Cats and Squirrels

[Greenlaner]

He must be but he's a fairly robust kitty normally. When the windows are shut he just sits watching them .

[Hippykitty]

Poor Billy, he must be frightened of the foxes. 

[Greenlaner]

Billy is indoor cat but there are lots of squirrels around here and foxes which he likes to sit watching from the window sill. If you happen to have the window open a bit though, he always sits hiding in the hallway when he can smell the foxes. Once the window is closed he returns to the sill.

[Hippykitty]

It's reassuring to think that the cats won't get anywhere near the squirrels. I hope that they go for easier targets like mice. I've never been aware of one of my current five cats catching anything back at the old house. They may just have not brought them as 'pressies'.

I can't keep them in for much longer because they're driving me potty. I think that the poor mites are thoroughly bored and want to get out and explore.

Cat flaps are top of my shopping list!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

My Mum has 2 Tonkinese and 1 Siamese ... all young, very quick and intelligent cats and none of them has ever managed to catch the squirrels.  Mum has several squirrel feeds round the garden so there are always lots of potential targets. 

Mums cats have practically given up on them now as they know there's no chance of getting one 

[Mymblesdaughter]

I can't imagine a squirrel would do more damage to a cat than a rat. We have a few squirrels in the back garden and my neighbour has 4 cats. I've never seen the cats even chase the squirrels. Cats, squirrels and foxes all seem to ignore each other.   

[Dawn F]

my cats chase them, never caught on though, I'd bet on a cat over a squirrel any day though

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

there are loads of squiggles where I live - they sit on the window sill outside and taunt my indoor boys!  There are quite a few cats around here too.  I've not heard of any being hurt by the squiggles.  One or 2 do try to chase them but the squiggles just run away and up a tree.  There was a big ginger tom a while back who, apparently, caught one or 2 but he didn't seem to be injured in the process.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

I'm sorry HippyKitty, I didn't mean to scare you 

[Hippykitty]

I've discovered that a near neighbour likes squirrels and is feeding them, hence the huge population of large greys. I don't have the "greys vs reds" prejudice which some people do, but I am concerned about the "large greys vs cats" issue, and I'm worried by what Slugsta has said. I'm not exagerating in saying that there are dozens of squirrels who are double the size of most rats. There is a tree in my garden which has no bark....I wonder if it's been stripped.

My cats are all ex-ferals and I'm concerned that they may attempt to chase the squirrels and get badly hurt. Unfortunately, every time I attempt to put a collar on them - quick-release - they think I'm going to strangle them and run off! A collar and bell might help to prevent a confrontation, perhaps.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

None of my cats have ever been fast enough to catch a squirrel, but a friend of mine did have a cat who managed to catch a young one which did a fair amount of damage...

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I had a grey squirrel in London and never went near Kocka........I dont think there would be a problem especially as you have more than one cat

[Hippykitty]

Are grey squirrels a danger to cats? There are masses of grey squirrels in the area I've moved to. At the moment, while my cats are being kept in to settle down to the new house, the squirrels are providing 'entertainment' for the cats who watch them through the french windows: a kind of cat television! But I'm concerned that when the cats go out they might attempt to chase and catch the squirrels - which are huge - and get hurt.

I did an internet search and found conflicting ideas; some sites saying that squirrels are too fast for a cat, and others that the squirrel could rip open a cat's stomach with its back claws.
So I decided to ask experts: the members of Purrs.

Are my cats in danger from the huge local population of grey squirrels?