We have a fox in our subdivision. I haven't had much luck on the Web with finding information on them. Last night I was awakened at 4:15 AM to the sound of a cat outside my window. It was screaming in pain and this went on for about five minutes, with the cries getting weaker, and ending with a low, long moan. There wasn't another sound from another cat...it WASN'T a typical cat fight. There was just ONE cat crying. I am guessing the fox got it. Should I call animal control, or are foxes typical in a neighborhood? I did read that they are nocturnal and that they are starting to become as common as raccoons. Yet, everyone accepts raccoons in their neighborhood and don't freak out....what should I do?

By Cat on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 09:08 am:

We have foxes around here. They are pretty dangerous to cats and it sounds like your fox did get one last night. I don't think animal control can do much because like the raccoons they won't catch them all. We sometimes end up with coyotes in our neighborhood. Even that's nothing compared to Trina's bears! lol I'd say just don't leave small animals outside alone and stay away from them if you see them.

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 09:32 am:

They're common in our neighborhood, but we live in a rural, wooded area. We see all kinds of critters, including black bears, as Cat mentioned above. Just one of the reasons why our cats are strictly indoor pets!

Have you actually seen a fox? It could also be a fisher, which are known to prey on house cats.

Another thought, the crying cat *might* have been a female in heat.

By Kate on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 09:36 am:

*I* have not seen the fox, but several neighbors have (neighbors who get up much earlier than I do, LOL). They have all warned me as I have small children. They say he LOOKS healhty and not rabid, and is about three feet long and red. Our squirrel and chipmunk population has dwindled (mind you, that's not a bad thing, IMO). I don't know what an amorous cat sounds like, but this animal truly sounded in distress. I never did fall back to sleep until fifteen minutes before I had to be up. Sigh.

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 09:50 am:

A female cat crying in heat is eerie. It does sound as if they are in pain. They also cry during mating, as DH and I once learned many years ago as newlyweds. We heard what we thought was a cat crying in pain. We looked out our sliding door and saw two cats mating on our back steps. LOL!

The Red Fox is a beautiful animal. A couple years ago I was reading a book and lounging in my back yard when I felt something staring at me. I looked over and saw a red fox sitting on top of the stone wall watching me. We made eye contact and then it went on it's merry way.
Red Fox

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 09:51 am:

Foxes can, of course, carry rabies. Warn your children. You can't tell whether an animal is carrying rabies by whether it "looks healthy".

An amorous cat does indeed sound like it is in severe pain, and can go on and on and on until her needs are met. And when it's a Siamese, it sounds like a baby crying in pain (BTDT).

If it were me, I'd call animal control because of the risk of rabies.

By Luvn29 on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 10:50 am:

We have cats outside, and there is one neighborhood cat that is very amorous this spring. What you heard sounds much more like a mating cat rather than a cat that was attacked by a fox. I would think a fox would kill a cat fairly easily and that it's cries would not go on that loudly that long.

The sounds of a mating cat or just of a cat looking for love can be horrible and scary if you don't realize what it is! And even if you do! I'd swear they can't be feeling any pleasure!

I think foxes are more common than people realize, but they are just very sly and people don't see them often.

By Reds9298 on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 12:37 pm:

We have red fox in our area, which is very wooded and lots of corn fields. We will ony see them every once in a while, and my old neighbor (the one with the raccoons!) actually fed two of them within 2 feet of her. I didn't think they were dangerous, but at that time I didn't have a small child either. They are fairly small themselves.

By Nicki on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 03:42 pm:

I hope the cat you heard is okay. I would not have been able to go back to sleep, either. We have coyotes roaming around here at night, so we keep our cats indoors once it gets dark. It sure sounds like the cat you heard may have been mating. Let's hope!

By Hol on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 05:03 pm:

We live in the woods, too, and have coyotes, foxes, bears, deer, fisher cats, racoons, possums etc.. We have had a few kitties dissappear, and I'm sure that's what happened to them, as heart breaking as it was.
The fisher cats are nasty things that love to eat cats. They are in the weasel family, and are very fast. You are more likely to see them if they are dead on the road. They won't hang around humans. They can chase a cat up a tree, as they have long claws. They also make a horrible sound. I think in the South they call them pole cats.