Fox or / eating my stray cat food.

[honeychild]

I live rurally and have been feeding a stray/feral cat in my greenhouse(many panes of glass missing, many ways in and out)for the last 7 months. The green house is at the bottom of my garden next to a 6 acre field.The stray/feral cat , known as cat comes most nights to eat at different times. I cant really get near him, but he will let me watch from a distance.ive recently found the food container has been dragged into the nearby field, typical behaviour of a fox or similar wild animal,we have many around here. Ive also got a long term little girl cat who is outdoor by choice but sleeps( in her many sheepskin iglos) and feeds in the eves of my studio, also next to the field, although very wise she is getting older and i am concerned that she may be attacked by a fox. I dont want to encourage them in my garden,no do i want them eating my stray cats grub ... any ideas how i can stop them..

[Kay]

how about getting a cheap hooded cat litter box, one with a smallish opening, and putting the cat's food inside at the back

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... xes/146680" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for instance, but with the flap removed - I wouldn't have thought a fox could get in that

such boxes make good cat shelters too as long as they are out of the rain

[meriad]

The fox will probably just reach in and nab the food Kay, esp with the flat removed

what about this one instead: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... ter/137335" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I suspect a desperate fox would still get in there but it would be more difficult?

Honeychild, until you / we figure out a way, could you put food out at the same time every day to try and train the cat that this is now feeding time. Hopefully he'll come the moment you've put the food down and left and then once he's eaten you could go back and remove the empty dish? Foxes aren't stupid and they'll soon learn that there is no more food available and hopefully move on. Equally though you'd have to stick to the routine because they will be back to check.

As for your older girl - generally foxes won't attack an adult cat unless it's really old / young / ill. By the time your cat gets to that point she may well adjust to being locked in at night, maybe in the studio where you feed her? Night time is when she'd be most at risk so letting her have run of the land during the day should be fine, but come night time get her in with her dinner and keep her in?

[Crewella]

It is a difficult one as if a cat can get in, nine times out of ten a fox can too.

It might be worth trying to feed closer to the house, and putting the food in/on something the fox can't grab and drag away so easily, or several smaller dishes. Putting it out the same time every day might help, as Ria says.

I also agree that the fox is unlikely to botherthe cats unless the older girl is really old and infirm. We have a huge dog fox that regularly comes through our garden, and the cats never seem bothered by him, though I do lock them in late at night.

[nannymcfee]

I have fed foxes for many years as live in rural area,( they love ginger biscuits as a treat) and never have they attached a cat, normally the other way round, one mummy fox managed to get in my porch, whilst one of the cats were asleep there, and gust of wind closed the door on her, i had to climb out of my window to go round and open the porch as otherwise she would have been in my dining room! so she could escape, she was terrified, the cat wasn't i hasten to add!

Could you get a heavy dish, that even the fox can't drag it away? or improvise one that is fastened on to say a downpipe .

[honeychild]

Thank you all for your replies. Id alerady thought of a more enclosed, cat litter/small kennel but a fox would still be able to get the food, if he really wanted to and it seems he does!. Ive tried putting the food down just before dusk, often cat would turn up before 11pm, gone to work(I work odd shifts) and on my return by 11pm the food has been eaten by a fox/ badger. I know this because of the location of the container when i find it and the puncture marks in it. Our cat food thief has anchored it down to the ground with those long talons...to my shame i did not put any food out last night as i really dont want to encourage mr fox. Trouble is 'cat turns up when he feels like it, some nights he doesn't come at all, I suspect he is an entire male so his visitations are governed as much by his hormones as his appetite...but i hate to think hes turned up for food and there is none for him. Precious is the tortie girl who resides in the studio, loves being fused, and is a madame. She sleeps all day and comes out at night, she took up residence 4 years ago, originally another stray that wandered into the garden. She wont come into the house and believe me I have tried on many occasions. She howls the place down and on one overnight attempt scratched out all the putty from the patio doors , she is scared of my 3 big tabby toms and will fight with lucy moo moo, another stray that turned up in the garden just before christmas 2012. Ive tried a heavy bowl.. fox will just eat the food in situ rather than taking it into the field.I know as a rule foxes dont attack cats, but the couple of horrific incidents that have happened in my village has made me a bit paranoid..any more ideas ladies?

[Kay]

a quick google suggests Americans are plagued by racoons stealing cats' food, but no solutions offered, I'm afraid

the only way to deter the fox is to stop putting out any food at all - then feed the visiting cat only when you see him, and as close to the house as he will come - a bit of fence propped up against the wall will give enough shelter if it's raining - you'd have to be strict about removing the food if he doesn't eat it within, say, half an hour, but if he's really hungry you should be able to get him into a new routine

I feed a farm cat from time to time, when I see him - he always sits on the same step when he comes, and I'm pretty sure he realises he needs to make himself seen if he wants food

[nannymcfee]

If you can see talon like marks, that could be a badger as you say, ...how about buying a used cheap food feeder thats on a timer, ( can pick up on a certain on line store beginning with E) and anchoring that down? near your home,...failing that cctv cheap camera and film exactly what/who pinches the cats food...

Badgers love unsalted peanuts,could put some down and see if they disappear, no doubt a fox would eat them too though !!! so that wouldn't help your dilema working out who steals though..'sigh'

good luck !

[honeychild]

rsz_015.jpg (51.73 KiB) Viewed 5812 times

I should have realized cat was more savvy than me. For the last three nights, food put down at dusk, all food eaten by 9 by cat. Previously he would sometimes graze, coming back through the night for what he had left, but he to must have sussed the fox is eating his grub...

[nannymcfee]

That looks one very clever well fed cat!

[Crewella]

Oh well done him, and you!

[Cussypat1974]

Country foxes will not usually attack cats. They have a very hard life, and injury to them is fatal to them and their cubs. They will take chickens, ducks, rabbits etc, but to attack a healthy adult cat? The cat would fight the fox off no problem. A weak, Bockety cat they have been watching for a while pit of desperation maybe??? A kitten too, if mother is not there to protect. But a fox will not risk a fatal wound for a meal.
I love foxes. They got my ducks..... But I still love them. The ducks refused to go into the coop at bedtime......