Do foxes attack cats?

[tasha1]

I don't post often but looking for wisdom on this. I had to take one of my cats to the vet today as he was clearly very poorly and having difficulty walking. Vet couldn't find what was causing him to be so unwell at first. However, on closer examination, found that a large piece of flesh had been ripped off just under the crook of one of his front legs (arm pit). She initially thought this was a fierce attack by another cat. They kept him in to suture under sedation and IV fluids. However, they then discovered similar injury in the same place on the other side. He had 14 stitches in all. They said that it definitely wasn't another cat because of the degree of 'tearing' and the puncture wounds were too far apart to be another cat. They think it was highly likely to be a fox.

We have a lot of foxes where we are as there is a local den but my cats have never been hurt by one in the past and there seems to have been a mutual respect. My cat is really timid (unlike his brother) and runs from trouble. I didn't think foxes did attack cats, unless perhaps felt threatened? A mystery that will probably never be solved. If only cats could talk! Can anyone shed any light on this possibility?

Ps I'm not in the slightest anti fox. I'd just like to know whether this is a possible cause for his injuries.

Thanks in advance

[jacks09]

When we got our cats from Celia Hammind we were advised to keep them indoors up until they were a year old. This was because, due to the scarcity of food, foxes had started attacking younger, smaller cats. My garden and surrounding areas are rife with foxes but have never had any trouble with our cats .

[KidKruger]

Could also have been a dog, or the cat having been caught on a fence/wire.

My dog recently had a tear in the armpit area too, a patch of skin torn-off around the size of a penny. I'm not sure it was a fox though, given they're 1/4 his size.

So I figure he's got snagged in the bushes, or possibly on a nail in a post/fence.

[pommie]

usually foxes only attack sick cats. My cats used to play in the garden with the foxes

[tasha1]

Thanks for messages. Knew the possibility of young cats but he's four years old. Could have been that he got caught on wire but he had significant bruising, as though pinned down by something quite heavy. However, a few neighbours have anti-cat spikes on their fences. He's always managed to negotiate these but possible.

He is quite vulnerable so possibly quite an easy target. He was involved in an RTA a year ago and sustain severe injuries. He still limps as one of his front legs was reconstructed with metal plates. He's become very timid since this accident. He also recently had a nasty abscess, caused by a puncture wound from an animal bite and was still recovering. Think he's busy using his 9 lives up!

[Mustard]

Do you keep him in at night? If not, I would start doing so now.

The foxes are very bold now.

[tasha1]

He's mainly in at night and doesn't venture out much during the day. Will def be keeping both cats in overnight from now on. We have a Microchip cat flap but apparently you can get one with a timer. Think I'll invest in one.

This happened Friday evening and certainly before 8pm as this was when I realised something was wrong. He had been fine earlier during the day. It's a difficult balance with cats in terms of freedom to go out as they please

[suzisoo]

Some timed ago we heard a commotion one evening.On the top garden steps was a fox with its teeth on my cats back. My cat came through the flap and the fox tried to follow. I had always thought they weren't a threat but it could have got into the garden and my cat wanted to defend her area.

[civilservant]

yesterday - seen from 8:30am bus on Denmark Hill: cat chasing fox, fox running for dear life!

[Blah Blah]

Animals do get cuts and punctures from snagging on fences or other things they navigate or climb. If an animal has been attacked, it's usually pretty obvious in my experience.

[Gaynor Hill]

Do not know of fox attacking cats foxes do get bad publicity dogs and people sadly so I never have my cats out at night

Hope you cat soon gets better

[peckham_ryu]

I have heard of it happening. Can't remember where now - might have been a tv programme.

The conventional wisdom used to be that foxes don't pick fights with cats because they are typically about the same size, and it's not worth the risk. In general that's probably true. However, both species are not entirely predicable wild predators with plenty of fight in them. It can definitely happen if you have the combination of motivated, bold fox and unlucky, probably smaller cat.

Anyway, hope Tiddles is on the mend :)

[rupert45]

civilservant Wrote:

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> yesterday - seen from 8:30am bus on Denmark Hill:

> cat chasing fox, fox running for dear life!

Similar incident earlier this week

neighbour's cat chasing a fox down

the road.

