“of course they hardly ever catch a squirrel”
Yeah, I have seen squirrels get away from full speed divebombing hawks, so most land-based predators don’t stand much of a chance chasing them. Between their reflexes, their random evasive maneuvers, and their jumping/climbing ability, you’d really have to catch them off guard in order to get one.
“My vet said due to a squirrel’s diet, they are very low on causing infection from a bite, or scratch, due to their diet.”
Makes sense to me. They are technically omnivores, but the only meat I have ever seen them eat (that wasn’t human garbage) are caterpillars. They LOVE to munch on caterpillars, they even prefer those over nuts.
Our patient female Weim had a formula for catching a squirrel. Of course she would point once she saw a squirrel, and then she would freeze. Then move forward very, very slowly, one paw at a time. Once she got close enough to make a dash, but not to scare of the squirrel, she would just freeze and wait. When the squirrel had wandered far enough from the nearest tree, she would dart, making a beeline for the trail the squirrel would take to get back to the tree...she basically ambushed them, cutting off their way of escape. She did it the same everytime.
Our male Weims would sometimes try to mimic her behavior, but they didn’t have the patience, or the savvy. If a squirrel was up a tree in our yard, she would sit at the base of the tree for literally hours, if we had let her. Of course the squirrel was having fun, running down the bark, just out of reach of her, and chattering at her all the time.