squinting, swollen eyes, and pawing at its face, it may have been sprayed in the eyes by a skunk.
Will a skunk bite a cat?
People often say that skunks attack small cats and dogs, but it doesn’t happen often. Most cats and dogs are more significant than the average skunk, but puppies and kittens are more likely to get hurt if left alone.
Are skunks friendly with cats?
Skunks and cats are not friendly; despite the long-running unrequited love affair between the Looney Tunes cartoon skunk Pep® le Pew and Penelope, the cat,
Can skunks give cats rabies?
Skunks are widely recognized as the second-most rabies-infected hosts in the United States (after bats). As a result, pet owners should ensure that their rabies vaccinations are up to date, especially if a skunk encounter is imminent.
As per CDC, Rabies symptoms include atypical behavior such as being active during the day, aggression, convulsions, stumbling, and vocalizing. Skunks and other infected animals, on the other hand, can transmit rabies before they show symptoms.
The saliva of infected animals spreads the rabies virus. Usually, exposure happens as a result of a bite. However, the virus can also enter the body through an open wound or mucous membranes. Symptoms typically develop three to six weeks after exposure, but the incubation period can be much longer.
Once symptoms show, there is no therapy for rabies. If the biting animal is known to be rabid or cannot be tested, treatment must begin within days of exposure. Rabies treatment used to need several painful injections into the belly, but easy injections have replaced this into the arm muscle.
How do I remove the skunk smell from a cat?
To deskunk cat is a difficult task. Still, you can try cleaning the cat with great care, using old clothing that will be thrown away and rubber gloves, all the while being aware that some of that skunk smell will get on you and that you, too, will need to be cleaned you can use a lot of tomato juice. Still, there is a chance that this will be an improvement and not a solution to the problem.
Here are a few other alternatives that you can try.
- Place cotton balls in your pet’s ears to protect the inner-ear tissue from the cleaning solution, which can easily leak in.
- Dab a drop of olive or baby oil into his eyes to avoid irritation.
- Use rubber gloves to protect your hands during the bathing process. Start with your pet’s head, taking care not to get the solution into his eyes, ears, or mouth.
- Apply the cleaning solution evenly to your pet’s coat. Weather allowing, it will probably be more comfortable to accomplish this outside.
- Rinse the coat thoroughly with clean water.
- To deskunk your cat, make a solution of baking soda and peroxide and quickly wash it.
What is a skunk doing with my cat’s food?
Skunks and cats have similar food preferences. Skunks are scavengers who devour a wide variety of foods. However, if you have a skunk eating your cat’s food, now is a perfect moment to bring both the cat and the food inside. Skunks have been known to attack cats, which can be dangerous to your pet.
Can skunks crossbreed with cats?
Nope, Skunks and Cats absolutely not in the same family.
1. Skunks
| Kingdom | Animalia, Phylum: Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia, Order: Carnivora |
| Superfamily | Musteloidea Family: Mephitidae |
2. Cats
| Kingdom | Animalia, Phylum: Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia, Order: Carnivora |
| Suborder | Feliformia, Family: Felidae |
Following it is a completely other Superfamily. Under any circumstances, cross-breeding between skunks and cat is not possible.
Do skunks kill cats?
Since skunks are significantly more likely to spray and flee if a cat attacks, the answer is almost always no. Additionally, there have been numerous reports of cats and skunks coexisting together and even sharing meals. or simply ignoring one another and engaging in their own “business.”
Nonetheless, Skunks can sometimes become quite huge and have the power to kill a small or young cat or kitten.
What disease can occur in a pet coming in contact with a skunk?
Certain diseases that may take place in a pet if they get in touch with skunks are as follows:-
Conclusion
Keeping a skunk with a cat is not advisable because of its habitat and nature. Their spray is harmful to all pets, especially cats. If cats get in touch with the same spray, they may encounter different health conditions, including nausea, vomiting, skin irritation, and blindness. So yes, it is advisable to drop the idea of keeping a skunk and cat altogether. But if somehow your cat gets attacked by a skunk, reach the vet and let him diagnose her!