Foxes visiting the garden

[pargyle]

There are barren and dry vixens abound and it is possible, the cubs would have been pushed off to find their own territory by now dependent on when the vixen gave birth. Its also 50/50 it could be a dog fox caught. Also its in a garden in Bath so extremely likely with this pandemic the cage would be almost continuously monitored. Who is advocating breaking any law??

I think the OP has found her chosen method so any further debate wont add anything to the issue so best we draw a line under it and move on?

Yes ... I agree ...but it's surprising how much controversy there is around foxes - both urban and country - people's opinions are very divided. From my wildlife camera we have at least three foxes and two badgers that regularly visit out garden. The vixen who 'owns' our garden seems to tolerate some of the foxes that visit and actually greets one of them (female sibling or daughter ?) but is very agressive towards another one.

I find them fascinating - yes, they occasionally dig the odd hole in the lawn or flowerbeds and they continually destroy my neighbour's fence as he keeps blocking up the hole that they and the badgers have on their path - they just make a new one ! But .. they are not really a nuisance to me. They all look in fairly good condiiton - no real signs of mange or other visible ailments and they clearly survive very well in the urban landscape.

The issue I have in our garden is not the wildlife - it's the multitude of cats owned by various neighbours ... they prey on the birds that we encourage to our garden and seem to prefer leaving their stinking faeces in our flower beds to their own gardens. I've turned the hose on them so many times that they see me and scoot but - I'd happily take a gun to them if I thought I could get away with it. We don't have a dog at present so there's little to discourage them.

 

[fionastennings]

I'd happily take a gun to them if I thought I could get away with it!!!!!
what a lovely comment from pargyle
obviously he/she has never had to deal with a DYING cat because some tosser thought he was a big game hunter

 

[fionastennings]

....or for that matter pay the bloody vets bill

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'd happily take a gun to them if I thought I could get away with it!!!!!
what a lovely comment from pargyle
obviously he/she has never had to deal with a DYING cat because some tosser thought he was a big game hunter

When I was working taking air gun pellets out of dogs and cats was an all too frequent procedure and a common secondary finding on imaging.

 

[user 819]

Three cubs last year stayed around for sometime well in to July and later, with a fleeting glimpse of and older fox (parent ?)

 

[Ystranc]

- I'd happily take a gun to them if I thought I could get away with it. We don't have a dog at present so there's little to discourage them.

Not cool..

 

[pargyle]

I'd happily take a gun to them if I thought I could get away with it!!!!!
what a lovely comment from pargyle
obviously he/she has never had to deal with a DYING cat because some tosser thought he was a big game hunter

I've never shot anything other than rats and rabbits ... cats in my garden are as near vermin as it gets after rats ... and I certainly would not try and shoot one with an air rifle or with anything else until they are officially classed as vermin ... mind you my jet washer packs a bit of a punch when I get the opportunity to give one a squirt.

What I would like to know is what gives urban cat lovers the right to allow their pets to roam around the neighbourhood with total lack of any conscience or sense of responsibility for the birds they take and the **** they leave behind in everyone else's garden ?

When my dogs have to be kept on a lead and are not permitted to roam free and god forbid that I don't clean up after them when they take a dump somewhere outside of my property.

 

[pargyle]

Not cool..

We are all entitled to an opinion and deep seated thoughts of what we would like to do if we could get away with it .... I'd like to get away with a huge financial fraud on one of the world's faithless banking institutions but there's as much chance of that happening as there is of me shooting one or more of the damn cats that live around me.

 

[user 20297]

What I would like to know is what gives urban cat lovers the right to allow their pets to roam around the neighbourhood with total lack of any conscience or sense of responsibility

Some people might think the same of beekeepers!

 

[pargyle]

Some people might think the same of beekeepers!

I think the difference is that beekeepers generally have a lot of social responsibility in respect of the impact their bees have on their neighbours - I don't condone people keeping bees in gardens that are agressive - I've had my bees in my garden since I've had bees and the only problem I've ever had is the bee poo on my wife's car which she always parks in the flight path.

I don't see any responsibility in my neighbours who have cats as 'pets' - although most of the animals appear to be largely feral as they are out of the houses and roaming for most of the day and night it seems ... most of them they don't even have collars and bells.

