Feral cats in danger from fox

[KittyboysGrandma]

My neighbor and I take care of a feral cat colony in our neighborhood. We have managed to do the catch-and-release program with most of them, through our county (vaccinating, spay/neuter, ear clip). She feeds them on her back patio... which I think has started attracting the local fox(es). We live in a suburban area, but there is a small population of foxes in the nearby small wooded area. We see them occasionally, and hear them (loudly!) during mating season. I have seen fewer rabbits this year, and wonder if the fox population has grown and their normal rabbit/mouse/etc food supply has decreased.

Anyway, long story short, two feral cats have been attacked in the last two months, both with severe injuries to their necks, which were heartbreaking to see. The male survived and recovered on his own last month. We tried to catch him in a crate trap to get him to the vet, but he hid for weeks. A female was attacked last week. Her neck was torn down to the bone, no fur on it, skin shredded, truly terrible. The poor baby still tried to eat and drink water on the patio, but now we haven't seen her for 6 days. I think she has died because her injury was so extreme. We would have gotten her to the vet, if we could have caught her, if only to be euthanized and prevent a painful, drawn-out death.

My question is what to do to protect these cats? I love wildlife, including foxes, but do not want the foxes munching on these poor cats, who already have risk-filled lives. I also worry about the possibility of the foxes being rabid. I know the cat kibble might be attracting the foxes...but the cats have always been fed by local residents, and are relying on us. (At least we have reduced the feral numbers through the spay/neuter catch-and-release program.)

We have tried to get the ferals to a non-kill animal shelter, but unfortunately the shelter does not accept feral cats (they did accept one litter of kittens that appeared, before all of the females were caught and spayed). I have located the number of our county's wildlife control agency, and plan to call tomorrow, to see whether they can catch and *relocate* the foxes.

Does anyone have experience with this? I'd hate for the foxes to be euthanized (except for any rabid ones). Does anyone know if foxes can be trapped and relocated? Or does anyone have other ideas for protecting the feral cats? Thanks!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, dear! Well, this article is from Britain, but I would think that similar products exist here in the USA, as well. Perhaps you can find them.

How do i deter foxes without scaring my cats? - Fox Repellent Expert

This is dealing with domestic cats, but I'd think that much of it would apply to your ferals, as well, especially the sound repellent, since it states that cats aren't bothered by it.

 

[KittyboysGrandma]

Oh, dear! Well, this article is from Britain, but I would think that similar products exist here in the USA, as well. Perhaps you can find them.

How do i deter foxes without scaring my cats? - Fox Repellent Expert

This is dealing with domestic cats, but I'd think that much of it would apply to your ferals, as well, especially the sound repellent, since it states that cats aren't bothered by it.

Thank you! The Ultrasonic Fox repellent looks promising, and I bet I can find it online. The foxes roam all over the neighborhood at night, as do the feral cats...so I won't be able to post a sound device in multiple locations. But at least I could put one where the feral cats eat, and maybe near where they den. Your reply is appreciated!

 

[di and bob]

Foxes are not usually known to attack cats, I have had them eating side by side for years. I wouldn't be too hasty in blaming the foxes when it could be a roaming dog, a coyote ( though they most likely would be dead), or a new aggressive tomcat. Dogs are more known to inflict injuries like this. If at all possible I would set up a camera to see what is going on or patrol the area more often to see if you can spot any predators. For a fox to attack a full-grown cat is almost unheard of. We have coyotes around here, and after spending over 100.00 on each of my feral cats, I have provided them with a garage to escape in and pick up all food once it gets dark to not attract anything. Please keep us informed on what you find out!

 

[fionasmom]

Trapping and relocating is something that you would need to check with your local ordinances and AC. It probably greatly varies from state to state. Around here, there are a few licensed companies who trap and humanely relocate small pest wildlife like skunks and raccoons. The larger predators like coyotes are almost never dealt with in that respect.

 

[KittyboysGrandma]

Foxes are not usually known to attack cats, I have had them eating side by side for years. I wouldn't be too hasty in blaming the foxes when it could be a roaming dog, a coyote ( though they most likely would be dead), or a new aggressive tomcat. Dogs are more known to inflict injuries like this. If at all possible I would set up a camera to see what is going on or patrol the area more often to see if you can spot any predators. For a fox to attack a full-grown cat is almost unheard of. We have coyotes around here, and after spending over 100.00 on each of my feral cats, I have provided them with a garage to escape in and pick up all food once it gets dark to not attract anything. Please keep us informed on what you find out!

Hi! Thanks for your reply. Dogs over 20 pounds are banned in our community and have not been seen by anyone, and the bites were far too large for another cat to have made them. They were made by an animal that could wrap its jaws around a small cat's neck, and rip off all of the fur and much of the underlying tissue. The second cat's injuries were extensive. We all became worried about the possibilty of a rabid fox in the area, so "trail" cameras have been set up on my neighbor's patio, to try and find out who the culprit is. We must have been reading your mind yesterday, lol, as I am just reading your reply tonight, and you suggested cameras. I am aware of a group of coyotes living on a military base in my county, but it's about 35 miles away, and none of them have been spotted here so far (but who knows).

In an unrelated incident, I previously lived two miles away from my current neighborhood (10 years ago), and we did have a fox abscond with my neighbor's Maltese puppy, in view of my neighbor and myself. We have some pretty brazen foxes around here. I have been told that they are opportunistic predators, and will go after small pets, if their regular food source is depleted and they're desperate. Can't say I really blame them, when humans have taken over their habitat (but no one wants to lose a pet).

I hope we'll soon know what is injuring the cats. In the meantime, I have called my county's department for Wildlife Control, and they emailed me forms to fill out, and requested photos of any injured or dead cats. Then they will come set traps, and they say that they do relocate wildlife causing problems (they do not euthanize, unless an animal is tested and found to be rabid). They also asked us to temporarily stop feeding the feral cats, to avoid attracting a possibly rabid animal, and told us that wild foxes should never be fed (on purpose).

We hope to have an answer to the mystery/problem soon!