We Have A Potentially Very Stinky Problem

There's a lot of different little creatures in our neighborhood.  I'm sure you have plenty in yours, too. 

There are a couple varieties of squirrels that live in the big trees outside our house.  The cats love to watch them chase each other.  There are a few cats that wander the neighborhood from time to time. There's a black one that's particularly good at chasing the squirrels.  There's one that's white with some spots that just looks bored from time to time.  Very rarely does it happen, but sometimes my neighbor's german shepherd gets out.  One time another neighbor's very sweet pit bull mix got out.

And once when I had a garage sale and was out in the yard super early, I saw a possum! I was scared of him though and made noise til he ran away.  Husbando said he's seen some raccoons, or trash pandas, as he calls them, from time to time.  But we don't see them much now that we have the new garbage cans.  They can't get in, or at least they haven't gotten in ours.  They find food elsewhere.

But now... well, we have a new little creature in our vicinity.  And he might not be under our house, he might be with our neighbors. But Husbando and I have noticed him... a skunk.  Now he hasn't sprayed anything, and he hasn't shown himself to me, but you can just smell him.  The other day Husbando was sitting on the porch (we have nice chairs made by the Mennonites) just minding his own, when our skunk friend started to walk up our porch steps! He made a little noise and it ran away, but... I just think, "What if he'd gotten sprayed?!"

And my Dad, who lives with us, has a cat that he lets out every now and then. She doesn't go far, mainly just hangs around our yard, but what if Pickles runs into our skunk friend?! That would be a very sad state of affairs.  I know there are methods to get the stink off, but dang, that would be a very unpleasant bath time.  And then probably a very unpleasant trip to the groomer.

So we were talking about it and decided to try to see if we can get someone to remove said skunk and just relocate him somewhere else. I don't want to hurt him, and I hear a dead skunk is even worse smelling than a live one.  I just want him gone.  So my first instinct was to call the City.  Animal Control, right?  Well, I haven't heard back yet, but I got the impression from the nice lady on the phone that AC only deals with domestic animals.  But I remember them coming and getting a snake from my Grandma's basement toilet once, so I'm hoping they might come.  I've called a couple of trusted pest control companies and got a firm no dice, but they did give me a number for a guy who might do it.

But now what? I don't want to put up a little fence there and then find out he's burrowed in under the porch and stuck in there. I know we need to put something up to keep him out, but I want to make sure he's out before I do that.  They sleep during the day, right?  I think I remember that. I've read online that you can trap them, but...  that just seems like a bad idea.  I think I shouldn't attempt to that, as a unqualified skunk catcher.

What should we do?  Do you know somebody qualified who can do this?  Is there someone else I should have called?  Should we really go for a trap?  If we do, then what? Where do you take it?

Skunkingly yours,

Behka