 

[understanding_bees]

I don't see any responsibility in my neighbours who have cats as 'pets' - although most of the animals appear to be largely feral as they are out of the houses and roaming for most of the day and night it seems ... most of them they don't even have collars and bells.

Now there is an interesting thought! Would it be a good idea if cat lovers were required to fit their cats with collars which have effective bells which could warn birds which were being stalked? Should it be a requirement for cats to be registered, in the same kind of way that dog registration is required?

 

[user 20297]

Should it be a requirement for cats to be registered, in the same kind of way that dog registration is required?

Our wonderful UK Government, which always gets its priorities right, has just given notice of its intention to legislate for the compulsory microchipping of ID tags on cats; maybe a precursor to doing the same to the human population?

 

[pargyle]

Our wonderful UK Government, which always gets its priorities right, has just given notice of its intention to legislate for the compulsory microchipping of ID tags on cats; maybe a precursor to doing the same to the human population?

I'm actually in favour of human microchipping ... just think of the advantages - crime would be almost impossible ... with a scanner in your home, your car, your wallet - anyone committing a crime in these vicinities could be immediately and positively identified. Passports would become almost redundant - with a bit of added technology you could pay for your supermarket shopping with a wave of the hand... lots of advantages. I have nothing to hide so I have nothing to fear ...

I'd go further and say that in terns of criminal activity ... being convicted once is a mistake, twice is a really bad error of judgement ... on the third occasion you get a permanent tattoo across the forehead stating you are a criminal and that will remind you every time you look in a mirror as well as warning those around them who could be victims ....

Cats, like dogs, should be collared and chipped - it should be compulsory to have bells and flashing lights on cats collars as well.

 

[pargyle]

Now there is an interesting thought! Would it be a good idea if cat lovers were required to fit their cats with collars which have effective bells which could warn birds which were being stalked? Should it be a requirement for cats to be registered, in the same kind of way that dog registration is required?

Sadly, we haven;t needed to have a dog licence in the UK since 1987 although it is now compulsory to have your dog microchipped before it is 8 weeks old or you could face a fine of £500.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Sadly, we haven;t needed to have a dog licence in the UK since 1987 although it is now compulsory to have your dog microchipped before it is 8 weeks old or you could face a fine of £500.

Have you seen the price of dogs these days? Even some cats run into hundreds of pounds.
As a boy we used to live on a smallholding near a remote crossroads. A few times a year we'd find a box of kittens dumped at the front gate. They usually joined our resident outside cat population and helped keep the vermin under control. Values have changed and cats become regarded as luxuries not workers.

 

[user 20297]

I'd go further and say that in terns of criminal activity ... being convicted once is a mistake, twice is a really bad error of judgement ... on the third occasion you get a permanent tattoo across the forehead stating you are a criminal and that will remind you every time you look in a mirror as well as warning those around them who could be victims ....

I'm sure (I hope!) this is all tongue-in-cheek, but I think I've unwittingly headed this thread towards the argumentative old men's section, (certainly it's off course), so I'll stop my input here!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm sure (I hope!) this is all tongue-in-cheek, but I think I've unwittingly headed this thread towards the argumentative old men's section, (certainly it's off course), so I'll stop my input here!

Pass the baton?

 

[BeeJam]

What I would like to know is what gives urban cat lovers the right to allow their pets to roam around the neighbourhood with total lack of any conscience or sense of responsibility for the birds they take and the **** they leave behind in everyone else's garden ?

^ This

 

[Arfermo]

I've never shot anything other than rats and rabbits ... cats in my garden are as near vermin as it gets after rats ... and I certainly would not try and shoot one with an air rifle or with anything else until they are officially classed as vermin ... mind you my jet washer packs a bit of a punch when I get the opportunity to give one a squirt.

Wot - no rats with furry tails? I love trying to hit them from my bedroom window. But I'm a poor shot, despite 15 years with NS and TA, but I have had a few, Stops them burying some of their nuts in my garden and the foxes get a meal too.

 

[Busylizzie]

We have foxes passing through our garden and they don't look at our hens until today when a fox climbed a 6 foot fence and killed 22 hens. Not a good start to the day collecting up the bodies. We will await his return!!!