Could a fox kill a fully grown cat?

[sandyRoe]

A lot of cats have disappeared around where I live. I was wondering if foxes could be responsible.

[MarkRae]

http://tinyurl.com/39lzbxf

[SlackAlice]

Yes, if it was desperate. Generally cats would be quite a handful to kill, so they would pick on easier prey.

[DrFilth]

yes, if the cat is old or lame and the fox is hungry enough it will go for it

if a lot have disappeared i would look at what humans are around the area.
the cats that they use in labs are supposed to be wild but one person was going round at night collecting the local cats to sell to the labs.
glad to say this person has died

[ChuckFickens]

Agree with both the above,

A healthy cat would be too much of a risk for a fox to go for, cats are very fast and have too many sharp bits to be safe prey.

[fredpuli47]

No doubt a fox could kill a cat. In the wild, foxes kill rabbits and a grown rabbit must be as big as a typical cat. But why would a fox kill a cat? Urban foxes have other sources of food in abundance, from rats and mice to dustbin scraps, without the trouble of trying to catch a cat (and being scratched and bitten by it, if successful).

It's far more likely that a human is responsible.

[DrFilth]

morning doc

[B00]

Doc- i think Mark's showing off. I get the impression he's recently found that "let me Google that for you" and is slapping it in every post that's applicable. I've seen him post it a few times over the last few days.

Bless ;-)

[NazNomad]

Do we need to fire up the sulk-o-meter for later on? He's bound to be 'outed' as a mere spellchecker before tonight.

[DEN53]

http://www.dailymail....soned-antifreeze.html

sandy, you don't live in this area do you ?

[jno]

I don't know why MarkRae thinks it's easier or more useful to ask on Google than on AB. Anyway, it's possible, I suppose, but I've had foxes and cats in my garden at the same time (well, one of each) and they just circled warily around each other without doing anything attacking or defensive.

[sandyRoe]

No. Nowhere near there. I asked because I've seen foxes in my street in the early morning and I know that at least 6 local cats have vanished recently.

[NazNomad]

Maybe foxes don't like anti-freeze?

[NazNomad]

... meaning foxes might not be the cause of the cat decline. :-))

[DrFilth]

some cats have nerves of steel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nw1Qyjbe44&feature=related

[janbee]

I have both foxes and cats in my area and they don't bother one another. Quite a few cats have been reported as missing (the local trees always have "lost" notices pinned on them) and it's believed that many have been taken by humans for various reasons. Some also wander off and get killed on the roads. I actually saw a van stop, pick up a silver grey cat and shove it in the back of the van. I took the reg no and told the police.

[B00]

Wow DrF, that cat was taking no prisoners was it? It ran at that fox like a fricking rocket!

[DrFilth]

fang what a nice name for a cat :)

[B00]

Suppose it had to grow into that name didn't it?

Thank goodness it wasn't called Butterball, or Fluffy or suchlike!