Flea Kit Cats

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A fox and three kits - what might be the problems?

I live in a small town, literally two blocks from the edge of the Chihuahua Desert. In the back yard, I replaced the "Urban lawn" that had been suffering from neglect with a "desert garden" that thrives on neglect. This morning as we had coffee, we realized a mother and three kits were back there, apparently under a storage building. Mother fox sat on the step and the kits played along the back fence and behind the building. It was cool, to say the least. I knew we had more birds this year than any of the past, but this was unexpected.

I've spent a lot of time in the desert while prospecting, hiking, and contemplating my navel. The desert kit fox was a frequent companion. They are very intelligent and amusing to watch. They are moving into urban areas (like Las Vegas) because they love Taco Bell and they like garbage too. There are a number of drawbacks to having them as neighbors.

1) Staff at McCarren Airport in Vegas spend a lot of time and energy trapping the critters and re-locating them because they enjoy playing chicken with aircraft.

2) I have lost a number of burritos and tacos to the wiley pests because they ganged up on me. While I was gently removing one fox from the burritos, two friends of his grabbed the rest of my lunch bag and made a dash for it. I chased them for about 1/4 mile before they dropped the bag, but the contents were half eaten by then.

3) They have a fondness for shoes. Even heavy boots would sometimes disappear and I would find them scattered all over the area. You won't be able to leave much of anything outside without having to argue with your new neighbors about ownership.

4) Their burrows can be quite extensive. They like having many different tunnels to elude predators in. If a family of foxes were under my house, I would wonder how long it would take them to get the house leaning one way or another.

5) The kit fox is absolutely fearless when it comes to being around humans and you will never know if one of them is rabid. Sure, you could trap them and give them all rabies shots, but you will spend a fortune doing it. You will also run the risk of contracting hantavirus and bubonic plague. Living under your home they will flourish because there will be few predators for them to deal with (until they have gotten on your wrong side). They are bad house guests - they like your place and they will never move on.

I like the little guys, but I am glad they are your neighbors and not mine. I got along well with them because I assumed that anything left outside of my car was their property, or at least, they were free to borrow anything they could carry (they can carry a lot of stuff). They enjoy guitar music and will sit with you for hours while you are watching the moon and the stars.