Luxor4u

Let's have some more photos then!!!

Very sad day today :cc
I looked out of the bedroom window about 11a.m. and there was a fox sitting in the middle terrace of the flower bed. They don't normally do that in broad daylight, we checked it out with binoculars and it seemed OK but we kept watch and when it moved it was obviously very stiff and unsteady. Shortly after he came down from the flower bed and walked along beside the conservatory and stood looking in at us. His eyes were all mattery and he was very wet and sorry looking. We opened the door but he just went back to the flower bed. We put some food out and he looked interested but did not come down.
We rang the RSPCA & they took details and said an inspector would call. An hour or so later Barry was watching and said he saw him take 2 deep, fast breaths and then apparently stop. We left him a little while so as not to disturb him in case he was just asleep, and then went & checked, & he was dead. I picked up the phone to cancel the RSPCA & it rang, it was the inspector to say he was on his way & would be 45 minutes, don't bother thanks.
Whilst we are very sad we do feel honoured that he felt able to come to us when he was dying.

Fran that is so sad, did you know him? Was it one of your regulars? We don't see ours about very much in the summer and I tend to miss them being around. Have you a special place for him to be buried?

how sad Fabby but at least he came to be with friends for his final moments

He is one of this years cubs
We've just been out and wrapped him up and put him in the summer house. It's still pissing down and we are trying to work out where to bury him. His jaw is a bit of a mess it looks as though he may have had an infection or been hit by a car. One had been eating with its head on one side a few days ago so maybe it was an infection that spread, who knows, whatever it was we feel terribly sad.

Aw that's so sad but at least he came home to you. I think it's worse if you lose one of your animals and you never know, never quite sure what happened. If you hadn't seen him you'd have always wondered - you have closure. STill a baby though eh? Very sad. Do you think his mum will 'know' Fab?

Oh Fran, that brought a tear to my eye! As AD has asked, yes, what about his Mum? Have you seen her lately? Is she likely to look for him?:(

I cried my eyes out, he looked so vulnerable especially when he looked in at us. I put an emotional warm blanket round him & from the look in his eyes I'm sure he felt it, Barry commented on the change of expression, before he knew what I had done. He was quite a big cub, they all are, bigger that the average cat, even bigger than Kinnie.
I haven't heard from Mum for a while, there had been less contact ever since we told her we were going away but 1 day when we were in Luxor last trip I felt as though something was missing & I haven't heard from her since. :worry: It isn't unheard of, last year when she was busy teaching the cubs we heard less from her but both she and Kinkie are old for wild foxes, she is 4+ he is 5+, average life expectancy is 2. We haven't seen her since just before we went away at the end of April but we will try to record visits over the next few evenings and see if she is around, or whether it is only the cubs. :worry:

OMG!! I hope you see/hear from her soon.

Will let you know if we do.

O Fran, I am so sorry!.......If it was obviously from, say, a car accident, then maybe no need for excess worry....but if not....could there be any possibility of any other cause??? Which might warrant a Vet's checking??

Thank you. There was definitely an injury to the jaw, almost certainly broken, which had become infected, whether it was from a car or a kick from a large animal, or even a fall I don't know. Apart from that his coat was fine, no sign of mange which we always worry about. Tbe others all seem fine.

I hope it wasn't a kick from a large animal of the human variety!:x Are there any 'yobs' in the vicinity?

That's good to learn. Hope Mum or one of the others makes contact soon.

thomoll wrote:I hope it wasn't a kick from a large animal of the human variety!:x Are there any 'yobs' in the vicinity?

Not that we know of, and I don't think they would be silly enough to go near humans, we have always told Mum to tell them not to. We have never attempted to touch or tame them for that reason, much as I would have liked to There are horses in the field opposite, and cows just along the road.

We have just been out and buried him, well Barry did the hard work, digging a hole under the oak trees, in front of the Rhododendrons. It is near to but not on the path the foxes always use to come into the garden. I have planted a russet colour grass, which matched his coat, and a couple of flowering plants over him.
Having had a more thorough look it does look like a vehicle hit as it is both his jaw and leg which were injured.

Fran what a shame, poor wee thing.

I'm so sorry to hear about your cub. Take comfort in the fact that he knew to come to you when he needed help, and you did everything you possibly could.

Thank you both.

Good news at last, Mum has just come down & looked in at us. I guess I'll have to tell her later if she is listening, I think she might be tonight, she gave us a good long stare.

There are 2 HH's in the feeding box, they are so large they filled it, with one backside sticking out Last year when they were tiny we used to have 6 in one box

Thats so nice Fran that he has a fitting resting place, we have a lovely young Oak tree that now houses 2 of my cats and my old lab dog. Bless them all.