Kentucky woman uses a Slinky to squirrel-proof her bird feeder

OWENSBORO, Ky., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A Kentucky woman who struggled to keep squirrels from raiding her bird feeder came up with a simple but effective solution -- a Slinky.

Jan Siems Catron posted a video to Facebook showing a squirrel attempting to climb the bird feeder in her yard, but falling back to the ground when it reaches the section covered by the coiled-wire children's toy.

Catron said the Slinky was originally meant to be a Christmas gift for a grandchild.

"The Slinky never made it under the tree," Catron told KABC-TV.

She said no other method of squirrel-proofing her bird feeder had ever been effective.

"If I put seed in the feeder, the squirrels always come out. I have tried several different types of squirrel-proof bird feeders and none have worked," Catron said.

Catron said the squirrels kept trying to climb the Slinky, but with no success.

"The squirrels tried to climb the pole for two days. After they fell off many times, they gave up," she said.

The homeowner admitted the Slinky isn't 100 percent effective.

"A few are now trying to jump from the tree to the top of the bird feeder. If they land it, I let them stay on the feeder for a snack. I figure if they work that hard, they have earned it," Catron said.