Well, sort of.

More tomatoes were devoured this morning and I am totally fed up. I believe it is either some really determined rats or a possum or a raccoon. Nothing I have used so far has gotten rid of it/them. I came close to buying rat poison tonight, but it specifically said not to use it around vegetables. So I got the next closest thing which is something that looks like black pepper but is a bit denser. It was expensive ($18/container), but is supposed to last for 30 days. It smells awful and is supposed to repel rats, possums, raccoons, skunks, etc. It is not safe for pets, but is only a problem if they walk through it and somehow ingest it. The cats don’t go out all that much any more, and I can keep the screen shut so that they don’t get out when I’m not looking. So I decided to take the chance.

I sprinkled it all along the back of the bed and in the corner where I believe they are coming into the bed. I noticed some kind of droppings on top of the wall but couldn’t tell whether it was from an animal–and didn’t want to do too thorough an exam! So far tonight I haven’t heard anything out there, so I’m hoping the smell is deterring them.

I think this is the same principal as the cayenne pepper but stronger. I’ve spent over $20 on the cayenne so far. If this other stuff lasts for 30 days, then it’s worth the price. We’ll see what happens.