My cat is prey for local foxes!

[natalie_1982]

This isn't necesarily a question because I know what I need to do but someone may come up with a magical solution I haven't considered....

Basically I have 4 year old part maine-**** tabby; he weighs 18lb so as you can imagine is a big and strong cat, but twice in the past two weeks he has been bitten by a fox on his nightime wanderings. Since the first time I have kept him in overnight but around 5am he wants to go out to toilet before his breakfast, he is usually only about 20minutes then home. This morning he was out from 4:50am until 6am and has been bitten again.

He is a big cat who needs lots of exercise (he is not interested in toys at all) and I don't think it is fair to keep him in all the time and only let him out for a few hours during the day when he mostly wants to sleep! He so desperately wants to be out. He is purring away at the moment, is looking after his wounds and seems perfectly happy (he is eating and toiletting ok) but come nightimte he is climbing the walls to be let out and I have to keep him in! (being bitten doesn't seem to have put him off going out at all)

Horrible city foxes.

Any ideas anyone?

[natalie_1982]

P.S. the cat is part maine-c00n - it wasn't a swear word.

Also, I am going to contact environmental health on Monday as apparently it can be caused by the introduction of wheelie bins in our area so the foxes are coming further into the estate to look for food (namely, people's pets!). Bl0ody cheek.

[hau kola]

Ive got a Ragdoll boy who was bred as an indoor cat but he loves to go outside.I always get him in at night and close the cat flap,shut him in downstairs and provide a litter tray.Hes used to the routine now so i dont have any problems.We too have a fox that comes into the garden but its never bothered my other cat who stays out til 5am then jumps in the bedroom window.Are you sure its the fox doing this?

[natalie_1982]

I can't think of anything else that would be doing it. Anyone else I had spoken to has suggested that it must be a fox due to the size of the jaw - the puncture wounds indicating the two canines are about 3-4 cms apart and the wounds are triangles so definitely from teeth, and I've been told a dog with a jaw that big wouldn't get that close to a cat as he would hear them coming (the wounds are in the same place on his back right leg as if he is running away from something).

I have a litter tray which he will use but he's just an outdoorsy cat; my other two play in the garden but come in overnight - Diego just likes awandering! I shall hae to keep him in all night I guess no matter how much he wants to go out and play. Poor b*gger.

[hau kola]

Aww,just dont give in to him.You know what they say,cruel to be kind.You would think if he was getting bitten he wouldnt want to go out.

[plowter]

Common wisdom suggests that foxes don't attack cats, but you know your local area.

There's a small feral white cat whose territory includes where I live. Although small, she has no problems facing dowm the local city foxes, including a vixen with cubs!

Guess you've got to decide whether it's more cruel to keep it indoors or let it face the (potential) dangers outside. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be best for your tom.

[lizzydrippin]

I know lots of people believe that foxes are to blame for this type of thing and Ive lost count of how many times Ive heard people say "my cats disappeared, the fox must have had him/her". But really, foxes do not go after cats. Ive been a fox watcher and a feral cat feeder for many many years and have spent lots of happy hours watching foxes and cats play together. A fox is intimidated by a cat and Ive seen many times a fox eating food and a cat approaches and the fox will back off the food, let the cat eat what it wants and will patiently wait till the cat is finished before it will go back to it (if there's any left). My own cats chase foxes out of the garden sometimes. Im not saying for one minute that a fox won't have a small kitten (which to them is the equivalent to a rodent) but a fox will not bother a cat.
Its more likely to be another cat thats biting your Maine ****.

[lizzydrippin]

Its a Maine C00n, gawd, they're abit over the top with editing swear words!

[lizzydrippin]

Natalie, just a thought but could it be a rat bite? only one of my cats got a nasty bite from a rat a few years back, we know it was a rat because she finished up catching it (yuk).

[natalie_1982]

There have been several reports in the area of the foxes getting braver and braver recently due to the introduction of the wheelie bin scheme on our estate (they are finding it hard to find food). In the past few months it has gone from refuse being left in bags (where foxes could access food) to nothing being left around due to it all being placed in wheelie bins. I paid no mind to the reports but since looking on the net have found several other stories on news sites where humans have allegedly been attacked.

The wound he had first time round was two definite puncture wounds, triangular in shape (like they came from canine / cupsid teeth) and were about 3cm apart. This time the wound has actually ripped the flesh up from his leg and the open part is about the size of a 10pence peice.

My dad's a fox-watcher, so I have always defended the critters,but recently it is frustrating me that they are being encouraged to seemingly come further into housing areas and pick on our pets! I know it'a not their fault but it does seem like the only logical answer at the moment.

[gelda]

They're not being encouraged to come into housing areas, it's because we are taking away their natural habitats by building on them so that they've got no choice but to come looking for food elsewhere, as for foxes attacking cats I think because they don't know who's attacked them they always blame the fox. I feed foxes every night and a couple of years ago I found a kitten living with them, it would come over and eat while the foxes stood waiting for it to finish then they'd get stuck in so I think it's the other way round the cat attacks the fox.!! I took a photo of the fox and kitten feeding together, I'll try to post it if I can find out how to. I think your cat has probably been bitten by another cat (they can inflict very large wounds sometimes) or a rat not a fox. Have a look on www.wildlifeonline.co.uk you will see a pic of my fox and kitten on there, it's got lots of info about foxes.

[natalie_1982]

Gelda, doesn't that mean exactly what I was saying? We are encouraging them to come further into housiong areas to search for food? i.e. by using wheelie bins and taking away the refuse bags they would have used before?

And, yes, a fox attacking a cat is just as plausible as it being the other way round. It just seemed very odd that I have lived with the same cat in the same area for four years and he has never been injured atall, then we start getting more and more reportings of sightings of foxes and more reports of injured pets. I don't think this is a coincidence.

People who feed foxes encourage them into housing areas; it is widely known that they will take small animals like chickens or rabbits or guinea-pigs so if we remove their food source, when they get desperate, why wouldn't they attack a cat? They need to survive afterall.

I must have the unlcukiest cats ever, my kitten was picked up (and dropped!) by a kite last week, sadly my 5 year old neice's kitten wasn't so lucky. Believe it or not I live in concrete city, next to tower blocks and allsorts, but a reintrocudtion programme at a local nature reserve has increased our local wildlife hugely that it is now a problem for residents who keeps small pets. Unfortunately due to a new recycling scheme (which I agree with wholeheartdely from an environmental point of view) we are removing their food sources.

[lizzydrippin]

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/BlobServer?blo btable=RSPCABlob&blobcol=urlblob&blobkey=id&bl obwhere=1024473253585&blobheader=application/p df
This is by the RSPCA and gives some good info about foxes. Give it a click and have a read!

[natalie_1982]

That's really interesting lizzy, especially since the cat related study was carried out in Oxford which is where I live! Thanks for the info.

[kath99]

I believe 100% that a fox wouldn't be interested in attacking a cat - particularly if your cat isn't agressive itself. I think it's most likely to be another, probably male, cat in your area.
My cat is large bully and he's always coming home with wounds such as you describe - with subsequent trips to vets as the abcesses (sp?) develop.
I also personally think it's cruel to keep a cat indoors permanently, despite the risks.
My advice would be to trawl the area for a male cat - then you'll know who to present the vet's bill to in the future! (Mind you, I'd laugh if someone tried that with me! So I'm a hypocrite obviously!)

[Kleiber]

I must admit, I agree with kath on this one. I've got 5 cats (4 female & 1 male - all neutered) and I live in a very rural area. We have problems with foxes & livestock (personally, I can't stand them, but that's my opinion, although I'd never be cruel to any animal) But I let my kittens out when they were a few months old & the only thing that had a go at them was a horrible tom cat! I'm sorry to hear about the kitten & the kite, but also very surprised - we have alot of kites round here (west Wales) and they only take carrion or mice & voles. Their talons aren't usually strong enough to kill anything larger. Are you sure it wasn't a buzzard or goshawk?

[lizzydrippin]

Goodness me I must be so dibby! Its only after just reading the last post that the penny has dropped that it was a 'bird' kite you were referring to earlier and not a flying kite on the end of string that people fly. I had imagined that the kitten had been chasing the kite and had either got caught up in the frame or bitten on to the string (or something) and then a gust of wind had taken the kite back up into the sky taking the kitten with it (until the kitten struggled and dropped). Not for a minute did I think of a bird taking a kitten, how awful! and you say this has happened twice? I think I would be hysterical to see such a thing.

[natalie_1982]

lol @ lizzy

It only happened once, it was definitely a kite. There was a big reintroduction programme a few years back at the nature reserve about 1-2miles away and due to the sheer number of them they are now coming over the housing estates for food, understandably. Apparently, kites only feed on dead animals (roadkill I guess?) and will only go for small animals if desperate. Kit was sunbathing in the garden so I can only assume that the bird thought he was dead, because I saw him drop from about 7foot and crash into the fencing! He's ok, poor sod, a little dazed, as he had been dozing prior to having a little flying lesson. The bird took off though, I guess shocked that the little mite was warm and probably wriggling!

[sue11]

Hi Natalie, my cat was bitten a few years back, the bites were very similar to what you described. I rushed my poor sweetie to the vet trying to imagine what could have bitten her, dog, fox, bear, tiger...honestly it all went through my mind! The vet took one look and confirmed it was a cat bite, so my guess is that it is a cat that has attacked your cat. I am taking another guess that there may be a new cat in the area that is staking out it's territory and has decided to cross paws (and teeth?) with yours? If you have not taken him to the vets, it may be a good idea to, the vet I am sure will have a good idea of what has bitten him and will give him some medical treatment in case it may get infected.
If you do find out that it is a cat that has bitten yours, I would recommed that you continue to let him out once he is fully healed, I sure that they will soon settle their differences! Best of luck, keep us informed on your cat's progress, hope he recovers soon, Sue