‘That’s gonna be a spicy rescue’: Woman comes to terms with a harsh fate after stumbling across a wild animal in need

Here’s the thing about good deeds that we’d all do well to keep in mind going forward; not only do we owe a certain amount to the world over the course of our lifetimes, but many of them will likely come at the cost of moderate-to-severe discomfort (I, for instance, went to go see Venom: The Last Dance so that you don’t have to).

This is to say that you don’t always have to enjoy committing a good deed, but unless you have a high tolerance for guilt, you’re better off doing the right thing when the opportunity rears its head, rather than wake up at 3AM one random evening wondering if you’re the worst person in the world for not helping that poor skunk get its head out of a cup. TikTok‘s @kathleengemma, you’re up.

In these 32 pitiful seconds above, we see the poor skunk in question stumble around the parking lot near what appears to be an apartment building, seemingly robbed of his vision on account of the plastic cup that’s wrapped firmly around its face.

The understated panic in Kathleen’s voice is perfect. Upon her is the perfect opportunity to perform one of those good deeds I mentioned earlier, and she could not be more apprehensive about being the chosen one for this particular trial. She of course wants to help this poor little critter out of this predicament, but if National Geographic has taught the youth of the world anything, it’s that if you don’t give wild animals their space, you’d best believe they’re going to be none too pleased with you.

And when a skunk isn’t pleased with you, you may lose the whole day to an aggressive bathing session, or risk upturned noses if you dare venture into the general public. For Katherine, it looks to be an expensive good deed indeed, and while she is understandably reluctant to help the skunk out here, she’d do well to keep in mind that the skunk won’t immediately engage the proverbial launch codes because of her presence.

Discover WildCare ensures us that skunks prefer to spray as little as possible, only ever resorting to chemical warfare if they’ve exhausted all other warning options, such as raising their little skunk tails, stomping their little skunk feet, and aiming both their little skunk head and little skunk bottom in your direction. When that happens, it’s time to disengage.

On the other hand, skunks will spray if they’re taken entirely by surprise, and frankly, there’s probably no world where this skunk won’t be surprised by whatever makes contact with it next. If Kathleen wants to check off her good deed for the month, then, she’s probably going to have to risk stocking up on cartoonish amounts of tomato juice.

The video never actually does tell us if Kathleen helped this skunk out or not; it ends before contact is made, and the video description is no help, either. Luckily, among the sea of comments demanding to know if Kathleen came to the rescue, she replied to enough of them in a way that ostensibly confirms a cupless face for the skunk’s foreseeable future. So, thank you for your service, Kathleen, and for whatever other good deeds you pull off from here on out. With this one under your belt, you won’t have to do your next good deed until the end of next month.