The Stunk, Part II

It seems that skunks (or "stunks", as Margaux calls them - see her previous thoughts on the critters) are destined to be a part of our lives at the new house. Last night we let Fergus out into the back yard to do his business, while Cindy and I sat on the patio and chatted. After a few minutes, we began to notice a strong, nasty smell wafting over the patio. Then Fergus came running back towards us at top speed, headed for the patio door with a "let me in!" look on his face. His face, however, was drenched in skunk spray. Man, that's nasty. It's peculiar, though...there was a distinct undertone of garlic and onion to the skunk smell. Not sure if the skunk had been feasting on someone's garden, or if skunk smell is normally infused with herbs and spices. For a split second, the Cajun in me thought "ummm..smells sort of like gumbo." Then, of course, we began to gag. Poor Ferg...as if it wasn't bad enough to be sprayed by what I'm sure he assumed was a black and white cat with a big tail, Cindy and I immediately grabbed him and began to scrub him with a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, and soap. This mixture does very little to get rid of the skunk smell, but it does add a nice pungent vinegar odor to the mix. Fergus spent the night in the washroom, then went first thing this morning to the vet to get a special "de-skunking" bath.