A Hungry Fox
Posted on 02/05/2005 8:36:18 PM PST by T-Bird45
Urban foxes are attacking and killing pet cats because they are struggling to find enough food to eat in British towns and cities.
Cat owners have reported an increasing number of attacks and pest control specialists say that the use of wheelie bins, rather than bin bags, for rubbish disposal is partly to blame because it has deprived many foxes of an easy source of food.
There are no plans to start a cull of urban foxes
Gordon Manson, a pest controller from Balerno, near Edinburgh, says that the number of fox-related calls he receives has doubled. "The population has got out of hand and because of wheelie bins they are no longer able to find their regular supply of food," he said.
"Now they are moving on to pets. I have done jobs where I have turned up to find a cat's head in the garden. I've had about 40 to 60 calls from people bothered by foxes over the past year and usually it is more like 20 to 30."
Janet MacPhail, a 57-year-old nurse from Edinburgh, was recently woken in the night by screams coming from her garden. "We found a pack of six foxes attacking our cat, Clover. We managed to chase the foxes away, but she was badly mauled and had one eye missing, so we were forced to put her down.
"We feel that foxes are a pest and steps should be taken to keep them under control, but we spoke with the our local council who told us they had no policy on controlling urban foxes," she said.
Mike Hall, a veterinary surgeon at the Braid Veterinary Hospital where Clover was put down, said that he was dealing with a growing number of cats with fox-related injuries. "We have been seeing more examples of cats with fox bites recently, whereas 10 years ago it was unheard of," he said.
"I had one client who woke early one morning to find a fox chasing her cat around the dining room, having got in through the catflap. Foxes are becoming braver in what they will look for as prey."
Bob Drinkwater, a community centre manager from Stamford Hill, north London, recently saved Mica, his tabby cat, from a vicious fox attack. "Luckily I managed to frighten the fox off, but it had taken a large bite out of Mica's back legs, for which she needed stitches and anti-biotics. I had always heard that foxes don't attack cats, but clearly they do and need to be kept under control."
Kevin Stanley, a chef from Bexleyheath in Kent, who saw his cat being killed by two foxes, called for a cull. "Urban foxes should be exterminated and I would support any humane way of getting rid of them. It won't be long before a tragedy involving a child occurs because foxes are so daring now," he said.
The Countryside Alliance also called for stricter controls on the fox population. A spokesman said: "Now the fox is also an urban force, more must be done to ensure the population does not spiral out of control, because the impact on pets would be severe."
A spokesman for the Cats Protection League said its members were increasingly concerned about fox attacks on their pets. "While we still consider cars to be a greater threat, we are taking more calls from members who are worried about fox attacks," she said. "Our advice is to make sure cats are kept indoors at night."
Out of a total fox population of 240,000, approximately 35,000 animals are urban foxes. Although road accidents and disease are thought to kill off half of the adult animals every year, the urban population shows no sign of diminishing.
Stephen Harris, a professor of environmental science at Bristol University, said, however, that increasing fox attacks on domestic cats was an "urban myth".
"I have studied the behaviour of urban foxes for more than 35 years and have yet to see one attack a cat," he said. "Foxes are solitary by nature, so anybody claiming to have seen a pack of foxes attacking their cat is simply talking rubbish."
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that it had no plans to start culling foxes in urban areas.
Mmmmm...cats...
Tally Ho!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'fraid not. Hunting the poor widdle foxy-woxies is illegal.
Hmmn, ban fox hunting, fox population increases, inadequate fox chow, foxes start eating cats, sounds reasonable.
Can foxes be trained to eat putrid leftists?
When they're kits they can be tamed somewhat but when they mature nature normally takes over.
Yes as long as they are caught young they make great pets and any hunter will buy there urine for scent cover !
Do you have any source or know of any articles re: Domesticating Foxes. They are here and I think I could probably find the Den and get a young one.
I was wondering where that went.
Yes as long as they are caught young they make great pets and any hunter will buy their urine for scent cover !
If Foxes are all they have to worry about they should be glad. Here in Colorado I've seen Foxes (large grey ones) and Coyotes running down the town streets at night. Some areas get Mountain Lions also. Kitties don't last long here if they're left outside at night.
"Here, let me hold you up so you can pee in this bottle, Foxy."
Last time I said that, I got my face slapped. Hard.
Yes. Some fox are naturally less afraid of humans and therefore can be made into pets if hand raised early enough.
Russian scientists were able to breed a domestic fox:
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