Will foxes attack/kill outdoor cats?

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19Chicks

19Chicks

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jun 10, 2012
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Sorry that this question isn't really for chickens, but it is for our outdoor cats who kill the mice that get in our coop! We have 4 outdoor cats, which do an excellent job at killing mice. We currently have NO mice at all in the coop and we would like it to stay that way. Now, we have foxes in the area. My neighbor's dog likes to pee everywhere outside (share property), which keeps unwanted animals away. Our cats do wonder off into the woods. I figured that some of you might have some cats that you enjoy having around the farm or whatever, so have you guys ever had foxes and cats cross lines? Our only male cat is the smallest of the 4 (sad) and I couldn't imagine any of the girls fighting a fox off.
Thank you for your help.
 
Yes, a fox will kill cats. They will take anything that is smaller than them. But as long as your cat can get into a safe place when being chased they have a better chance of getting away from a predator.
 
I am sure a fox would take a kitten or very small adult cat, but on average, foxes are only slightly larger than house cats and I think it would be quite rare for a fox to take on a normal sized adult cat, unless the cat was near the fox's den or harassing its young. One of my male cats used to chase foxes away when he was in his prime. Foxes are common around here, and I don't consider them a threat to my cats. My smallest cat is about 9 lbs. I might be more concerned about foxes if I had a little 5 pounder.
 
cat is a big favorite of yotes here red fox seem to like killing cats as well grey fox for what ever reason do not seem to like them as much as I run my trapline I necropsy many of the preds I catch and constantly check stomach contents trying to "Match the hatch" it has given me new insight into what the preds are eating here in SE Va. yotes are one of the few preds that will eat possums :)
 
aprophet said:
I necropsy many of the preds I catch and constantly check stomach contents trying to "Match the hatch" it has given me new insight into what the preds are eating here in SE Va.
Click to expand...
Finding a evidence of a house cat in the stomach contents of a predator does not prove that it killed a healthy adult cat. The cat could have been injured or killed by a car before the fox arrived on the scene. Foxes, like most other predators, readily scavenge.
 
Trust the Trapper I use to trap and House cat is very high on the banquet list (right up there with chicken dinner) for both Red Fox and Coyotes We don't have Grey Fox so can't say on them. I have seen Fox & Coyotes come onto the back steps of peoples house to get a cat.Coyotes will also eat a Bob cat in the trap if they get a chance. I just wish they would eat more of the stray cats we have around here. We did have a cat that took a small weasel away from a young fox once. I wouldn't have believed it if I had not watched it out the dinning Room Window. The fox followed the cat all the way back to the house trying to get the weasel back.
 
Well, isn't that interesting.
If you skin a cat and a fox and lay them side by side you will see that the only real difference is the bushy tail.
The top of the food chain for coyotes is house cat. fox is number two. When Wiley moves into an area, you know it because you start seeing more healthy foxes in the day time. The foxes have to hide at night because the coyotes are nocturnal. And cats go missing, too, when coyotes move in.
My cats kill possums and squirrels, just like foxes. I've got a gray tabby I'll put up against any fox.
We do not worry about foxes getting our barn and house cats.
Coyotes are the problem here. When they are around. It' different everywhere though.
 
Foxes might; they might not kill cats. They are capable of it. But anytime you keep your cats outdoors, the cat is taking his chances. There are lots of things that kill cats out there. Predators, cars on the road, drips of antifreeze, traps set for other animals, poison set out for other animals, neighborhood dogs, annoyed neighbors with pellet guns, and the list goes on and on.

If you want to keep outdoor cats, they might live a long time, or they might die very soon. The owner has no idea where the cat is or what the cat is doing, or what dangers the cat might face. It's one of those things where if you choose to do it you must accept your losses.
 

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