Societal collapse is a staple of the evening news. It’s happening now, all over the world, especially in Third World countries. But happy, middle-class people in the First World can suffer the same fate. Just ask any Europeans left over from World War II.
A worst-case scenario isn’t that far-fetched. Escalating national debt already really has only one guaranteed solution, doesn’t it? Printing more money is preferred by most debtor states. Too bad about the accompanying inflation—and the loss of value in pensions and personal savings. Time to barter with whatever tangibles you have left.
With money worthless and stores deplete, there will be nothing other than what’s in the backyard garden. In the worst of times, you’ll be forced to defend your garden with guns. Small towns and subdivisions will supply their own 24/7 firepower to keep out hungry looters and predatory gangs.
In the meantime, learn some lessons about protecting your emergency food larder, your personal garden.
Mice, rabbits, voles, squirrels, moles, and other creatures can be a plague upon the backyard garden, destroying plants and stealing harvests. Sure, you can complain a lot, or devote lots of time and money trying out one quick fix after another. Chances are that you will be outwitted, however. Just ask Mr. McGregor.
Some gardeners have discovered that barn cats don’t need to be hated or considered pariah. Instead, they can be a free security force patrolling your garden at all hours. This is especially important for the larger survival-type gardens for which elaborate fencing is much more difficult compared to small patches. Besides, who wants your garden to look like a German Stalag or Russian 
Gulag?
Cats won’t typically kill adult rabbits, but they have ways of making them feel unwelcome. My garden and environs used to be a haven for bunnies. Cute for kids and visitors, but trouble for edibles. When barn cats started hanging around, they would pounce on the rabbits, who were half-heartedly trying to stand their ground. Before long, fewer rabbits were seen, then none at all. The same for squirrels and other looters.
At one point, squirrels in the barn decided to eat up my shade-producing burlap. Mice would tear open any seed packets. No more.
Good tips, John. The dryer sheets and laundry soap are certainly worth trying, especially with the invisible soap being cheap and easy to reapply. With such a cute kitten in the post, I’m glad you didn’t include the cats themselves as useful meat 😉
Rabbits are good eating. Easy to raise, easy to hunt. Can be taken with a cheap bb gun, so ammo and noise are not a concern.
Pests in the garden though. I found that hanging drier sheets and spreading a thin line of laundry soap around the perimeter of my yard keeps out all but subterranean pests. Racoons, skunks, rabbits, even the deer stay away.
The cats take care of the rats and mice, and once you’ve shot a few squirrels the word seems to get out and they stay away.
But I sometimes think I am driving away a lot of useful meat.