I went out last night to see if the cats needed food in the garage and there was a big fat skunk snarfing up the cat food. It didn’t seem the least bit excited to see me, instead it looked up at me and just waddled away. Last week I went out at 4 am to water the shrubs and there he was on the front porch. I just hope he doesn’t get pissed and spray me or the cats. Do skunks hibernate or is this going to be a problem year round. We’ve always had them around(usually dead in the road) but this is the first time we’ve had them consistently them in and around the house.
Do you live in a house or neighborhood with pier and beam construction? I’ve found they love living under houses. They’re confident little suckers.
My experience is that they’re really not much of a problem (spraying) and you’ll see them waddling around in the wee hours. Eating up your cat food…? Try feeding your cats elsewhere and maybe the skunk will move on if the buffet is closed.
They don’t hibernate.Give him a name. He’ll be with you all winter. 
Our house is on a slab so he’s not under it, and we live out in the country so he could be domiciled anywhere. I’m feeding one cat (a stray kitten) outside because he has a parasitic infestation and until he’s cleared that up I can’t litterbox train him in the house. I don’t want the other cats getting the parasites. Hopefully the buffet will end soon and he’ll go away, but with all the livestock around here he’s pretty much got it made. I was talking to my neighbor a few minutes ago, apparently the skunk was at their house eating pumpkin guts left from making jack-o-lanterns before he came over here.
My other concern is rabies. A few years ago this area was infested with rabid skunks, but I haven’t heard much about them lately.
I forgot about the rabies aspect.
Shotgun or 22 long. Keep a large can of tomato juice handy if you get sprayed.
If that makes you uneasy cage traps work well. If you can catch him/her them maybe animal control will pick the animal up.
Tomato juice doesn’t really work.
first, wash off as much as you can with plain soap or shampoo. Then mix a quart of peroxide, a tsp of liquid dish soap, and 1/4 cup of baking soda. Rub it in, let it sit for five minutes then rinse. If it’s still smelly, do it again. It might take a couple of times to get all of the odor out, but it works. It also might bleach your hair and clothes though.
I don’t know what time of day that sick cat is eating, but you can pick up the food in the evening to keep from attracting the skunks.
I caught one in a leg trap one time and P/U eyes watered for a city block.
It was upwind from the house and the aroma was disturbing to say the least.
On a whim, after I disposed of the carcus in the far distance, I took a 200K btu
weed burner and propane tank to the vicinity where he dribbled his stench…
Burned the area for a 4 ft circle around the trap and I will be danged if the smell
all but disappeared and for sure was reduced to a manageable level…
I’m just sayin… 
I live at the point where all skunks (and Possums) over the face of the globe spring forth. They are everywhere as they start the trek to your location. Many encounters, with cars mostly. Nasty b@sterds do carry rabies. That myth that if you dispatch them outright they won’t spray is just that, a myth. >:(
.22 very far away from the house. Just don’t follow too close behind :o
Are you sure you didn’t just brew a Heineken clone? ;D
Good one
I did wash a cat with tomato juice a few years ago and it worked great. The little fella didn’t much like it and shredded me but he smelled a lot better afterward. The feed store up the road sells a product people here swear by, I should pick some up.
It “worked” on our dogs for a couple of hours, then they stunk again. The baking soda/soap/peroxide mixture neutralized it. It’s not much of an issue anymore, our current dog doesn’t get in to skunks they way our old dog did many years ago. But of course, YMMV. If the tomato juice works for you that’s great. 
We had a problem a few years ago. One was digging under our patio slab to make a den. In reading up and asking the local extension agent, I learned they usually have three or four dens, and spend a night or two at each in rotation. If you destroy a den they’ll give it up pretty easily. If you can find the den, it’s worth a shot.
On a more immediate tack, get some plastic owls. Owls have no sense of smell, so they are skunk’s only real predator. I put a couple out, and have not seen one since. I know they’re still around, because I’ll occasionally get a whiff, or see some damage in the lawn where they dig for insects, but the problem has been reduced to a minor nuisance. Good luck!
I live in the country but when I first moved out here I never saw any skunks. Then suddenly it was like the population exploded. I see them everywhere now. Pretty weird.
My neighbor with the tinfoil hat tells me that they are space aliens preparing to take over the planet!
My brother used to shoot them in the head…no smell.
Oh, man…I was planning to warn you all of that.