Stinky Skunk (NPC)

The Stinky Skunk is an NPC introduced in The Sims 2: Pets. It will randomly appear on a residential lot and Sims can either pet, watch, or chase it off the lot. The skunk will usually leave if chased off, but may become annoyed and spray. The skunk may initially tolerate being watched by a Sim or followed by a pet, but will eventually become annoyed and spray. According to the Prima guide for Pets, a werewolf has a better-than-even chance of being able to pet a skunk without being sprayed, but other Sims only have a 5 percent chance of not being sprayed.

The skunk will threaten before spraying, so a Sim or pet that is watching or following it may decide to move on, though that will not always keep them from being sprayed. Genius pets and pets who have been sprayed before are more likely to recognise that the skunk is preparing to spray, as are Sims with high logic.

When a Sim or pet is sprayed, his or her hygiene metre will drop to zero. The comfort and fun metres will also drop slightly, but it may pass unnoticed unless the player is looking at the metres.

Trivia

 * Technically, Stinky Skunk is a cat, as an inspection with SimPE concludes.
 * If Stinky is added to any household with the use of the Tombstone of Life and Death, it will appear as a black cat in its icon/in the family pictures. However, it is not recommended to add him to a household or play with this skunk in any way other than what is intended. Doing so will corrupt the game, which can only be fixed by re-installing the game.
 * Strangely, it is possible to "register" Stinky Skunk as a breed. But the game will not allow the player to progress past the "Name your new breed" screen.
 * Sims may have a fear of getting sprayed, or that a pet they own or know will get sprayed.
 * Servos and PlantSims can be sprayed with no ill effects (unless the Sim has a fear of being sprayed).
 * Skunks are also featured in The Sims Castaway Stories.
 * The leaked trailer for The Sims 3: Pets suggested that skunks would have returned in that expansion pack. However, it turns out there are no skunks in the released version of The Sims 3: Pets.
 * The Stinky Skunk has the Romance Aspiration which can be proven through SimPE, once he has spawned in-game. However, he will appear to have the hidden Power aspiration if he hasn't appeared in the said neighbourhood.