In article
,
Val Gal wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. I had thought of cats, but I haven't made
the acquaintance of any in the neighborhood. There are hawks, skunks,
raccoons, and such around, so something like that is probably more
likely. I think I'll try the mothball suggestion. Do hawks have a
sense of smell?

BZZZT. It IS a cat, knothead. Wild animals such as those you mention, do
NOT behave that way.