THELMA AND HARRIET
DIDN’T STINK!
It was several months past hunting season when we were out in the
big pasture looking for the horses. As we travelled into a wooded area
we began to smell a skunk scent. The farther we progressed the stronger
it became.
“Must be pretty close,”
“There’s something in there,” I told
“What’ll we do with them?” I asked. “They’re too cute
to kill.”
The little fellows seemed to be friendly so we each took one and
started toward home. They were about the size of a rat and there was
plenty of room to hold them in our hands. There was no odor and we
didn’t expect any at their age.
When we got home the first thing we did was get some milk and a
medicine dropper. We could tell by the way the little cats were opening
their mouths that they were ready for a meal. Milk was about the only
thing we could think of at the time, so we proceeded to start the
banquet. They were apparently very grateful and seemed to like the milk.
It was a slow process, but we finally got them fed and ready for bed.
The next thing was to find a bedroom for them. We soon found a nice
wooden box and after adding a little straw to the bottom we bedded them
down in the corner of the blacksmith shop.
We asked my mother if she had any idea when we should feed them
again. She thought we ought to feed them at least twice a day. It would
be a chore but since we had started it we felt like we ought to continue
and see what would develop. When
After a top-level conference we decided to build an outdoor home
for them.
The little skunks were happy and friendly and as long as we kept
them they never created a bad smell. As they approached adulthood we had
to decide what to do with them. We mentioned skinning them for the hides
but discarded the thought immediately. We finally decided to just open
the gate and let them make the decision. Before letting them go we
thought of something that we should have done weeks before. The cats
needed names. There was a little difference in the striping on the
forehead and it was possible to distinguish one from the other. Both
were females and we needed lady names. We named them for two girls in
school, Thelma and Harriet. Of course we didn’t tell the girls and if
any one reads this who knows some old women by that name who went to
school where we did, don’t tell them now!
Thelma and Harriet stayed around their home for a few days but
gradually came back less often. We didn’t kill any more skunks for the
hides. When you shoot a skunk between the eyes with a rifle and a
spotlight you don’t see it well enough to identify it. We certainly
didn’t want to shoot Thelma or Harriet or any of their children or
grandchildren.
Little skunks are a lot of fun – maybe you ought to try rearing
a couple!
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