[spark67]

We have three cats, (the older (now 19) one used to sunbathe in the garden next to a large fox when we first moved to our flat 10yrs ago... we also watched one of our younger cats kick the sh*t out of one fox and then get chase out of the garden by the other one.... foxes tend to scavenge and avoid confrontation, only hunt smaller mammals, but I could see a very young cat or a weak or older cat being at risk if a fox was bold enough or starving, hence we keep the older one in at night now (also the other two since recent other event came to light)

[Alex K]

"Using his nine lives up"... oh, Tasha. I hope that his timidity works into an acceptance of becoming a house-only cat. They DO live longer. Best of luck to your little fellow.

[malumbu]

I've been watching footy for almost 45 years. Leicester fans were always a bit dodgy, but not sure about their relationship with Sunderland. I expect by the finishes of both teams at the top and bottom of the Prem they's just have a celebration rather than any punch up

[tasha1]

Thanks Alex K. My original post was from 2014 but the tread has been resurrected! Luckily, My cat did make a full recovery but the vet said that his injuries were definitely caused by a fox. It has definitely turned him into a more indoor cat . Foxes come and go in our garden, both day and night with no problems. I did see my other cat in a 'stand off' with a fox last summer. My other cat is massive and I mean massive! We call him the 'godfather' as he spends his days surveying his territory! However, he backed down with the fox and I did think he fox was on the verge of attack!

Another incident last summer was that I was in my garden, just pottering when I heard animal snarl. I looked up and saw a vixen with her cub in my neighbour's garden. She was snarling at me,bearing her teeth. I like foxes and this was the first time that I actually felt frightened of one. I wasn't acting in any way that posed a threat (apart from my presence). They are obvious,y fiercely proptective of their young. It was have been under such a scenario that a fox attacked my cat.

[Tweenies]

I've adopted a cat from a neighbour who moved away.

he's an elderly cat who I have become very found of over the last 10months I'm guessing he's about 16 years

and although he was out day & night, with the previous owner. I've decided to keep him in at night after hearing about all the fox attacks on cats I'm terrified he want be able to defend himself as he's old.

And It would break my heart should the worst happen.

He doesn't protest much about being kept in, he gives up after a little while, especially if I give him something nice to eat or just give him lots of love and cuddles.

Sometimes we have to be cruel to be kind.

[jaywalker]

My observation is that large healthy cats terrify urban-sized foxes (and they run away): my cat is 8kg (although on a diet ...) and goes into a kind of whirlwind if he sees a fox (I would certainly run). A cat can do a great deal of damage to a fox. Large rural sized foxes definitely eat older/smaller cats from time to time. But a rural fox can be more than twice the size of an urban one.

Urban foxes are becoming increasingly friendly. Perhaps they have learnt this from cats :-)

Rats and cats is also an interesting speculation.

Cats are not our children. If they want to go out then we should let them. I think we over-invest: a cat is a cat. For the most part they only simulate participation in our worlds: they have their own.

[alice]

more like cruel to be cruel. 'better to burn out than fade away' or 'with a bang not a whimper' school of thought. if the cat's got the capacity to make decisions ..let it.

[singalto]

I keep my cats n at night because of the cat killer rather than because of foxes..

[Delainie]

singalto Wrote:

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> I keep my cats n at night because of the cat

> killer rather than because of foxes..

Here here, sing alto, everyone seems to forget about the cat killer.

[Saffron]

"Over-invest", "fade away"?

Nope.

My cats have an excellent quality of life, which is apparent through their physical health, and through their complete lack of maladaptive behaviours.

They eat my catfood and lounge on everything in my house. They can damn well follow the rules of this house too! No cats out over night.

They're certainly not fading away. And allowing them to roam over night when they are more likely to come to harm IME would actually be irresponsible and a poor investment in their quality of life.

xx

[spark67]

update on our cats history with foxes, in the thread above I mentioned we kept our cats in at night now (more for the older ones sake.... the older one has now since passed away at 20, but not before our neighbours upstairs filmed her in the Autumn seeing of a fox aged 19!

[Tweenies]

Update to the add I put up a couple of day's ago about an old cat I had adopted and how I decided to keep him in at night for fear of foxes having him for lunch.

I would just like to add It wasn't an easy decision to make and I did wonder if I was being fair to the cat.

I did feel a bit of guilt at first, but this was short lived when I quickly realized this would be nothing to the guilt and heartache I would feel should a fox get him, Or as someone else mentioned the Cat killer get him.

It's comforting to see on here that other people are of the same opinion.