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Squirrels & Wildlife

Can Cats and Squirrels Be Friends? No — One Is Prey

Viral videos show tolerance, not friendship. What cat predation actually does to squirrel populations, and why a fed squirrel is at more risk.

By Salma 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A white cat seen from behind, watching intently from garden cover
Photo: Couleur, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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The videos are real and they show a truce. A well-fed cat and a squirrel within reach of a trunk have both done the arithmetic — that is not friendship, and it does not hold.

What the footage actually shows

appearancewhat is happening
Cat ignoring a squirrelwell fed, and the squirrel is near a trunk
Squirrel feeding near a catescape route within one bound
Nose-to-nose contactmutual assessment, very brief
Repeated calm encountersfamiliarity, not affection
Any of the above with a juvenilea kill waiting to happen

A cat-caught squirrel is an emergency even without visible injury

Cat saliva carries Pasteurella. A puncture that looks trivial causes sepsis within days. Antibiotics started within hours are what decides the outcome — so a rehabilitator, not release back into the garden.

Reducing the risk, in order of effect

measureeffect
Keep the cat in at dawn and dusklargest
High-meat-protein dietreduces hunting behaviour
Bib-style collar deterrentbetter than a bell
Bell on collarmoderate
Feeding at height, 3 m from coverlarge, for the squirrels’ part
Escape routes — trees, fence lineslarge

If you find an injured squirrel

  • Ventilated box, dark, warm, quiet — a towel, not bedding it can swallow
  • No food, no water — a shocked or cold animal aspirates both
  • Do not handle more than necessary; gloves, and keep children and pets away
  • Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and say it was a cat
  • Keep the cat in while the garden settles

Design the garden so nothing feeds in the open

Most predation happens where an animal is caught without vertical escape. Feeders on smooth poles with baffles, three metres from a fence or shrub, change the outcome more reliably than anything you do to the cat.

Common questions

Can a cat and a squirrel be friends?

No, in any meaningful sense. What viral footage shows is tolerance between two animals that have assessed each other and decided not to engage — usually a well-fed cat and a squirrel with an escape route to hand. That is a truce, not a bond. The relationship is predator and prey, and it reverts the moment the cat is hungry, bored or the squirrel is on the ground without cover.

Do cats actually catch squirrels?

Adults less often than people assume — a healthy adult squirrel is fast, agile and climbs faster than a cat — but juveniles, injured animals and squirrels on open ground are taken regularly. Cats are a significant mortality source for young squirrels in suburban areas, and crucially most cat attacks that do not kill outright still do: bite wounds introduce bacteria that cause fatal infection within days without treatment.

My cat brought one home alive — what now?

Treat it as a veterinary emergency even if it looks unharmed. Cat saliva carries Pasteurella and other bacteria, and a squirrel with any puncture needs antibiotics started within hours to survive. Put it in a ventilated box somewhere dark, warm and quiet, do not offer food or water, and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. An apparently fine animal released back into the garden usually dies of sepsis a few days later.

Does a bell on the collar help?

Somewhat, and less than people hope. Reviews of the evidence find bells reduce catches meaningfully but far from completely, and collar-mounted bib-style deterrents perform better. The measures with the largest effect are keeping cats indoors at dawn and dusk, when hunting peaks, and feeding a high-meat-protein diet, which has been shown to reduce hunting behaviour.

Does feeding squirrels put them at risk from cats?

Yes, and it is the part people miss. A feeding station concentrates squirrels at a fixed point, at predictable times, usually on the ground and often near cover a cat can use. It also reduces their flight distance toward humans and, by extension, toward domestic animals. If there are cats in the neighbourhood, a ground feeding point is the most dangerous thing you can install for the animals you are trying to help.

How do I let both share a garden?

Separate them in space and time. Feed birds and squirrels at height, on smooth poles with baffles and at least 3 m from any cover a cat can launch from. Keep the cat in at dawn and dusk. Give squirrels escape routes — mature trees, a fence line, nothing isolated in open lawn. Most predation happens where an animal is caught away from vertical escape, so the layout of the garden matters more than the cat's temperament.

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