The Cat & the Squirrel

First of all, let me admit that certain people of my acquaintance are beyond animal lovers. They're more like animal enablers.
Not me, of course. My cat does NOT rule my life, and I NEVER talk to her. Honest.
      Anyway, one member of our family tames whatever comes into the yard, and since they live in a city, that's mostly squirrels. If you sit on their porch, the squirrels will come up and glare at you, because you're supposed to know they get a peanut if they do that.
They've been known to come inside if the sliding door happens to be open a tiny bit, and the male in the household tends to leave it that way. I mean, we wouldn't want the squirrels to starve because they can't get in to get a peanut.
      What's odd is that their cat, who's as big as a lynx and quite the hunter when allowed outside, tolerates the squirrels and vice versa. The other day, I'm told, a squirrel came up for its peanut, and the cat pounced on it, holding it down on the porch floor. The squirrel didn't panic (I'm sure they had drills for this in squirrel school). He merely laid quietly in the cat's paws while the cat did a preliminary examination. Once he was satisfied the squirrel was carrying no weapons and wasn't strapped with explosives, he let him go. The squirrel continued on his way, got his peanut, and left.
Now why can't the world operate like that?