natural predator of the domestic cat

[Dom Tuk]

is there a natural predator of the domestic cat in the UK. Will foxes or badgers attack a domestic cat??

[gingerflaps]

i would say a fox if anything, i think they'l eat anything if its small enough

[Sequin]

Some of the larger birds of prey will also take a cat, such as the Golden Eagle

[beezer]

NO - I would say there is not a natural predator of the domestic cat within the UK, (unless you count man).  To my knowledge foxes and badgers WILL NOT take / attack a cat, (unless maybe it's extremely badly injured / already dead!).  To my knowledge the only time they may take a domesticated animal such as a cat, is if it was a lone kitten, which to my knowledge should not be let out at such a young age by it's owner!  Cats however are great predators of our countries wildlife e.g. birds and small mammals!

[undercovers]

used to be a fox's den behind my house in rural old lewisham - and on more than one occation i had to try and scare them off my neighbours cat as they were most definately not playing and the cat was coming off much worse - as it was cornered and outnumbered. They may have been trying to protect their young but when their den is so close to gardens it made them very aggressive to almost anything that went outside, they drew short of attacking me or the neighbours but would climb onto the walls or cars and bark / warn anyone that was moving around - and would have happily killed a cat or small dog that got near them

[undercovers]

sorry i seem to have gone off track a bit with my fox story, not what you wanted really was it... sorry

[corganiser]

I had a cat who died a couple of years ago. He weighed 17 pounds (twice average cat weight) but was not fat. He didn't usually fight other cats, my vet explained he didn't need to because nobody would take him on. However he did one day attack a fox in front of several witnesses. I'd call the result a score draw, both nursing small wounds. As for predators, he would sometimes be mobbed by groups of 3 Carrion Crows who clearly saw him as a threat.

[FP]

We have lost one cat to a fox, who came back a few nights later for the other one, who we managed to save.  The cat the fox took was blind.

Only recently my neighbour's cat was attacked by a fox and has been left with one eye and a badly broken jaw.  Fortunately, he will survive.

Foxes definitely attack cats, especially if they are weak or if the are short of food due to really bad weather in the winter months.