will a fox eat a kitten?

[mistylady]

I hear it tastes like chicken! Sorry ... bad Mistylady bad!

But yep, the fox was probably going to have a snack. Better to save the kitten!

 

[skyfires]

yep,,,kitty snack,,,sorry,,,

 

[skyfires]

Hey misty

but I do love cats,,

 

[eggsgalore]

If a wild fox catches a kitten, most likely it's a feral kitten. Pet kittens are generally off limits to foxes since they are kept safe.
That fox did a good job in reducing the invasive feral cats. They do a tremendous amount of damage.

I don't understand why it seems perfectly normal to kill raccoons and bobcats but a cat that does damage to native wild life needs to be saved no matter what.
I know that the bobcats, who killed my rooster, has also killed all the feral cats in our area, which is actually a relief for the local bird and brush rabbit population.
It's horrible to see the wild baby animals, injured by cats, brought into our local wild life rehab center. Many come in skinned and need to be PTS.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I agree, eggsgalore!

I keep my cats in my house most of the time, and in my back yard. They're 10 & 11 years old, and haven't caught mice or birds in years & years & years.

The worst menace in my yard is the 4-chicken flock! They terrorize the cats non-stop.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

When my kids were little, we had a family of red foxes on our property. We'd watch them play and hunt. It was pretty cool. Then while walking in the woods, we found one of their dens with two cat collars outside the entrance. After that it was creepy.

 

[eggsgalore]

Why would it be creepy if foxes kill cats? They will not hurt you.
It's the responsibility of the cat owner to keep the cats safe (=inside).
If I let my dogs roam the way cats are allowed to roam free, I'd be in serious trouble with animal control.
We all have invaded the wild animals' territory and we need to make sure that our pet animals and the wild ones are safe.
I will never kill a bobcat or a raccoon for entering my coop.

 

[sred98]

Ok...I have a slightly different perspective. I think that if the kitten was meant to be dinner, it would have been killed, then carried off. I think that maybe the fox could have meant to take it in and raise it. I say this, because, my cat (who is supposed to be an inside cat) has adopted a family of foxes that live behind us. Both parents and the 5 that survived wait outside our house for the cat. We try to keep him in, but he fights all of us to get out. We can usually keep him in, except when company comes to the door.

We have even had neighbors see the cat and foxes playing. It scares me to death when he gets out and the foxes are out there, because I expect some day, they might decide he is an easier meal than what they go out hunting for.

But, as long as he helps them, watches their babies, and brings them food, I guess he is a friend??

It's crazy. They even wake me up to let him in when they are done. It is usually about 2 AM. I know that they have killed other cats in the area, though, so I don't know why they hunt with mine. I have warned all the neighbors around, though.

So, it's possible it was going to raise it. Just not likely. I know cats are an easy meal for foxes.

Shelly

 

[jjthink]

Is it possible the kitten sustained any injuries? If so, it may need med care before infection or worse sets in. Depending upon its age it may also need special kitten food given frequently.
JJ

 

[lorieMN]

well,the fox was probably taking it live to teach the kits how to hunt..just like mama cats will bring live mice to kittens..sad but true it works the same way,now as far as cats being outside,if you let them wander dont cry when they end up killed or dont come home,my cats NEVER go outside,and they arent any worse off for it..I do have a stray that showed up last winter,wild as a bobcat and I only see it about once every month,but I do feed it and want it to stay,in the barn,not hanging on my front step,so thats the reason I leave it wild.