Should I encourage a fox to come into my garden to keep away the neighbours' cats?

Question

My neighbours have cats and they leave them out all night and they make the most incredible screeching noises. They also use my garden as their litter tray.

Since a fox has been laying on my patio in the shade in late afternoons the cats haven't come over.

Should I do something to keep the fox comming back or would it end up causing more mess than the cats?

Answer 1

Foxes will eat smaller animals..it is the way they survive in the wild..Also a thing to remeber when wild animals begin getting that comfortable with humans to actually just lay on your patio and letting you get close enough to view him and he does not immediately get the heck out of there...this is one of the first signs of a wild animal developing rabies... Especially a skiddish animals to start with...I would have animal control trap the fox and have it removed and tested for rabies.. I have lived in the country all my life, but now in Florida..but in the northern part of the panhandle where it is ocean, but also countryish..alot of thickets ,forests etc...We have a few rabies going around right now..and this is the first sign that we are warned about them to look for..The fox could very well be in it's first stage of rabies to be this comfortable with humans..

Answer 2

You can go to a good garden shop and buy fox urine and spray it in your garden, that cats will smell it and will think the fox is around and leave.

Answer 3

Noo you shouldn't encourage the fox to come in your garden every night, why do you just go and speak to your neighbours about leaving their cats outside at night.

And if your neighbours still do nothing about it, you can go to the council because their cats are disturbing you when you are trying to sleep.

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Answer 4

if a fox get them - do you really want that bloody mess in your garden.  also - have you ever smelled fox poo - its the most disgusting smell - if you tread in that you will know it.

Answer 5

Mmmm.. There may be a slight problem with your plan. A fox will tend to be both more smelly and, on certain occasions, even more noisy than the cats.

Answer 6

just get a dog. a dog will chase it. a fox will kill it. If the fox kills the cat you could get into trouble if it is found out you were encouraging it to keep away the cats.

Answer 7

obviously not

u should complain to area incharge & I feel it would prove best & I hope yOU can get rid of this problem

Answer 8

If the fox is already there you don't need to do anything.  Just be aware that a fox can get rabies and if it's used to being in your yard and does get it, you could have a serious problem.

Answer 9

Believe me if that fox started messing in your garden you would smell it a mile off. A foxes urine is just awful.

I have the same problem with cats in my garden and just keep using pepper powder it does help but you need to renew it everytime it rains. However cats get wise to this ploy and will find another place in your garden.

When my dear old moggie was alive he had his own litter tray in the garden which he preferred to my cabbage patch.