Talkback: Cats and foxes - Talkback

16/03/2011 at 11:54

They(foxes) are good at keeping the urban rat in control too, Richard. When the population was decimated by the mange in Bristol rat holes appeared in many gardens that had not seen them before. I do not have a cat but the neighbours' cats are all friendly and like to watch me working in the garden - preparing tomorrows' toilet, I think! When the cats are absent or asleep in the sunshine the fox will venture out but keeps his distance.

Gardeners' World Web User

16/03/2011 at 15:10

Not entirely true - I once had to pull a fox off of the back of a full sized, quite awake and healthy cat.

Gardeners' World Web User

16/03/2011 at 16:28

We have lots of foxes and neighbourhood cats in our area of SE London and I also wondered what they would do if they encountered each other, and now I know! When we had a dog, the local fox would often torment it. The dog's favourite place to lay down and sleep indoors was by the (closed) patio doors. The fox would often come upto the patio door, and tap to get the dog's attention. The dog would then turn in demented circles barking, and scratching at the door to get out. We never did open the door, but sometimes thought we should to wipe that smug smile off the fox's face that we swore would appear as he sat there calmly watching the dog!

Gardeners' World Web User

16/03/2011 at 18:45

Foxes, in my urban garden in Muswell Hill, North London, have taken the trouble to tear open stout wooden animal houses to get to the residents, with terminal consequences for my poor little mates: bantam hens, rabbits and, one Xmas, my incredibly large Aylesbury duck. The duck was carried away over a six foot fence and off through the woods at the back - my kids followed the trail (it had snowed and the drips of blood were clear). It led all the way to Hampstead Heath!!!

Gardeners' World Web User

16/03/2011 at 18:47

Oh, and one also took a 6 week old kitten.

Gardeners' World Web User

16/03/2011 at 19:03

We lost 11 chickens and our pet goose which was much larger than the fox and it got all these by jumping on top of the chicken house and over a 6 ft wire fence. it also carried goose over fence and left its headless body lying in my veg patch. We have been out in the evening and found it lying in straw in our barn and it was in no hurry to get out of our way!

Gardeners' World Web User

17/03/2011 at 18:24

Foxes are not my problem, cats are!! Personally I'd be quite happy to see the local fox get hold of at least one of the blasted moggies that sees my garden as its personal loo! I'm so fed up of the wretched creatures digging up & fouling my garden. Last year they pooed in my potatoes. Cat owners annoy me coz they say that it's the gardener's fault for having a bit of bare earth. I think they should keep their moggy inside & train it to use a litter tray & clear up the poo themselves. Dog owners are finned if they are caught allowing their dog to foul. Same should apply to cat owners! It annoys me so much that there are times when I feel like concreting my garden all over & forgetting about growing anything! Anyone got any ideas on how to prevent cats from coming in to my garden? And how to keep the blasted things out?

Gardeners' World Web User

17/03/2011 at 18:48

As someone who suffers from not only cats and foxes but also badgers using my garden as a latrine, I've found that something as simple as piles of large twigs or small branches on bare earth will often act as a deterrent. Something else I've found to work is sprinkling chilli powder or cayenne pepper onto the ground - you'll have to top it up when it's rained but it does seem to put them off. I appreciate that might not be ideal on food crops, of course. I should add that I own two cats myself so I certainly don't agree that cats should be kept indoors. If they're not allowed to roam about they can become overweight through lack of exercise and even develop behavioural problems due to boredom and stress. I do sympathise with you because I know how much mess they can make, but there are humane ways of deterring them.

Gardeners' World Web User

17/03/2011 at 19:11

I had a problem with cats using my garden as a toilet. I discovered if I laid a bit of hose on the soil in curves, the cats appear to think it is a snake and don't come back. Good luck! I also have had a fox fouling the back garden, but at least he kept to the patio where it is easily cleaned up. Last winter a deer came into the front garden in the snow, must have been looking for leaves to eat. Sadly I didn't see him, only his hoof prints in the snow. I have had success with chilli powder in my bird feeders to keep the squirrels from helping themselves.

Gardeners' World Web User

17/03/2011 at 20:57

I agree with you very much! The foxes around here are petrified by our older cats. When the oldest one was about two years old she leapt on the back of a poor unsuspecting vixen and bit her on the ars! The poor fox jumped over our fence screaming,and she never did come back!

Gardeners' World Web User

17/03/2011 at 22:20

Unfortunately not all cats are so lucky. My beautiful cat was savagely killed by two foxes, she had her neck broken so she had no chance at all. i used to like foxes but my mind has been changed now.

Gardeners' World Web User

17/03/2011 at 22:24

chrissy, i feel that you are a bitter soul and maybe you should concrete over your garden. how can you possibly say that cats should be kept indoors!

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 07:50

I agree, Bhaji;cats cannot be kept happily indoors.Even the Law agrees they are free-roaming animals, unlike dogs. And, come on Chrissy, how long does it take to clear up a bit of cat-poop! Cats also hate tin foil so a piece laid on the bare soil deters them too. I had a large 18-month old tom cat that was savaged and killed by a fox. We buried the cat and the fox retuned to exhume him!

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 09:43

I have a problem with foxes, we had a resident fox that lived in by garden all winter, on new years day I opened the curtains to see it running long the top of our eight feet high conifer hedge, last summer we had three juvenile foxes that destroyed my new flower bed, I have tried to get rid of the foxes as I have two large cats, but they are very wary of the cats,

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 09:49

I have problems with cats and squirrels. I save hardwood twigs from pruning, then when I plant or sow I stick the twigs between the plants or rows. I have to do this with hanging baskets as well or the squirrels plant peanuts provided by a neighbour, last year my baskets were a ground nut plantation. I can also add bird deterrents to the twigs. By the end of spring the garden is like a war zone, up the revolution.

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 15:44

I can say that cats should be kept indoors coz quite frankly, I really hate the blasted things so if I never encountered one again I'd be very happy. I guess it's each to his own. Besides, I don't see why I should have to clear up other people's cat's poo, to be honest. It's not my pet so why should I be subjected to its mess? Train it to poo in your own garden. It's the damage the blasted things cause to my plants that annoys me most. IT's all out war at the mo. If I see the wretched creatures in my garden I'm out there with my bucket of water. Am in the process of making it difficult for them to walk across my fence & sit on my shed.

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 15:55

I think foxes are the most destructive of creatures. I had a burmese cat many years ago who was rescued badly injured by a fox, by my 2 westies. The following year again in February the cat was killed by the fox, I know as my westies kept going down to the place in the fence which was right by a foxes earth. That fox killed lots of my neighbours chickens and ducks. I also know of a kitten which was killed and when buried was dug up by the fox much to the kitten owner's distress.

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 16:39

I saw a fox carry off a seagull, and someone else saw one running with a SWAN in its mouth. I wouldn't trust foxes near my kitties and wish that it was allowed to shoot them!

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 17:15

Thanks Judith, I will try the twigs in my pots and hanging baskets, as he squirrels have dug up all my plants in their quest to bury their nuts

Gardeners' World Web User

18/03/2011 at 22:38

I always put an upturned hanging basket over my pots until the bulbs begin to grow stops the pests every time, and ofcourse there are cats that also climb into flower pots to do their toilet and the upturned hanging baskets keep them at bay also.