Brazen Fox

The foxes are back! We have been capturing two fox traipsing through the yard at night for the past few weeks. Those that are familiar with us are aware how exciting we've been to have the foxes so close.  

Since we moved in thirteen years ago, we have seen mamas and cubs come and go, almost every year. Once the pandemic hit and we were stuck at home, the girls home schooling in the in-law unit, making noise that probably scared them off , we did not see our furry friends for a couple of years. We missed them and we  kept a looking to no avail. No foxes. Until just very recently

When the Arlo camera first spotted them last month,climbing on the fence and prancing around the yard, we were delighted. That was short-lived. Because unlike in the past years, there was now a problem that we didn’t foresee. It seems like these fox were getting a little bit brazen and a little bit too close to our cats. Our cats like to roam the yard, usually coming in at night time with the exception of Simba, who thinks he’s a lion. He’s aptly named. Simba is a hunter, with a gentle heart, who showed up during the pandemic and adopted Don. He wasn’t here before, but now his presence in the yard with the fox is causing a whole other dilemma.

Sometimes in the early evening hours, we’ve heard loud fox sounds, and loud cat sounds as the two have interacted, and from the sounds of their hows, neither seem to be happy. Both Don and myself have had to run out in the yard chasing the fox away. But they don’t run off; instead they stay within just a few feet. We suspect that some of the neighbors might be feeding them as they’re not that scared of us. But we are a little concerned about what they might do to our cats.

We’re being a little bit more cautious to make sure that our gatos are in during the evening hours but the other morning I caught one fox in the yard, first thing in the morning getting too close to Simba. he barely soldered away, which was disturbing, but at least I got a couple of good photos!

Still,  I’m a little worried how this is going to end up because the Fox thinks it’s their territory, and Simba thinks it’s his territory. And Rio and the others are just too naïve to know what the hell is going on.

So stay tuned for the next chapter of the foxes  in Pinole!