cats vs foxes

I heard an almighty cat right going on last night so went out to have a look. One of my cats came running in with her tail puffed up. I meard more fighting so I called for the other cat, then an enormous fox ran accross the back fence and Aduki finally came in.

They both seemed unharmed but a bit shaken up. My cats are very small so obviously I'm worried. Why would the fox be bothering my cats? Later on I heard it fighting with other cats.

I see foxes in the street lots but never in the garden, because we live in the middle of a terrace 60 houses long!

[ 12. October 2006, 01:38 PM: Message edited by: sparkle ]

 

Hi Sparkle,you say your cats are small this may be the reason the fox saw it as a possible dinner,in the countryside there is often reports of a lot of cats going missing and think this could be down to foxes,they will at night kill anything that is small and moves,we touched on this theme some months ago,and to deter foxes i put forward an old remedy,that is to put human hair in tights in several places around your garden i.e on your fence the fox can smell this and usually give it a wide berth

 

HI Sparkle don't blame you for being worried,think i'd keep them in at night,we never let ours out at nighttime cos i'd never sleep otherwise,they say urban foxes are worse for scavenging.

 

The remedy suggested by Macleaf is one carried out in the country to good effect. It is also quite important to make sure there is no food element in your garden to attract the foxes.

 

There is also the usual comical option of asking a friendly male [or yourself if appropriate] to go round the garden at intervals and p** here and there!
:D
My cats come and go as they please, but I have dogs too.

 

Liz i can just picture you now,just hope you havnt any nettles :D :D

 

oh dear poor little pussycats :eek:

We've got glass doors so no catflap, so the only time they can go out is when I get home from work. I will try the hair thing though. I could do with a trim Maybe not the urine just yet - though I'm sure my boyfriend would find it great fun!

 

But pee is the best bet - only takes a little here and there!

(Ever watch the film "Doc Hollywood" [Michael J Fox]?)

 

We used to own a small cat and I think the foxes were more at risk from him. If anything moved he would attempt to kill it and ask questions later. Foxes are normally very reluctant to tackle a full grown cat. A cat is ball of pure muscle and fury when cornered and even dogs are wary of going in on a cornered cat. Once our cat came in injured and had a scratch on his eye. When I inspected him he was hurt underneath and had been rolling round with something in a fight and he absolutely stank....of polecat. They reckon he was lucky ...but I think he was probably the instigater.

 

Once again I have to agree with your experiences with your cat, geoffhandley. It is surprising how territorial even a neutered cat can be, but I don't think I have ever seen quite such a ball of fury as a young queen with kits outside with her for maybe the first few times when an unwitting strange dog or cat has come on the scene! They don't stay long!

 

I think it would have to be a pretty big dog to tackle a cat or a very stupid one. Jack Russels are such and will go in fighting without a care in the world. Foxes are not that stupid. If they pick up an injury that could stop them hunting then that would be curtains for them. A healthy, adult cat is too big a risk.