If I had a pecan grove next door, I would put up nest boxes for owls. Also give thought and research to bobcats, foxes, other predators.

As for the pansies, try sprinking mothballs on the bed. Squirrels are said to hate mothballs. We put bags of mothballs in our eaves once, to discourage squirrels. The squirrels hauled the bags out and dumped them on the ground.

As for cats, I have seen a powerful tomcat kill a squirrel with one bite at the back of its neck, which severs the spinal chord. A cat has to learn this technique from another cat, no doubt its mother.

However, cats should always be kept indoors. When allowed out, they get worms and diseases, they get hit by cars or attacked by other animals, and they kill young birds newly out of the nest at an appalling rate. With the invention of kitty litter, the number of pet and feral cats is growing exponentially, and we need to take responsibility for our pets.