We cats get very frightened when we hear about humans serial killers of cats. How can we tell the difference between a killer and a human friend? Now we can relax a little, if we live in Croydon, a suburb of London.
There isn't a human cat killer at large. The killers were foxes.
Hundreds of cats went missing there, but now a scientific study reported here says the deaths were due either to foxes attacking and killing cats, or foxes scavenging on the dead bodies of cats that had died from different causes.
However, how can we keep safe from foxes?
The best way to do this is to stay indoors at night. Please, humans, lock the cat flap when you come home from work.
Yes, we won't like it. Yes, we will complain at first. So call us in for a special meal or special treats, so that we are rewarded when we get indoors.
It's the simple way to keep us safe from predators....
Although once caring for a colony of ferals, some who were "lost" to other critters of the night, all of our cats are only indoors ... the safe haven for them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, for reminding others.
As a Croydon resident, I naturally have followed this with interest. We had a dog fox that killed a lot of cats many years back. But foxes taking cats is, I believe, quite rare in town areas of UK. Human cat killers do exist, one was prosecuted only this year for horrendous attacks on cats. So, whilst this report leads to a conclusion, it only based on 36 of hunndreds of cat deaths, it is hardly conclusive. With antifreeze stated as one of the causes of death, I would hazard a guess those may well have been deliberate. Keeping cats indoors is however a good thing if you can, and many folks do. Half and half seems a good compromise in the UK, which has far fewer natural predators for felines beside humans and their murderous ways.
ReplyDeleteI thinkcats should always be indoors unless out with their human to guard them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good post.
ReplyDeleteI agree cats should be indoors, unless they were already outdoor community cats/feral cats.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete