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Would Buzzard or Foxes kill cats?

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  • 10-03-2016 11:16pm
    #1
    mikeweed
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭


    Probably a stupid question but we had two cats both are now gone and there have been 3 Buzzards flying around for the last few weeks. It looks like two parents with one juvenile, beautiful birds. I was watching them soar over my garden for 20 minutes the other day. We also have foxes around too. This is the second pair of cats that have gone missing, first two were reared in a town then a move to the country, they didnt last long and the new cats were kittens reared in the country and both gone. I asked a vet would a fox kill a cat and she said yes they would. I ma not getting any more cats cause I hate when they are gone but not knowing what happened is annoying, I don't think they strayed cause they were treated better than anyone in the house. Any ideas about predators and cat...thanks in advnace


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    #2
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    No, Buzzards would not kill cats.

    Foxes - maybe. Not a certainty though. I'd say they're more likely to kill kittens than adult cats - they would generally have a healthy fear of adult cats as a cat can do some damage to them so they'd generally just steer clear of them - not worth a fight. Though that would be less so if it wasn't an 'outdoor' cat, so to speak.

    You'll never know, and I think it would be jumping to conclusions to assume a fox took it. Unfortunately they could have ran away or got knocked down etc etc.


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    #3
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Certainly not a Buzzard and highly unlikely it was a Fox. Despite being treated like royalty, cats will often just up anchor and move home for no apparent reason, particularly when given leave to roam in the countryside.


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    #4
    mikeweed
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭mikeweed


    Thanks for replies. I didnt think a Buzzard would but I wouldnt have been sure. Foxes live very close to our house. Less than 400meters away. Either way i love the sight of the foxes and buzzards, we also have a pair of kestrals around the area too. I know cats can up and leave but i though its just if they are not looked after and these cats were like royality. Guess I will never know. Thanks again for replies.


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    #5
    Half-cocked
    Registered Users Posts: 4,319 ✭✭✭Half-cocked


    I've seen foxes and cats interact in our garden and they tend to avoid each other (hilarious the way the cat will look the other way as if pretending the fox doesn't exist). While a fox could kill a cat, it would probably get injured in the process so they leave each other alone. Foxes will take kittens though. Buzzards definitely not.


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    #6
    Hotei
    Closed Accounts Posts: 506 ✭✭✭Hotei


    Another possibility (that often gets swept under the carpet for one reason or another) is that the cats may have been shot by gun club members. A cat without a collar is fair game as far as they're concerned (some will shoot cats whether they have collars on or not). If you do decide to get another cat, I'd suggest you put a collar on it which may save it from an untimely end.


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    #7
    Eric Marley
    Registered Users Posts: 29 ✭Eric Marley


    mikeweed wrote: »
    Probably a stupid question but we had two cats both are now gone and there have been 3 Buzzards flying around for the last few weeks. It looks like two parents with one juvenile, beautiful birds. I was watching them soar over my garden for 20 minutes the other day. We also have foxes around too. This is the second pair of cats that have gone missing, first two were reared in a town then a move to the country, they didnt last long and the new cats were kittens reared in the country and both gone. I asked a vet would a fox kill a cat and she said yes they would. I ma not getting any more cats cause I hate when they are gone but not knowing what happened is annoying, I don't think they strayed cause they were treated better than anyone in the house. Any ideas about predators and cat...thanks in advnace

    Buzzard, never.


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    #8
    Capercaillie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Capercaillie


    Hotei wrote: »
    Another possibility (that often gets swept under the carpet for one reason or another) is that the cats may have been shot by gun club members. A cat without a collar is fair game as far as they're concerned (some will shoot cats whether they have collars on or not). If you do decide to get another cat, I'd suggest you put a collar on it which may save it from an untimely end.

    Gunclub members will often shoot cats on sight.


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    #9
    m5ex9oqjawdg2i
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,221 ✭✭✭✭m5ex9oqjawdg2i


    Capercaillie wrote: »
    Gunclub members will often shoot cats on sight.

    What? Generalise much?
    Hotei wrote: »
    Another possibility (that often gets swept under the carpet for one reason or another) is that the cats may have been shot by gun club members. A cat without a collar is fair game as far as they're concerned (some will shoot cats whether they have collars on or not). If you do decide to get another cat, I'd suggest you put a collar on it which may save it from an untimely end.

    Put this one to the bottom of the list of things that may have happened your cat. It's nonsense.

    OP did your cats go missing on the same day, around the same time?


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    #10
    Capercaillie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Capercaillie


    Khloe Gorgeous Typographer wrote: »
    What? Generalise much?



    Put this one to the bottom of the list of things that may have happened your cat. It's nonsense.

    OP did your cats go missing on the same day, around the same time?
    Go to any hunting forum and when the topic of cats comes up, it invariably ends with people saying they shoot them.


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    #11
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,682 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Capercaillie wrote: »
    Go to any hunting forum and when the topic of cats comes up, it invariably ends with people saying they shoot them.

    Feral cats can be legally shot - the same as any other feral animal. Of course the shooter must be 100% that the animal has no owner. Shooting a cat with a collar or other id would obvously be illegal in this case. I seriously doubt most hunters go out of their way to shoot cats with collars or who they know are owned by a farmer etc. It would be a quick way of losing a permission.

    PS: its obviously in the interest of any responsible cat owner to have the animal wearing a collar or some other form of id to avoid the assumption of being a feral animal


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    #12
    Capercaillie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Capercaillie


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    Feral cats can be legally shot - the same as any other feral animal. Of course the shooter must be 100% that the animal has no owner. Shooting a cat with a collar or other id would obvously be illegal in this case. I seriously doubt most hunters go out of their way to shoot cats with collars or who they know are owned by a farmer etc. It would be a quick way of losing a permission.

    PS: its obviously in the interest of any responsible cat owner to have the animal wearing a collar or some other form of id to avoid the assumption of being a feral animal
    Not all cats will tolerate a collar and they can be dangerous unfortunately (excluding quick release collars).


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    #13
    buachaillbeoir
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭buachaillbeoir


    Capercaillie wrote: »
    Go to any hunting forum and when the topic of cats comes up, it invariably ends with people saying they shoot them.


    Seriously? Am i missing something here, why would you shoot a cat?


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    #14
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    buachaillbeoir wrote: »
    Seriously? Am i missing something here, why would you shoot a cat?

    The cats take game.


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    #15
    buachaillbeoir
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭buachaillbeoir


    So its a case of, I'm'a gonna kill you, your hunting what I'm hunting? seems harsh......


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    #16
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Mod Note:

    OK - some cats are shot by hunters. Feral cats can be legally shot, and cats can cause a lot of damage to wildlife and game. Responsible cat owners should take efforts to minimise that impact, and those methods would invariably reduce to almost nil the likelihood it would be mistaken for a feral cat and/or cause any problems (i.e. collar, bell, not letting them wander all around the place etc).

    Let's move on from the cat vs hunter debate before it takes a bad turn!


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    #17
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,682 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    buachaillbeoir wrote: »
    Seriously? Am i missing something here, why would you shoot a cat?

    Feral cats are considered an invasive species like mink etc under the law. They've have done much damage to native wildlife in many parts of the world.

    PS: I think this is all going rather off topic now. As another poster has said, cats wander off all the time. I'd say road-deaths are responsible for most sudden disappearances going on what I see driving around the place


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