Oh, no! I would not like to see a squirrel struggling to free a leg caught in a trap. Well, I guess not even a rat for that matter. Maybe someone else can offer more helpful advice. Yikes.

When you set a trap like that you run the risk of killing or badly injuring any critter who comes by, including a neighborhood cat. Perhaps you should rethink your method. I've had good results with Hav-a-Heart traps.

Probably not the PC thing to say but I would hope to kill the squirrels too. They are rats with fluffy tails. I have caught squirrels in rat traps before with peanut butter on it. If you want a more humane way try finding a live trap and then you can do what you want with what you catch just be careful not to get bit. But my two cents after dealing with cats and squirrels in my garden and in my attic I say let them die.

I feel the same way as cdposey. Several years ago, squirrels got into the space between the floors of my two-story house and wreaked havoc!!! Cost me a fortune to get rid of them. They can chew the wiring and cause fires. The pest control people set traps and put out poison peanuts. Sorry folks, but these creatures can live in the trees as far as I'm concerned, not in my house.

Granddad, I hope you catch that rat. BTW, I left a message for you on the Asian vegetables thread concerning yard long beans. Thanks again.

That cat you're so eager to kill might be someone's lost pet. One of my (indoor) cats got out last fall and was lost for three days. I'm glad he didn't run into you.

I have at least three stray cats that visit my yard. They've never caused any damage, and they're welcome to stay. I think they may like my yard because I don't have a dog.

Now the squirrels I have no sympathy for. They dug up a couple hundred dollars worth of iris rhizomes, and they ruin my peaches.

Cat?

I thought they had been talking about rats?

Either way, cat, rat or squirrel. If they are doing damage, get rid of them.

I have trapped a rat near a garden before. See, you can put a weighted box over it with a fairly small hole in one end. This should keep cats out, but not rats.

That's a really nifty idea, Wayne! In fact it might encourage the rat to go in as they're pretty shy about being out in the open. They'd have cover and food - two of the rats favorite things. I'd try Wayne's idea, Grandad.

Personally, I use a havahart trap and kill the rabbits that get in. I let cats go and have even let a squirrel go(they haven't bothered my garden). Funniest thing I caught was a little bird TWICE. It was smaller than a sparrow and I can't believe it tripped the trigger. It's set up right now to trap a woodchuck that took up residence. I haven't seen him since I sprayed the whole garden with Liquid Fence, but the trap is set in case he's still lurking. Those buggers can really make their mark fast on a garden. He had my kidney beans totally defoliated in a day!

Good luck with your rat killing.

I dedided to removed the trap after having it set for about 36 hrs. It caught nothing. I see now that I proably made a bunch of squirrel fans happy. On the cat concern, WE have a cat. However, the garden is inside of an electric fence which is on only at night. In any case our cat does not venture into the garden. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to worry about the rat in the first place.