Fox in my sleep

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
1,553
134
54
Pestletown
In which my slumber is curiously disturbed.
Already to bed too late last eve', I was pulled from sleep slowly by that hellish wailing noise we have discussed here before. It started as if in my dreams and became real when my wife nervously woke me up.
3:50 A.M. the digital lear of the clock glared at me. This seemed darn near under my front window and would not let up. So there's me walking out front to see what was up. Turn the front light, step on to the porch and darn, this seemed odd.
I saw one set of eyes to the right dart away from about 30 yards out but only 10 yards off my step was a very smallish fox and my cat nose to nose.
I have an outside cat, I may have mentioned before, well kept, shots, etc.
He's content to stay around the yard and don't wander much. Normally, if another cat shows face there's fightin' like all heck and he's been very put out by a raccoon once. He's a little cat, not big at all and pretty timid.
Well, here they sat, perhaps six inches nose to nose, my cat sitting comfortably in that pose where they tuck in the front paws and flop.
All the while the Fox is inches in front uttering that baleful yelp. I would have been freaked by that in my face. I was pretty concerned and called the cat. He turned to me got up and trotted over like nothing was amiss. He gave the fox a look back and then came up to me and took his place on a chair on the porch. All the while the fox stood it's ground in an agressive stance, got closer to the porch and now was giving me the business.
This went on for about three minutes while I cautiously stepped toward him just to see what was up. He was very small and took a stance that reminded me of an annoying little Chiuahua yipping away at a stranger. A got down on my haunches and sat and finally he just zipped off and out of the yard.
Bloody hell!, I thought. What just happened here? I looked at the cat, looking back at me. He looked around me to where the fox went and that was about it.
I have heard in tough times a fox may go for a cat but even big dogs stay from cats because in all seriousness a cat will tear your furry dog ass up in a fight if it realizes you're trying to eat it. As it was my yard is sick with rabbits and my cat would obviously pose a difficult prospect. But was the pup really thinking that when all he did was sit in the cat's face and screech? And what the heck was my cat thinking? Never so much as a hiss or a growl. Stupid cat.
So back to bed. It's four A.M., I've been disturbed (in more ways than one) and I want to sleep. My wife asks what was up. Just a fox, says me.


g.
 
Apr 6, 2004
3,624
564
Galloway
Good tale! You've got one cool cat there. I don't think your cat's dumb at all. He seems sure of himself and remained calm and collected in the face of danger. The fox was evidently much more terrified than the cat.

I have heard in tough times a fox may go for a cat but even big dogs stay from cats because in all seriousness a cat will tear your furry dog ass up in a fight if it realizes you're trying to eat it.

Damn straight. I had a cat when I was younger who beat the piss out of a huge rottweiler one time.
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
I have heard in tough times a fox may go for a cat but even big dogs stay from cats because in all seriousness a cat will tear your furry dog ass up in a fight if it realizes you're trying to eat it. As it was my yard is sick with rabbits and my cat would obviously pose a difficult prospect. But was the pup really thinking that when all he did was sit in the cat's face and screech? And what the heck was my cat thinking? Never so much as a hiss or a growl. Stupid cat.

Hahaha, great story. I agree the fox was probably not going to eat the cat. In addition to being painful everything I've read says they taste like crap.

Your cat comes when you call? My cat is around when I am outside, but it's voluntary, with no sense or admission that she can't leave whenever she wants.
 

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
1,553
134
54
Pestletown
Your cat comes when you call?

Samson is as independant as any other cat but he's pretty much in tune with us. From sprinting across the yard to you, walking the kids up to the bus, just plain sauntering over when you ask him to. I've had many animals and his behavior never really gave me much thought. I walk the property, he follows. He gets bored of me, he leaves, I call he comes back.
The Fox in his face blew me away though. Here is the basic stance he was in.
0073.JPG

Here's pretty much what he did after he trotted back. His all around flop mode on his chair.
0101.JPG

Look closely folks, I won't go into the nasty details but... only 3 legs.
Never stopped him from treeing a squirrel, taking down birds, or staring down a fox.
My dad pointed out that he was probably holding stance knowing a move might be bad, till I came along and gave him a little hope.
I figure he was gearing up for fight or flight.
Either way, he's still with us, and the Fox is gone.

g.
 

pineypower71

New Member
Oct 19, 2008
28
0
cat

he's cute. he wears mittens. I had a cat that looked like him her name was spike. smartest cat in the world. she could turn a door knob suing bother paws standing on her hind legs. My one cat is 20+ years old. She deaf, arthric, has glaucoma and a bad thyroid. In the wild she'd be coyote food.......................................yet don't cross her. She goes after another cat, that annoys her, like she's a little kitten. I think that cat knew that he could whoop the fox's butt. he doesn't need 4 legs to do it! :happycat:
 

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
1,553
134
54
Pestletown
Not Again!

Alright, enough is enough.
Last night the same booger was back. I was in no way interested in being waken up but here he was about 3:38 by the laughing letters on the clock.
Hateful clock. Same baleful shrieking. This time my wife got up with me to see. Here again with the large outdoor front floods on was the sight of the cat and the fox. Of course the cat came a running back with a few words and my wife got to see the little fox this time.

g.
 

pineypower71

New Member
Oct 19, 2008
28
0
fox

Find out what foxes don't like and put it around your house. As Raccoons don't like light and noise putting flood lights and a loud radio evicts them from your attic. There's probably some things equally disturbing to a fox. Moth balls are frequently irritating to wildlife of different sorts but they might also offend your cat.
 

pineypower71

New Member
Oct 19, 2008
28
0
Google

I just Googled it. I'm getting cayenne pepper, human hair from a salon, human pee in a watering can. Also, tiger poop from the zoo. Also, although not it's preferred meal a small or weaken cat is an opportunity for a fox.
 

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
1,553
134
54
Pestletown
I'm thinking a collective group of little round metal balls visiting him with some degree of velocity after leaving their comfy little metal tube of a home, if he doesn't stop making these visits. I'll pass on jungle predator dung.

Just kidding all you Fox huggers out there. My cat, while missing a leg might appear weak but not so. Small yes, so of course it is a concern. a few years back we had a pet, yes pet yard chicken that was taken by a fox one winter eve' in a very bloody way.


g.
 

pineypower71

New Member
Oct 19, 2008
28
0
poor cat

:jeffd:Coincidentally, I have a black cat leg issue. A black feral cat, blind in one eye, got hit by a car I'm assuming and dragged itself into my uncle's basement. He's rather unfriendly and is being called mister hister because he hisses, alot. he has an appetite but he is pretty critically injured, dragging what will be an unsalvageable leg behind him. he wont let me at him to take him to the vet and would starve to death before he'd go into the humane trap we have set up. I couldn't get a vet in new jersey to write me a script for one darn tranquilizer to sedate the poor cat, because he's not their "patient". But he can't become their patient if I can't get them there. Vicious circle. finally, calling all creatures, in toms river, agreed to come out tomorrow night and dope him up and examine him. We'll see if he can be saved. But this is an instance where shooting him would have been more humane. Has been suffering endlessly for days.
 
Top