Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Help: Fox nested in next door garden and attacking my kittens
Hi all,
A big fox made her den with her (super cute) 3 cubs under a decking in the next door garden.
I have a couple of cats, 9 months old rescue females (therefore quite small) that never really leave my garden as they like to play in the grass within our boundaries.
The fox unfortunately attacked my cats twice in the last few days, both time running through from the other garden into mine, in broad daylight, while I was also outside playing with the cats. I am actually quite worried as I understand the fox is just trying to protect the cubs, but my cats never even got close to the den as they rarely leave our garden, and this fox is clearly not scared of humans either.
As a result my cats and I are now locked indoors, but this is not really a suitable long term solution...
Does anyone have any suggestion on how to encourage the foxes to move away? I contacted various Trusts including the Fox Project and the Wildlife Trust, but apparently foxes are protected and cannot be disturbed.
Thanks in advance! :)
C
Tags for Forum Posts: foxes
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Philip on
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Foxes are not protected and are classified as vermin. You either get rid of the foxes or stay indoors. As a local chicken keeper I have dispatched a number of foxes but there will always be another. I've installed electric fencing. Not suitable for you of course. Professional licensed exterminator is a legal route.
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Permalink Reply by Lil on
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Hi, I respectfully disagree with Philip.
Foxes are protected under The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and The Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 and The Pesticides Act 1998. They are classified as Wild Animals and definitely not vermin. They have never been legally classified as vermin.
Sadly the protection isn’t great. But there are only certain ways you can deal with foxes otherwise you can face prosecution.
For example, it is illegal to use self locking snares, any bow or crossbow, any explosive other than ammunition for a firearm, or a live decoy. It is also illegal to poison foxes. No fumigant compounds are currently approved for the gassing of foxes.
I’d be interested to know how Philip "dispatches" foxes.
Contact DEFRA for more information or Fox-a-gon for help with your foxes. https://fox-a-gon.co.uk/foxproblemsfaq/
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I have the same problem. Yes I also love seeing the Cubs. I’m absolutely not feeding them. But all my newly planted plants last a couple of days. And my three cats now refuse to go out. I don’t even have to lock them in.
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Permalink Reply by Bob Ruggles on
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I have Foxes in church yard , opposite me. They regularly trip my front door alarm.
Yes I have seen and heard them get get small cats.
Caught one in back garden the other early morning
Come over as was in next doors garden. But they turned on lights. And run into me . Then run along , high Fence into next garden behind a shed. Advised them that one is in area
As they have young children and often leave back garden door open
Aware they knock over bins and often pull out nappies
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Permalink Reply by Stokey Cats and Dogs on
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Copied from a fox rescue. Hopefully, you can find it useful:
Fox Deterrence
In Spring and Summer, there can be a lot of fox action in our gardens as foxes are bringing up their young families.
Almost all cubs are born in March and as the weeks pass, the growing cubs are very active and adventurous. Vixens often give birth under sheds and decking as they think it is a safe place.
The male fox also takes an active part in bringing up the cubs so it can mean having quite a few foxes around at once!
This can involve a lot of fox noises as they learn to communicate with each other and also accompanying boisterous activity and playing. This can sometimes be messy!
For those who do not want foxes and/or cubs in their garden, the most humane and effective solution is to encourage them to move on naturally.
The idea is to make the garden less hospitable. This can be achieved in a number of ways. You can apply products such as ‘Get off my garden’ and ‘Scoot’ which are available online or from garden centres. They have to be reapplied frequently especially if it rains but can be helpful as immediate short term deterrence.
Motion activated water sprayers are very effective but if you have cats or dogs, it will squirt them too!
You can keep moving things around and make a lot of noise in the garden-even a radio left nearby can be very helpful.
The more you are active in the garden, the more likely they will be to move onto somewhere more hospitable.
For more long term solutions involving permanent exclusion eg professionally filling in spaces where earths have been dug,
I recommend the humane services of Foxagon. http://fox-a-gon.co.uk/
Sometimes people think that foxes can be relocated to a more suitable place but this is very cruel as you would be throwing them into the territory of other foxes. It is also illegal. Removing foxes is never the solution as very quickly more foxes move into the vacated space. Humane deterrence is the only effective method.
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