I adopted an outdoor cat this past winter and have had 0 problems with small critters since. (Last year the chipmunks and robins got 90% of my red currants and raspberries.) She spent the winter living 'rough' under the house next door to me and when I figured out that she had no home, I started feeding her. Realizing that she must have been someone's pet previously (she's very friendly) I took her to the vet and had her tested for all the outdoor-cat-nasties (all negative) and got her her shots. She has her very own house (large dog travel crate with the door taken off) and gets fed twice a day. She follows customers all over the gardens and they are quite taken with her. So, I have a greeter and critter catcher all in one.
