Have you ever heard of kittens being used to deter squirrels?

My friend's mom is convinced that having two 8 week old kittens outside will keep squirrels off of her roof, is there any truth to this?


I told her to put up a squirrel blocker and buy some repellent, was I right?Have you ever heard of kittens being used to deter squirrels?
That is ridiculous! First of all, no responsible pet owner has outdoor cats anymore. There are just too many hazards. Having an outdoor cat is like saying you love pouring money down the drain - the vet bills never end. Geez, I hope she got them spayed/neutered, at least.





Second, squirrels can hold their own against most cats, and if I were to get in a fight with either, I'd rather it be a cat. But for the most part, they co-habitate peacefully.





Third what does she plan to do when the kitten gets up on the roof (which they are unlikely to do) and gets stuck? And what makes her think the squirrel won't just hop into a tree?





There are many ways to deter squirrels, including removing brush from around the house - that deters rats too, and providing places for them to live away from the house (don't cut down your big nut trees, and then expect them to stay away from your house). Why not learn to live peacefully with them?





I rehab wild animals and my all time favorite animal is squirrels. I've lived with one (uncaged) in my house for two years. They are spotlessly clean and so are their nests. They are smart and empathetic. They have a strict set of ethics (handouts are insulting, but stealing is honorable) and a complex social structure. Living with one, I learned that when I made an effort to understand her ways and language, she made just as great an effort to understand mine and to comply with my rules.





I had a trio (sibs) that hung out on my porch for 11 years, and they never caused any trouble. When the male was horribly injured after being caught by a hawk, his sister took care of him and doted on him for months while he recovered.





Squirrels are not destructive unless they are forced to be. They are not like raccoons who will deliberately tear things up just for fun. They are not sloppy like opossum, who are fairly clean but will poop in their own dishes. They carefully set up house, keep it clean ( clean it out periodically to make sure) and tear up no more than they have to to make their drey safe and secure. If they move into someone's house, you can believe the homeowner destroyed their drey and they are just trying to make a new one. Put up a couple dreys ( you can go to squirrelboard for instructions) and they'll probably move out.





If your friend's mom wants other tips for dealing with squirrel pests, she can email me.Have you ever heard of kittens being used to deter squirrels?
Your friends Mom is essentially correct. Cats are an excellent deterrent against pests and vermin.





Since my cats learned how to knock down squirrels out of the trees on our property they no longer come around here. And any that dare to do not leave. They get eaten. We have no pests around our property since the cats went to work.





This is what cats were meant to do; eradicate pests. Locking cats in our houses and turning them into window decorations has only been in vogue for about 150 years. Before that cats were kept to protect our food and kill disease carrying rodents. Some modern cat owners are actually shocked to find that ';FLUFFY'; is a natural born killer with very unsettling eating habits.





I live in a small farming community/village on the Central Prairies. If it wasn't for our cats we would be over run with mice and prairie gophers. At night they are our gentle, loving pets. During the day they are cold blooded killing machines.
LOL!!!!! No it won't work. Kittens would have no effect on squirrels.





We have a ton in our back yard and the cats don't chase after them. The squirrels come within 10' of them and are not afraid. Your friend's mom probably just wants kittens and is using the squirrels as an excuse.
Well...I have had 3 different cats (2 since they were kittens) for almost 10 years and there are still squirrels all around my yard and neighbors yards. I don't think kittens would make much of a difference.