In January, an unexpected guest decided to join the mix of HART's cats and kittens—a rather fluffy black-and-white "cat" no one had seen before. A curious little skunk had squeezed its way through the bars of one of the outdoor enclosures. Finding the sunny spot and calm feline company irresistible, the skunk nestled right in for a nap, snoozing peacefully alongside its new "friends."
Cathy, HART's Shelter Manager, strolled through the room to check on the cats. At first, everything seemed normal, but then she paused mid-step. "Wait a minute," she thought. "We don’t have a black-and-white cat in this room…" It took a few seconds for the realization to hit, and then Cathy’s face lit up with alarm and amusement. "Oh no, that’s not a cat!"
With some disbelief, chuckles, (and a lot of caution), the team sprang into action. One of HART’s recent adopters, a wildlife expert, was called to assist Heidi, HART's Medical Care Manager with the situation. But as they approached, the skunk blinked sleepily, clearly miffed at being awakened from his comfortable nap. He shuffled grumpily, as if saying, "Really? I was just getting comfortable." With patience and skill, the wildlife expert and Heidi guided the sleepy & disgruntled little guest back outside to its natural home.
Before waddling off, however, the skunk made sure to leave a pungent parting gift—a proper skunk farewell that lingered for hours. The cats, unbothered and mildly entertained, seemed to regard the entire event as the highlight of their day. Meanwhile, the staff vowed to tighten the bars on the catio—and stock up on air fresheners!
