Do Foxes Kill Kittens? 5 Scary Reasons to Consider
Many people have claimed that foxes have killed their pet cats but experts have disagreed saying that a full grown cat is too big of a prey to a fox and cats can easily defend themselves from foxes. Now the question is, can a fox kill a kitten? The answer is "Yes", foxes can kill kittens given the size because a kitten less than four weeks only weigh around 450- 460 grams and an average rodent which is a foxes favorite delicacy weighs around 500 grams. Kittens which are less than four weeks old are extremely vulnerable to a fox attack because during this time, kittens greatly depend on mother's milk and cannot see or hear clearly. It should also be noted that kittens over four weeks old could also become prey to a fox such as a red fox which is the largest and most common among the true foxes. Foxes are medium sized animals which are common in many parts of the world. There are eight types of foxes who researches have identified as true foxes.The true foxes are,
1. Red fox
2. Rüppell's fox
3. Corsac fox
4. Bengal fox
5. Arctic fox
6. Blanford's fox
7. Cape fox
8. Fennec fox
Given the size, the red fox is what I'll be talking about in this article as it is the most common and the largest of all foxes. Below are the five scary reasons why a fox can kill a kitten easily and why cat owners should protect their kittens by keeping them indoors.
Reason-1-Fox kills cat
There is a debate whether a red fox could kill a full grown cat and many experts believe that generally foxes are docile towards humans and cats and are very shy animals. A fox killing a healthy full grown cat is more an urban legend than a fact but foxes will prey on adult cats that are injured or too weak to defend themselves. An examples of a fox killing an adult cat was recorded in a video and the story was published in "The Sun" dated 16 Feb 2018 ran a heading titled "Bloodthirsty fox that mauled seven-month-old baby also savaged cat to death" (Link-https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5589908/fox-attack-baby-killed-cat/) showed a video of a fox apparently tearing a n already lifeless body of an adult cat. It is unclear whether the fox actually attacked a healthy cat or an old or weak feline but an eyewitness had said that he saw the cat was still alive when the fox was mauling it. This kind of news is sensationalized to make the fox look dangerous but in reality it is not clear even in the video that the fox had a one on one with a healthy cat which is very unlikely. Foxes are beautiful animals and make really wonderful pets if not for the bad smell it emanates. A pet fox is as loving as a pet dog or a cat and makes a very sweet noise when it wants to play with its human owner and demonizing foxes is unacceptable. Some people unfortunately hate cats and foxes and will find any half baked anecdote to hate these animals. One thing we should understand from this story is that if a fox could attack a weak full grown cat, killing a kitten is very easy for the fox so, make sure to keep the kitten indoors until he is at least big enough to defend himself. Below is the video of the fox attacking the cat
Click here https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5589908/fox-attack-baby-killed-cat/ to watch the video of the fox attacking the cat
2. Fox kills Chihuahua
Chihuahua is a small dog that weighs around 3kg and generally foxes don't kill chihuahua's but there are rare cases of foxes killing them. One incident is reported in the U.K where a large red fox was able to kill a pet chihuahua. The story appeared in an article dated 5th July 2010 in the daily mail and below is how it is described,
"In the countryside no-one is surprised when a fox attacks a chicken or a lamb.
But the increasingly brazen attitude of the urban variety has left a family in shock - after their pet dog was savagely killed in their garden.
Princess, a two-year-old Chihuahua did not stand a chance when she was snapped up by the jaws of a large fox which crept onto Toby Khanna's property in broad daylight.
Watched by his devastated young children, the 38-year-old immediately chased after the intruder as it leapt over a 4ft high fence, and although he managed to wrest Princess from its grip, she was already dead." (Full story here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292147/Pet-dog-killed-latest-attack-urban-fox.html)
If a fox can kill a chihuahua, killing a kitten is nothing for the fox.
