Do skunks attack pets?

Pet owners who are encountering problems with skunks entering their households often feel afraid of skunks injuring or attacking their pets. Skunks are known for killing smaller farm animals and poultry. Skunks will hunt and kill smaller farm animals, which often has owners worried about the safety of their pets. Whether or not skunks will attack pets, is an often question a lot of homeowners ask. Answer to this questions, however, depends on the situation the skunk is put in. skunks will invade human estates to find food. If there are pets on these estates, encounters are often unavoidable. Many homeowners are left concerned about safety of their pets. In the following paragraphs, we will give the answer to the question “Do skunks attack pets?”



First, we will shed some light on the ways skunks may encounter homeowner’s pets. First things first, when skunks first invade a household, they will be looking for food. Skunks will turn to hunting smaller farm animals, and this is the situation where they may encounter household pets. People keep various types of pet species, and whether or not a skunk will pose a danger to their pet depends on the species of the pet. Skunks are not going to directly attack cats and dogs. Dogs are, in general, a lot larger and stronger than skunks. Dogs are not a skunk’s food, as well. However, if left unprotected, puppies can become victims of skunks. This means that owners who keep small puppies in their yards have a reason to be concerned for their safety. On the other hand, cats are a good match to skunks, and capable of hurting and killing them. Skunks don’t feed on cats either, however, they might attack small kittens that are left unprotected. This means that owners of small kittens will need to be cautions of skunks.

Even though skunks don’t directly feed on pets like cats and dogs, skunks can hurt pets, and they can hurt them very seriously. Skunks will act aggressive in self-defense, especially if they are cornered. Skunk’s spray, although not live- threatening to cats and dogs, can disable an animal to a significant level, and some animals, particularly more sensitive, generic cat and dog species, might experience damage to their eyes and infections. Besides the fact that skunks may attack kittens and puppies, they can also inflict serious injuries to cats and dogs while they are defending themselves.

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