cats and foxes debate again

[Tiggy's Mum]

Speaking of foxes...

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/907868-cheeky-fox-stuns-commuters-with-late-night-tube-ride

[Jiji]

No she was not harmed    but then again I live where there are plenty of fields and natural prey for foxes and there not many of them around, but cats may be more vulnerable in urban areas where the population density of foxes is greater and natural prey and scavenging opportunities may be more scarce and opportunities for cats to get themselves out of harms way may be less. Having said that I don't believe foxes pose any real problems to healthy adult cats but of course sadly there will be exceptions. These are purely my thoughts as I haven't read the articles.

[Hippykitty]

That photo bears out my opinion that a healthy adult cat will always get away from a fox. Cats are very good climbers; foxes aren't. A cat will escape from a single dog (canine, not fox) in similar ways. Only a pair of dogs or a pack can corner and kill a cat. Foxes don't work in packs.

Was Ellie harmed, other than frightened? If not, it's more evidence that foxes don't kill cats.

[Jiji]

I have a picture taken by my neighbour of my late cat Ellie sitting in a tree with a fox looking up at her, have to say she didn't look bothered but then again she was not the sort to climb trees. The neighbour probably only gave me a copy of the photo because I had told them foxes don't really pose a threat to cats.

[Liz]

We have a family of foxes and my outside cats come to no harm at night and the rest of the Clan are out at 5am and we have had no issues except Mist puppy rolling in fox pooh

[maddercow]

Helen you have a point about the wheelie bins. I really feel for foxes now we have those flaming food bins. What little food waste we have left over, if it is suitable for foxes (which is alot of it!) is thrown into the field opposite for the family of foxes we have there. I have to admit to getting them cheap sale bits from the supermarket... they always look so painfully thin when I see them.  Is lovely watching them running around the field picking up the bits I put out for them.

I wish I could cat proof my garden, mum won't let me hence mine being indoor cats, but my two really don't see to suffer that much being indoor cats, they are honestly the healthiest, most playful, happiest looking cats I have ever had.

Certainly if your cat is sick or really elderly I would keep it in as they are bound to be at risk from anything outside be it wheeled or legged.

X

[Mymblesdaughter]

Jezebel that is exactly what I think. It's all part of demonising foxes so that they can bring back hunting.

As everyone else says. I've seen cats and foxes walk within a couple of foot of each other and no sign of them having any interest in each other at all. I've had foxes everywhere I've lived in my garden and have never caused any problems with my or neighbours cats. 

[jezebel]

I have also seen foxes and cats walk past each other with no aggression or fear on either side.

That's always been my experience of them too. I have heard at least one (reliable!) person say they've actually witnessed a fox and a cat fighting - but who's to say the cat didn't attack first? Or that the fox had cubs nearby?

The *media just want to demonize foxes - first they were "attacking" children, now pets. If this was common behaviour, most of us would have had experience of it.


*Most of the media suck up to Tory posh boys, like Cameron, who would just love to repeal the fox hunting ban to make all their posh friends happy! But they know they'd never get away with it unless they got the public on their side first.

[Tiggy's Mum]

I'm not at all anti-foxes, I think they're amazing creatures and I love seeing them but... I'm very glad that I was able to cat-proof the garden to protect against roads/dogs/evil humans and possibly foxes. I saw a lovely looking fox a few nights ago, less than 50 metres away from my house and it got me thinking then how glad I was that the boys don't go outside 'properly'.

That said where I live we don't have wheelie bins for food waste so I don't think there's a problem with foxes 'needing' to attack animals they wouldn't normally go for. I think it's places where the food waste is in wheelie bins that the foxes are having to resort to attacking creatures they wouldn't normally go for.

[maddercow]

Many a time I have seen foxes and cats on my front lawn sharing my (indoor) cats' leftovers, I have also seen foxes and cats walk past each other with no aggression or fear on either side.

I accept that on occasions a hungry fox might attack a small or frail cat.

The press seem hell bent on demonising foxes at the moment. Foxes are wild animals, they need to eat and some of them may see cats as prey, it is dreadful but that is nature.
If you let your hamster or rabbit out to roam freely then it is going to fall prey to something and I can't see cats as any different apart from the fact that the cat has a better chance of fighting back.

The chances of your cat getting hurt by a fox are tiny compared to the chances of being run over, stolen, lost or hurt/killed by sadistic humans or their dogs. There will always be exceptions.

XXX

[Angiew]

Rosella/Helen - don't believe everything you read. Nothing to back that statement up.

[Rosella moggy]

Thanks for the hands up Helen.  Afraid I'm simply not up to reading horrific stuff but have lived in an area heavily populated with foxes for over 20 years and (touch wood  ) no horrific fox attacks yet ...........

[Tiggy's Mum]

What a horrific thing for the poor owner to witness, not to mention what the poor cat went through 

HK - It said in one of the articles that she had only been let out 10 minutes previously so unlikely to have been killed another way and then discovered by a roaming fox in such a short time I would have thought?

[Hippykitty]

I agree with the wildlife expert. From everything I've read, foxes will not tackle a full-grown cat. If they see feline road-kill, or a cat who has died from other causes, they will take the body. This is probably what the owner who saw his cat dangling from the fox's jaws was actually seeing: his already dead cat being scavenged by the fox.

A fox will attack small kittens or cats who are significantly weak; but a healthy adult cat is too much of a challenge: too large and armed with claws. Only two dogs (canine) working as a pack can corner a cat and kill it. Foxes hunt alone. Cats are efficient climbers; foxes aren't.

Personally, I think the "a fox killed my cat" idea is an urban myth, or just a mistake based on half the story (cat in fox's jaws).  Regarding Mr Fox, our cats are relatively safe imho, however, cars are another matter altogether.

[Angiew]

printed today -

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/foxes-are-preying-on-our-pets-says-cat-lover-who-compares-them-to-jaws-8015354.html

last month

http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Sanderstead-cats-killed-foxes-says-wildlife/story-16529292-detail/story.html

and last week http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wimbledonnews/9850125.Owner_distraught_after_gruesome_discovery_of_beheaded_cat/
brought to mind the cat in Solihull, though they did say they did not think that an animal.