Indiana Cat Owners, Should You Be Concerned About Foxes Carrying Off Your Cat?

Several years ago, we adopted a cat from the Warrick Humane Society. We named him Peyton Meownning and though he started as an indoor cat, the instinct to "cat around" outside is strong with this one. He will even open door to let himself outside!

We no longer allow him to go out at night because he's had some scrapes. Once I had to pay to have a friend who owns a tree service to go up and get him out of a really tall tree.

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Once I woke up to thick scratches all up and down both sides of my car. We figure both times he was avoiding being eaten by a coyote.

Usually, when he stays out all night, he comes home all bloody and beaten. There's a black and white feral cat that lives near our home that he fights with all the time. Once I had to take him to the vet because he had a baseball-sized abscess on his stomach. This is an expensive cat.

Do Foxes Eat Cats?

One thing I don't really worry about with him is foxes. We occasionally see foxes around our property but they don't pay him much attention.

So, when I saw a photo of a fox carrying what looked like a cat on Facebook, I was a bit confused and concerned. Would a fox eat my cat if it could catch him?

The photo was actually that of a mama fox carrying her kit (baby fox) around. It does resemble a cat. It went on to say that you shouldn't chase or yell at mama fox to get her to drop the animal since there's a good chance it's not your family housecat.

Now, is it totally impossible for a fox to kill a cat? No, it's not out of the realm of possibility if the cat is very young or if the fox has rabies. But for the most part, they stick to small rodents.

On the facebook post I saw, I noticed some people chimed in with their own fox/cat experiences.

Sherrie Wilkins: I had at one time kittens all over the farm I lived on , all the foxes just growled at the kitty's for the food , not once did I see a fox harm one .

Christine Quigley: I used to watch my cat and a wild fox, playing in my yard. There was never any move on the fox's part to take my cat away.

Clement Schmitt: We had a den for several years here in Kansas City about 1/2 block from the house. There was a morning ritual where mom fox and my Australian would play tag in the early morning light, mom fox not caring that I spectated…..

So, on the grand scale of things to worry about, this should be low on the list. Coyotes, on the other hand, should be a bit higher up.

Read More: How to Make a Hilarious, Yet Effective Predator Protection Coat for Small Dogs