Squirrels!

[bigcats]

We've got a couple of squirrels visiting my balcony porch where I have some potted plants. I wouldn't mind sharing the dirt with them if they were being polite, but they've now started digging up my plants... I put some new seedlings in last weekend and they're all dug up and shredded now

I have indoor cats and I've been taken one of them out in my arms to scare them off but I don't think it's working. I don't want to let him out free on the porch because he'd probably jump over the railing in his craze to get at the squirrel, and plummet to his death.

I won't kill the squirrels, does anyone have other ideas about controling them? I read about using predator urine, but am wondering about the methods they use to get fox or bobcat urine... doesn't sound like something they could do without some sort of cruelty. What about if I put my cat's used litter out there on the porch? Might that work?

[Chanley]

cayenne pepper
get the varmints good, they are terrors to a garden. darn rats.

Ohh and squirrel does taste good! *snicker*

[bigcats]

squirrels

Thanks, Chanley!

As I don't have cayenne in the house at the moment I sprinkled some paprika on top of the soil until tomorrow when I can get to the store. I figured this would be similar? Is sprinkling it on top of the soil the right way to do it?

My kitty is a good watch-cat even if I won't let him actually hunt the squirrels. He sits in the window and gets agitated whenever they reappear. I'll watch for his signals!

[Chanley]

paprika is about as hot as lemons are sweet.

Sadly it might just flavor your plants a bit. I believe paprika is made of red bell peppers.

Go get some good hot pepper. Sprinkle it on the dirt
and keep it around cause later this summer when you have bugs you will need it again.

[bigcats]

Thanks!

Thanks for the tips. The squirrels do seem to be staying away with the paprika there, though maybe it has more to do with the fact that I was throwing water at them everytime they reappeared

I will get some cayenne today though. I can't always be around to watch the pots.

Should I replace the cayenne everytime it rains?

[Snow]

Squirrels - arghhh! They don't like marigolds at all, and if you were able to add some to your pots that might do it. Otherwise, hot peppers - and try habanero powder if you can find it, renewed each rain.

Indidentally, used to have an outdoor cat before I knew of the dangers. He got beat up badly by a small squirrel and ended up in the kitty hospital for a week. Our squirrels will sit on the deck and just bait the cats who are safely stuck behind the arcadia doors. But think that both species secretly enjoy it.