the breeze blows. squirrels cannot grip onto the plastic and they will fall off before they get to the feeder. it is the only thing that has worked for me. the squirrels are now left with no choice but to eat off the ground.
citrus peels do not repel squirrels. our squirrels climb the orange tree and eat through the orange peels to the fruit, they eat 1/2 of the orange, peel and all!
i have an outside cat, and when i go away, a neighbor gives him his canned food in the morning (he is waiting for this) and leaves dry food in a self feeder for later in the day. 