Foxes

[LatteLady]

Just before I went out to supper tonight, found my next door neighbour in tears coming up her front path... her cat had been savaged by foxes. From the sounds of it, Ralph a sleek cream cat with a ginger tinge will need to be put down as the fox has ripped open his under belly.

This is the third incident in our area over the last week, another lady was walking her dog and had to get between the fox and her dog and then got attacked too.

Am I unreasonable to think that there should be a method of culling this urban menace?

PLEASE don't feed them. It is not good for them - it's much safer for them to stay shy and run away from humans.

Punk why do you have to be so far away from where I live, I'm going to bookmark that site and drop hints at DH.

I'm sorry I don't believe it.

Where we walk our dogs there are loads of foxes. Judging by the amount of poo my dog finds, there are bloody hundreds of the things. We rarely see them and when we do they are running away from us. They're horrified of even our smallest dog.

One particularly brave fox approaches the flying whippet from time to time, they play with each other, then the fox scarpers when we approach.

I've seen one once without my dogs. I putting rubbish out at the fast food place I worked at as a teenager and spotted one approaching the bins as I was, it froze in fear, stood staring at me for a few seconds and bolted when I moved. It was certainly in no way aggressive.

I like foxes, but they are wild animals, not pets, and I find are very keen to stay at a reasonable distance. They will retreat from dogs, people and even territorial cats.

It is a bad idea to try to feed or pet them as they will learn to approach people, some of whom may not like it.

Some are horribly ill due to mange, and will be driven insane by the pain and irritation, will behave very oddly, may steal food, run into traffic.

p.s.

beware of the websites. At least one offers a homepathic (FFS) remedy for mange, and presumably some people who don't read too carefully will think it actually works.

they're the homeopath people.

FFS

Toughasoldboots

I agree with you.

Britain fetishises every type of wildlife except it's bloody own.

Some people REALLY love foxes:

I would be deeply reluctant to cull if the need came....but I would rather that than hunting, which I deplore for many reasons. One good book is Fox by Martin Wallen - or anything by Professor Garry Marvin, who talks about our relationship with wildlife - through folklore, legend and our emotions.

I must go and make some badges for my fan club...I have never had a fan club before. Signed photos? Gigs? Naked pictures in FHM? My head is swelling.

But I love having a passion and being able to work with the animals and people I do. Also meeting one very sexy author...sigh...and going walking in the woods with him and two wolves. That was......paradise.

I leave leftovers in my garden for foxes. Fox leaves a few undesired poos staking its now even more precious territory at the very start. Then will protect my garden all the more from other foxes and definitely has no interest in my cats (one of whom thinks he's doug the dog from movie up and tries to befriend anything fluffy and mobile) If a fox went for a cat, I suspect they were fighting for food rather than fox was trying to eat the cat. (Luckily cats around here are well fed)

Doin, they may not do it to every cat see but some foxes do kill cats. I have the dead cat to prove it. My vet is a cat specialist and has seem several cases

Can i join the fan club punk?

My guinea pigs have been mauled by cats on my property.

Cats also are responsible for destroying a lot of British wildlife.

I actually think that if you allow your cat to roam outside, then foxes are simply a consequence and a risk you take.

I think that there should be a method of controlling the urban menace known as a 'cat', but there you go. Controversial, but we have far too many cats in this country and the rules about allowing them to wander freely are crap, especially compared with a lot of other places around the world, where it is actually illegal for them to do that.

I would quite like cat owners to take responsibility for their animals rather than thinking that have this royal untouchable status and that every other creature is inferior and clear the cat shit up that regularly end up in my garden

I can think of plenty other 'urban menaces'
I always find it amusing when people bleat on about foxes being vermin etc etc. The arrogance of being part of the human race I guess.

Great point, Absolute. We are the cockiest animal of all.

Usualsuspect my old cat was called Ralph! So I believe the op

Sometimes sadly a cat may be killed in a road traffic accident - which is very common and yes, a fox or other predator will take the body. So then foxes are accused of killing the animal. But unless you have actually seen the incident, it is not proof.

In the States, farmers have loved to get compensation for wolf kills. When experts come in, the truth is often very different.

one of our foxes would come running if i called her didn't bother with my cats either also used the homeopathic stuff on her years ago and it cured her mange sadly she got killed on the road
if people know there are foxes in the area why keep animals like g-pigs and rabbits outside its asking for trouble, they may not get eaten but may get scared to death

Certainly in my case that would be pretty unlikely Punkatheart. My cat was a 14lb Maine Coon and was found in the garden hundreds of yards and several fences away from the roads. It would have been a serious challenge for them to drag her there.

Even the report linked to upthread admits that foxes do kill some cats, so I am not sure why even when people say they have witnessed it happen people are so determined that they are lying. Mine was not used to being outside, and had been missing for days so was probably weakened and an easy target.

And coldinthesun - cat owners can't win. If we let them out, we deserve for them to die apparently. Another poster upthread claimed it is cruel to keep cats inside (as I do).

Sign me up, Punkaheart.

You are abolsutely right. If you cull foxes, the population will just breed more in order to be able to 'supply' foxes to move into the available territory. Then you get more fox territory-fighting and the noise etc that goes with it.

To keeping the breeding of animals such as foxes, rats and pigeons to a minimum, people should simply stop leaving so much food available (often in cheap thin bin bags that an ant could rip open).

Foxes will take dead animals so if you see one with a dead cat in its jaws it's likely taking unfortunate roadkill.

Cats are far far far more likely to be hurt or killed by cars. Do we see cat owners banning cars? No.

The only problem I have with foxes is when we walk my basset hound, it don't matter what you do she always hunts down and roles in fox shit!