If you read our last post on the fox situation, you might remember that our attempt to help a crippled fox has had unintended consequences. We had thought to try to solve two problems. The first was that a fox was eating the food Leah puts out for the outside cats. Her practice has been to put some food in the garage, where Sylvester and Smokey eat, and some outside in the driveway for Chloe, Dusty and Rusty. Sylvester and Smokey chase the other three away, especially Dusty, and keep them from having free access to the food in the garage. That’s why Leah started feeding the three cats out in the drive.
Unfortunately, that also attracted a fox. Leah got into the habit of feeding the cats fairly often during the day, so the cats didn’t feel any need to eat their fill at any given time. So, Leah left the food out, and the fox ate it.
The second problem involved a female fox who suffered an injury to one of its front legs. It seems to be permanently crippled. So we decided to put dog food further out in the driveway, hoping to keep the fox from eating the cat food, and at the same time, hoping to keep the crippled fox alive.
We had reservations about this in the first place, but now we have had serious second thoughts about feeding the fox. Or, as it turns out, the foxes. The one crippled fox has turned into a family of at least three, possibly more. They eat the dog food, and then they eat the cat food. So we have decided to stop feeding the foxes and let nature take its course.
Things are never as easy as they seem at first. Feeding the fox seemed like a simple solution to two problems, but it didn’t work out as we expected. And now not putting out food specifically for the fox isn’t working out all that well either. We still have the problem of the foxes eating the cat food. We have to try to come up with a way to feed the cats but prevent the foxes from eating all their food. So far the foxes don’t come into the garage, but Sylvester and Smokey also keep Chloe, Dusty and Rusty out. I suggested putting their food out twice a day for a set, short period and then taking it up. Leah worries that they will get hungry because they’re used to grazing all day. I say that they will quickly learn to eat when the food is out. We haven’t decided exactly what to do, but it’s obvious that leaving cat food out in the driveway all the time isn’t working.
But what about the title of this post, The fox’s tip? Well, over the past few weeks we have noticed an odd behavior of the foxes. They poop in their feed bowl.
Still life with dog food bowl and fox poop.
Is this what a fox considers an appropriate tip for services rendered?
I assume there is a reasonable explanation for this behavior, but I don’t know what it is. Territory marking? Preventing another animal from feeding at their site? Convenience? Watching Zoe’s bathroom habits?
What a conundrum you’ve created (but I didn’t need to tell you that). After I started to put food out for the two starving stray cats that are now our indoor cats, I proposed stopping feeding them so that they would (hopefully) “go away.” Kali’s response was, “Not so fast, buster! Now that you’ve started feeding them, they’re ‘ours'” Damn! I think that the foxes would do fine if they weren’t fed, but keeping them away from the cat food will be problematic.
Aren’t you concerned about interactions between the foxes and cats, and the fact that the cats could contract some nasty disease from the foxes–including possibly rabies?
I haven’t a clue about why the foxes are defecating in the food bowls, but it is certainly some sort of territorial thing. The raccoons around here often leave a prominent turd atop a log or stone wall in just such a show of dominance.
We were surprised at how nonchalant the cats are about the foxes. They often pass within a few feet of each other and do nothing but look. Once Zoe even chased a fox around a little when it came to eat.
We do worry about disease, especially rabies. And, unfortunately, not all the outside cats are vaccinated.
At our last vet visit for Zoe, the only cat we actually brought intentionally to the house, the vet implied that we should get rid of the outdoor cats because of the risk of disease from unvaccinated outdoor cats. We are looking into finding new homes for Sylvester and Smokey, since they are the bullies that keep the other three cats from having access to food in the garage (where we hope the foxes won’t come). That might solve the immediate problem of keeping the foxes away from the cat food, but I don’t know what we’ll do if the foxes start coming into the garage.
That’s a pretty tricky problem. Hard to figure out what to do once they are habituated to a reliable food source. I was going to suggest a trap and relocation, but then I read this:
http://wildcaresolutions.com/there-is-no-humane-trap-and-relocate/
Sounds like the best thing is to figure out how to feed the outside cats where the fox absolutely can’t get to it, and stop the food supply for the fox. Good luck with it. Keep us posted.
We have relocated several raccoons and possums but never really considered relocating the fox. I released the raccoons and possums about four or five miles away near a forest stream, hoping that that locale would provide sufficient food and water, but who knows what happened afterwards. I’m sure it’s traumatic for the animals, but I’m not absolutely convinced that they can’t survive being relocated.
We are currently trying to figure out how to feed the cats but not the foxes. We haven’t figured it out yet, other than simply watching the food while it’s out and trying to get the cats to eat while it’s there.