do foxes attack cats???

[mrsmaveric]

the reason im asking is that my cat has just ran in after fighting in the garden and making the most unbelievable screeching/meeowing noises i ran out into the garden and saw a large animal dissapearing into the the bushes and over the fence..i could only see that it was a fox like thing i didnt think foxes attacked cats...until now...

[starone]

I think they probably do. After all a cat is a smaller animal than a fox and they eat smaller animals like rabbits etc. Maybe the fox will have learned a lesson as cats fight back with teeth and claws.

[RATTER15]

I doubt very much the fox would attack a cat, your cat probably just created hell to drive the fox away. Of course it could have just been a dog.

was there any sign of injury on your cat?

[Barmaid]

Possibly, but generally unlikely. the large animal was probably a big tom. If it was a fox, its quite likely that the cat had a go first. I have a cat that will take on ANYTHING. (I do mean anything, the alsations that get walked along the lake in front of our house are fair game.)

[237SJ]

It`s not unheard of for a fox to attack a cat. My friend`s neighbour`s cat was attacked by a fox. In an urban environment, foxes haven`t learned to kill for food but if they are hungry enough they might be capable of it.

[hc4361]

They usually ignore each other, after all cats are far more agile and much better climbers than foxes.
There is no way a healthy cat could fall victim to a hungry fox.

[cupid04]

Not all the time, it depends if there is enough food about for the fox. Your
cat may have just been startled by it. Our cat has been out in the garden the
same time as a fox and they completely ignored one another. The fox rummaged about for his grub and our cat just sat and watched! I hope your
cat is none the worse for his scare. Our pets are precious.

[mrsmaveric]

there was certainly a fierce fight going on starbuckzone....we live by open fields and we have often seen foxes in our garden but have never had any problems with them in fact they are lovely...i bet they were chasing the same mouse or something...charlie is now drinking some milk [along with the dog lol]...and appears none the worse for her scrap...

[237SJ]

If there was a fierce fight going on (with lots of screeching) that would be a cat fight. If a fox catches something, the prey might make a noise but the fox doesn`t.

[mrsmaveric]

thank you all so much for your answers....i guess whatever it was has now scarpered...

[RATTER15]

If there was a fight I think it unlikely you would have seen you pussy again, it would at least have had some quite serious injuries. I think it was another cat.

[Old_Geezer]

There are probably isolated incidents, one creature can have a disagreement with another: but I think the usual case is that neither want to get in a fight for the sake of it, they might get injured. It not like one is prey for the other, and being different species there should be no territorial issues. Perhaps they bumped into each other in the dark.

[NOX]

Cats and foxes will have a go at one another, rarely seriously though and usually over food in the garden. Pop onto youtube and have a look, there are dozens of videos. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, it's likely to be an isolated incident.

[andy-hughes]

From what you say, it does sound like a catr fight.

We have an urban fox who lives on the canal bank behind our house, and he appears around seven every night because some people on the state feed him. He sits and waits at the bottom of their drive and after his tea, he has a wander around. There are loads of cats on the estate, but i have never heard any noise when the fox is around, which would be likely if he was trouble for them.

Cats are territorial, so an occasional scrap among neighbours is very common, I would immagine this is what you heard. They are usually more about noise and fury than injury, and eventually the pecking order is settled, so don't owrry too much about it.

[murraymints]

never had a problem with foxes..but Squirrels...now that IS a different story !!

[Dee Sa]

if they are desperate for food they will attack a cat. Man next door saw fox on top of his shed with a cat in its mouth, fox wanted to jump down so he dropped the cat down first and the poor cat was too traumatised to run so then the fox jumped own and picked the cat up again, by the time next door got into his garden to stop it they both had vanished. We always keep our cat indoors at night because of this problem.

[emmie]

not in our garden, I saw a fox happily playing with a cat, not fighting at all.

[MadFerret]

Depends on the cat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmI43OlOyUE&feature=related

[snags]

Just seen our ginger tom chase an adult fox out of the garden. The fox couldn't get away fast enough... wasn't interested in any confrontation at all.

[andy-hughes]

I think on balance, foxes will usually avoid a fight if they can get away. If cornered, of if anything comes near a den with cubs in, an adult will go for a fight, but in gardens, when they come accross cats or dogs, they tend to beat it pretty sharpish if confronted.

[Kiki-frog]

Foxes can attack cats, but an aggressive cat can also do a lot of damage to a fox if it wants to. It depends on the individual animal.

I once had a cat that got the better of a German Shepherd dog in a scrap - poor dog just couldn't shake the moggie off his muzzle. But he started it.