Bold Urban Fox

[Tringa]

Can't offer much more than has been said already, but I'm interested the behaviour.

Do you know, Freda, if the fox chasing your cats is a new one? If so, how does it react to the other foxes? I just wondered if it is trying to be the dominant fox in the area, rather than protecting cubs, as I think the cubs would be dispersing now.

Dave

PS Welcome to WAB

[STYRBJORN]

Originally Posted by jaeviatrix

hi cowgirl.

How do the benefits outway the disadvantages? Moocher is absolutely right, cats are an invasive, alien predator, and they kill things during the day too, so i would add "don't let them out" to the list of reccomendations.
Jay

read her post

[John_M]

There are quite a few cats living around me, including 4 of my own; we get foxes mooching around fairly frequently, and I've never seen any real confrontation between them.
There are many people on WAB who know far more about foxes than I do, but I wouldn't have thought the fox would be likely to have cubs at this time of year; someone please correct me if I'm wrong. It could just be a territorial dispute, as the fox may well have found an easy source of food or shelter around the houses now that the colder weather is setting in. As far as I know, cats and foxes are both more likely to run than fight. Maybe the fox met the old cat first and has decided on the basis of that encounter that cats are easy to chase off. There's no particular reason why a cat in good health wouldn't see off a fox who's got no other reason to hang around. As has been said, all I can suggest is keeping the cats in at night, and don't get drawn into an argument about cats!

[STYRBJORN]

It definitely is not about cubs. They will all have long since left the maternal home to strike out for themselves! Do you leave food out for the cats, which some of us have noted you keep in at night, to eat during the day? If so, the fox may have come to regard the food as its own. Cut off the food supply and the fox will go to pastures new. Otherwise it is likely to be a territorial dispute and there is little more you can do.
Bear in mind that if you call in a pest controller he may live trap the fox but it will be humanely dispatched.

[Farplace]

Is the O.P still with us? She's only posted twice and the last time was in April....

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by John_M

but I wouldn't have thought the fox would be likely to have cubs at this time of year

Originally Posted by STYRBJORN

It definitely is not about cubs. They will all have long since left the maternal home to strike out for themselves! .

check the date of the OP guys - the original post was in april - at which time the fox might well have had cubs

[John_M]

Very good point Eeyore, I tend to look at the posts and (usually) don't even think about checking the dates
One of the hazards of people posting on old threads I suppose. I shall try to be more observant in future.

[faz]

All been there