Widower's cat killed in fox attack

2:30pm Monday 11th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Adam Binnie, Senior Reporter

The vet told Mr Roe that Macavity's injuries had been caused by a fox The vet told Mr Roe that Macavity's injuries had been caused by a fox

A man from north Watford whose cat was killed by a fox said he is "plagued" by the animals.

Bob Roe’s 14-year-old cat Macavity disappeared on Thursday, and was found the day after having been mauled to death.

When the 66-year-old from Regent Street took his cat to the vet, he was told the injuries had been caused by a fox.

Mr Roe said: "I knew something was wrong because the cat wakes me up every morning by sitting on the bedside table and putting his paw on my face.

"I live on my own now because I’m a widower. We had five cats at one time, Mac was one of three brothers, and the last one left.

"When you’ve been on your own for a few years, your pets are as much your family as kids are. It’s rather quiet around here now."

Mr Roe said he has contacted Watford Borough Council asking what could be done about controlling the fox population.

He added: "I’ve been plagued with foxes. Some of them used to come inside the house to eat my cat’s food.

"In October last year I came in one evening and there was one upstairs. Either side of me there are babies and pets. Something should be done.

"They are a wild animal, dogs you can tame, but I disagree with feeding foxes because you don’t know what they’re going to do."

The number of fox sightings in towns and cities in the UK has increased, bringing with them unwanted noise and mess.

On February 6, four-week-old Denny Dolan was attacked by a fox in his south-east London home, leaving him with hand and facial injuries.

This follows a similar incident in 2010, where two baby sisters were mauled in their home in Hackney.

However, because foxes are not classed as a public health pest, the council does not offer a service to remove, discourage, trap or kill foxes in the same way it would for rats or mice.

Mark Jeffrey, from Watford Borough Council, said: "Councils have limited formal involvement in controlling foxes. We do work to reduce the attraction for them. 

"This includes the introduction of wheelie bins, work to ensure commercial waste is correctly disposed of and the 'zero tolerance on littering' campaigns."

Comments(16)

garston tony says...
2:56pm Mon 11 Feb 13

I feel for the loss of this mans cat, but the crux of the issue was hinted at in the article. If us humans were more careful how we disposed of our waste then there would be no food for foxes, plus - and i'm not saying this is the case here - i aslo find it uncomfortable when we humans encroach on a wild animals habitat and then complain of its existence

Report this post »

Andrew Turpie says...
3:22pm Mon 11 Feb 13

Foxes have a hard time of it, we chase them out of their natuaral habitat with horses and hounds and then we over develop the areas that they seek refuge in, it's only survival, but in modern sefish day society the words "cull" keep being uttered as if we have more right to this planet than an animal.

Report this post »

Andrew Turpie says...
3:24pm Mon 11 Feb 13

*natural I meant, plus also as above, I do feel sorry for this chaps loss.

Report this post »

OAC Bailiff says...
3:25pm Mon 11 Feb 13

yes its around dell rd all night fff ing howling waking everyone up a few pensioners have had enough

Report this post »

Mohandas says...
3:41pm Mon 11 Feb 13

garston tony wrote:
I feel for the loss of this mans cat, but the crux of the issue was hinted at in the article. If us humans were more careful how we disposed of our waste then there would be no food for foxes, plus - and i'm not saying this is the case here - i aslo find it uncomfortable when we humans encroach on a wild animals habitat and then complain of its existence
Although attacks still remain rare, the trauma of losing a much loved pet can be most distressing. But as urban areas increase in size, they are more likely to encroach on ‘our territory’ and become less wary of us. It is probably fair to say the total area available to them has shrunk as we build to accommodate an ever expanding population. Such attacks can distort the true picture of their numbers and situation.

Report this post »

janjan57 says...
3:51pm Mon 11 Feb 13

i have one or two foxes come into my garden every night so cant let my dog out after 10pm, even if she wants a wee. we do not have woods near us nor do any of my neighbours put food out for them to my knowledge. i have also stopped walking the dog before 6am as there are no street lights, have encountered them on my route on the Meriden.

Report this post »

goldanboy says...
4:30pm Mon 11 Feb 13

I wonder how many native animals were mauled to death by (introduced)Macavity
? I've lost a pet before and it is very upsetting, but foxes don't go around looking to eat us or torture our pets. They're on this planet to survive and it's us who are entering their living space. Very worried about these foxes that seem to be able to unlock doors an then go upstairs...

Report this post »

Vicar*o*rage says...
7:03pm Mon 11 Feb 13

I have a fox that comes into the garden every day, on its circuit of local gardens. Its main asset is neighbours cats don't come into my garden as frequently

Report this post »

Roy Stockdill says...
7:04pm Mon 11 Feb 13

Normally cats will see off a fox but I note this cat was 14, so obviously not as fit and agile as a young one.

However, there's too much sentimental nonsense talked about foxes just as there is about squirrels! They are not cuddly creatures as seen in Disney films, they are predators and will kill for fun just as much for food. Ask anyone who's ever kept hens and chickens and had one in the hen house. The carnage they create is truly awful. One of my neighbours has twice had to clear up slaughtered frogs from his garden pond.

I wish naive people wouldn't think of children's story books like Brer Fox and attribute to wild animals human characteristics and emotions which they simply don't have.

Report this post »

Vicar*o*rage says...
7:17pm Mon 11 Feb 13

Foxes are indiginous, cats aint.

Report this post »

Roy Stockdill says...
7:25pm Mon 11 Feb 13

>Foxes are indiginous<

So were dinosaurs a few million years ago.

Perhaps you think lions and tigers and wild leopards should become urban creatures as well?

Report this post »

highhigh says...
2:08am Tue 12 Feb 13

janjan57 wrote:
i have one or two foxes come into my garden every night so cant let my dog out after 10pm, even if she wants a wee. we do not have woods near us nor do any of my neighbours put food out for them to my knowledge. i have also stopped walking the dog before 6am as there are no street lights, have encountered them on my route on the Meriden.
What dog do you own?

I feel for this guy, pets keep the older generation much more content and active. It must be horrible. Feeding foxes does not help the situation whatsoever, my neighbour used to put food out for foxes every night and as a result the foxes were seen more often lingering around doors and windows – encouraging them!

However fox attacks on pets and humans are still very rare.

Report this post »

Hornets number 12 fan says...
12:16pm Tue 12 Feb 13

I cannot help thinking that Foxes are entering houses because of the introduction on Wheelie Bins. Before they used to rip open the Black sacks tof find scraps and now that source of food is not open to them . I really do not know by what method you could successfully cull urbans Foxes.

Report this post »

garston tony says...
12:55pm Tue 12 Feb 13

Foxes on the whole will run away even from dogs and cats in my experience.

Of course I dont want them killing pets nor heaven forbid attacking a child however we have to appreciate that we are not only ever encroaching into their natural habitat by expanding our towns but also encouraging them to stick around by providing lots of food due for them to scavange

Report this post »

John Dowdle says...
4:37pm Tue 12 Feb 13

One other possibility to consider is to erect fences that foxes cannot get over so that they are unable to enter gardens or homes. Cats can usually cope very easily with getting up to the tops of fences so it does not act as a bar to them. Dogs are a different matter but if they are kept in gardens with good fencing, the foxes cannot get into the gardens to get at them.

Report this post »

pancake39 says...
6:55pm Wed 13 Feb 13

I totally agree that the introduction of wheelie bins and the loss of their natural habitat has made them desperate for food so they resort to coming into our homes.

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree