Found a cat paw in the raised bed

[ExpectingToFly]

So we moved into our house 17 months ago. We had the back garden completely returfed and two raised beds put in for vegetables etc. They are about 6ft x 3ft.
At the weekend I was digging in one of the beds and I thought I saw a cats paw sticking out. I only let myself look for a brief second as I felt so freaked out so I quickly put mud back on top. I then went to sort the kids out and sort of forgot about it.
I mentioned to my husband in the evening that I thought something weird was in the vegetable patch and could he check but he just laughed it off and even I thought it was probably just a branch or something...

Yesterday I wanted to plant some seeds in and remembered about the weird thing so asked my husband to check. Which he did.. he went really quiet and said it really was a cats paw. I felt so awful. How did it get there? Is it definitely a cat? Is it all of a cat? Who did it? It feels so sinister 😥
He did a bit more digging and said he found another paw but the kids were around so he stopped.
He rang the RSPCA but they couldn't do anything and said to contact local environmental health
Thry said to put it in a bag and they will collect it

I am too scared to dig it up and I think my husband is too. We just put a patio slab ontop for now
WTF is going on?! Do you think someone climbed over our fence and buried a cat? We live in a seaside town....I joked maybe s seagull had done it

Hello

Update! First of all I am sorry if upset anyone by saying it was a cat paw. My husband just dug it out and it was a baby fox. It was grey and the mud had made the fur look darker. I guess the cub died and the fox buried it. They did a great job! Havent googled it yet but I hope this is what they do if one of their young die?
Thanks for your messages

Ahh, poor baby fox. But how nice that the mummy fox buried it. Though odd that it's paws were detached. Maybe another fox killed it and ate some of it and buried the rest for later?

www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/questions/answer/do-foxes-badgers-bury-their-dead

Interesting article .

I think everyone is assuming the paws were detached and found in isolation, but I think the OP just got scared and stopped digging when they emerged, but the body was whole!

Thanks for the link! The paws were still attached. It's just it was buried upside down. It was fully intact so visible signs of injury/trauma.
Worrying now that the vixen may use the bed for future Cub burials! Think I will just grow flowers not veg in that one now.

Sorry meant to say no signs of injury/trama

A fox raised a litter of seven cubs under our shed a few years ago. One sadly died and she left it on the lawn, so we dealt with it, but the rest all survived, so hopefully you won’t have to deal with another burial!

@ExpectingToFly
If it’s an intact cat please get in touch with your local Cats Protection and have it scanned as it will likely be a missing pet, also they will dispose of the cat too.

@JKScot4 Read OP's update?

Worrying now that the vixen may use the bed for future Cub burials!

Probably good compost, you will get massive carrots!

@Emcont
See it now, no need for

Oh poor baby fox that’s so sad.

Oh this is so sad , I’d be heartbroken finding that .
Glad you found out that it wasn’t anything malicious though

I am too scared to dig it up and I think my husband is too

It's only a dead cat FFS! And one you aren't emotionally attached to at that. What do you think it's going to do to you?

@mrsjosh

It's not a dead cat (FFS)

Try reading the thread.

Oh poor foxy. Have you disposed it now. I would plant something in its memory like an evergreen flowering shrub.

I realised it had been identified as a fox after I'd posted.

But they thought it was a cat, and were scared to dig it up, so the question remains - why were they frightened of a dead cat? Albeit, as it turns out, a hypothetical cat.

@ MrsJoshNavidi Instead of posting shitty comments, try reading the update ..
And if you wouldn't be even a little upset at finding a dead animal in your garden then that says a lot about you

It's not a shitty comment, it's a question.

And being upset, and being frightened are not the same thing.

@MrsJoshNavidi

In case it had been mauled or mutilated? There have been SO many deceased cats turning up with horrific injuries that I’m not surprised OP was afraid to exhume it.

Mrs J, there were children present at one point.

Digging up a dead animal, which at best might smell and be maggotty and at worse may be distressingly mutilated is something most people would want to brace themselves for.

There were complaints about showing a photo of a dead animal on FB recently, let alone actually being within arms length of it.

SarahAndQuack i wont be leaving this house until i go out in a box, so they will find out for themselves