Well there are a few differences between squirrels and rats. Squirrels don't eat meat while rats are omnivores. Rats are pretty smart and squirrels are mostly not. Rats are nocturnal, squirrels aren't...I'm sure there are more. I've never eaten either!
I think the dislike of rats is that unlike squirrels rats and mice will set up home in our territory and attempt to eat our food. That and they are associated with carrying diseases.
I’m not weedy about nature being red in tooth n claw, I worked on the farm for a long time and that toughens anyone up.
There are mice and rats everywhere in the stacked hay bales, as I’m sure you know you can pick some up a watch them scatter in all directions. Never bothered me one bit.
But donkeys ago emptying out the garage we’d inherited a rat the size of a dog ran over my foot and it still makes me feel queasy to think about it now 😂 I can only think it’s because it was in the garage of my house and not a hay bale away from my domain.
Anyway veering back onto topic I’ve never seen squirrel meat for sale (unlike rabbit) and I suspect if it tasted good we’d all be eating it, I’d probably try squirrel and even have a go at making squirrel sandwich meat 😆