3. Fox can kill nutria (Coypu)
Nutria is an animal belonging to the rodent family and is semi aquatic. A nutria weighs around 6 kg and this large rodent is killed by foxes, especially red foxes. There is a video of a fox killing a large nutria. In the video, the fox tries to attack the nutria by trying to grab it by its neck. The nutria first defends itself but eventually the fox outsmarts the nutria by biting it in its neck and dragging it away in the cold. Below is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsplgrMZDG0
Nutria is an animal belonging to the rodent family and is semi aquatic. A nutria weighs around 6 kg and this large rodent is killed by foxes, especially red foxes. There is a video of a fox killing a large nutria. In the video, the fox tries to attack the nutria by trying to grab it by its neck. The nutria first defends itself but eventually the fox outsmarts the nutria by biting it in its neck and dragging it away in the cold. Below is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsplgrMZDG0
4. Kittens are smaller than a rat
A full grown cat is too much for a fox to handle and adult cats are known for their bravery when cornered. Foxes can kill kittens, especially those less than four weeks old. A kitten only weighs around 450- 460 grams and an average sized rat weighs around 500 grams. Kittens which are less than a month old are vulnerable to a fox attack because during this time, kittens greatly depend on mother's milk and cannot see or hear clearly. When it comes to cat breeds, there are larger cat breeds such as persian and well fed cats which will scare off a red fox but small built cats even if they are adults can be attacked by foxes. Foxes are opportunities and will mainly scavenge for food rather than go for a kill. Foxes will only attack small or vulnerable animals and only rabid foxes tend to attack anything it crosses. Red foxes are known to bully animals which are smaller than them such as raccoons and house cats and this due to territorial disputes or to compete for food in an area. Generally adult cats would sometimes give up the food due to fox bullying it. If you are living in an area where there are foxes, then make sure to only send your adult cat outdoors and keep the kitten inside.
A full grown cat is too much for a fox to handle and adult cats are known for their bravery when cornered. Foxes can kill kittens, especially those less than four weeks old. A kitten only weighs around 450- 460 grams and an average sized rat weighs around 500 grams. Kittens which are less than a month old are vulnerable to a fox attack because during this time, kittens greatly depend on mother's milk and cannot see or hear clearly. When it comes to cat breeds, there are larger cat breeds such as persian and well fed cats which will scare off a red fox but small built cats even if they are adults can be attacked by foxes. Foxes are opportunities and will mainly scavenge for food rather than go for a kill. Foxes will only attack small or vulnerable animals and only rabid foxes tend to attack anything it crosses. Red foxes are known to bully animals which are smaller than them such as raccoons and house cats and this due to territorial disputes or to compete for food in an area. Generally adult cats would sometimes give up the food due to fox bullying it. If you are living in an area where there are foxes, then make sure to only send your adult cat outdoors and keep the kitten inside.
5. Rd fox kills arctic fox
Arctic foxes are smaller cousins of the red fox and an adult weighs between 3 to 9 kg with a length of 30cm. Arctic foxes are almost the same size as a house cat and red foxes are known to hunt arctic foxes forcing arctic foxes to move away from places dominated by red foxes. The main reason for this is due to the scarcity of food in winter and due to desperation, red foxes hunt down arctic foxes. Foxes who are desperate for food will find a kitten as an easy meal and this one fact cat owners should consider. Below is a video of a red fox killing an arctic fox and dragging its body in the snow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk7o4X5YU5Y
Conclusion
Foxes tend to kill larger animals as explained above and it is obviously clear that a kitten could easily fall prey to a hungry fox if kept unattended by a human being or the mother cat. Apart from foxes, there are many animals that kill kittens. I have personally lost several of my kittens to civet cats. Civets are related to mongooses and I made the mistake of keeping my kitten outside and with my own eyes I saw how the civet swiftly dragged the kitten to the forest before I could save it. Civets are small animals and never keep a kitten along where there is a risk of foxes or other animals attacking it.
Arctic foxes are smaller cousins of the red fox and an adult weighs between 3 to 9 kg with a length of 30cm. Arctic foxes are almost the same size as a house cat and red foxes are known to hunt arctic foxes forcing arctic foxes to move away from places dominated by red foxes. The main reason for this is due to the scarcity of food in winter and due to desperation, red foxes hunt down arctic foxes. Foxes who are desperate for food will find a kitten as an easy meal and this one fact cat owners should consider. Below is a video of a red fox killing an arctic fox and dragging its body in the snow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk7o4X5YU5Y
Conclusion
Foxes tend to kill larger animals as explained above and it is obviously clear that a kitten could easily fall prey to a hungry fox if kept unattended by a human being or the mother cat. Apart from foxes, there are many animals that kill kittens. I have personally lost several of my kittens to civet cats. Civets are related to mongooses and I made the mistake of keeping my kitten outside and with my own eyes I saw how the civet swiftly dragged the kitten to the forest before I could save it. Civets are small animals and never keep a kitten along where there is a risk of foxes or other animals attacking it.