One early morning, what we assume to be a baby skunk enters our backyard. He (we presume he is male) is a funny character. His coat is in excellent condition – which is one way to tell he is still quite young. We have an old pregnant mama coming by sometimes and her tail is bald and rat-like and her body clearly has seen better times. But Sir Skunkie-stinks-a-lot is a sight to see.
On this early morning, he enters the yard right after Mitsy, our then still feral cat, has come for breakfast. She is enjoying her food at leisure when she suddenly stiffens, looks over her shoulder and discovers Skunkie. What follows can only be described as a dance between the two of them, with Mitsy coming out as the more mature creature of nature. She know exactly how to stay out of reach of his backside. Skunkie, on the other hand, still has a lot to learn about coordination. Mitsy has enough after a couple of rounds and hides behind out flowerpots. Skunkie has no clue where she went. And continues the dance on his own. It reminds me of Fencing. Skunkie turns around, prepares his attack, cries “En garde!” and then advances for the attack. He does not seem deterred at all that his opponent is nowhere to be seen. Maybe he is just practicing….