I MUST respond to Gill Lloyd’s letter (The Argus, June 16) commenting on my submission about foxes not being to blame for dead cats (June 12), and her thoughts on foxes training cubs to hunt.

She totally misinterpreted what she saw between the cat and the mother fox with her three cubs. The fox was protecting its young, as all wildlife protect their offspring. Even we humans do the same.

A fox would not train its young to hunt using a cat for practicing. A cat is far too dangerous for a vixen to expose her cubs to such a threat.

Another letter on the same page from an unnamed writer says a cat is another meal for a fox. I agree, but only if a fox finds a dead cat.

Instead of looking for ways to accuse the fox of dirty deeds we should be looking at the real villains: badly-trained dogs which kill sheep in fields; the ignorant who get their hands on an air rifle to shoot cats, swans and seagulls, and the seagull-haters who take chicks from the adults just as they are learning to fly.

These are the real causes of animal suffering. We should direct our concern here instead.

Gloria Wheatcroft, The Drive, Hove

HAVING read Gloria Wheatcroft’s letter of June 12, I feel compelled to write.

She obviously loves foxes – there is nothing wrong with that. But for her to have sympathy for someone who lost her cat because they believe it was killed by a fox and then doubt whether a fox did it is odd.

There are a number of people who feed foxes, which means these animals lose their fear of people and become tame.

One should remember a fox is a wild animal and will kill for the sake of it – and not just to eat; there have been countless examples of foxes breaking into pens and killing chickens, but not eating them.

Having seen a recent TV series on foxes, I’m not surprised foxes are loved by the public. It did mention 80% of people have no problem with urban foxes, but did then admit this figure had fallen from 90%.

It was reported in a local paper earlier this year that a dog caught mange from a fox in Worthing. Yet there are dog owners who still feed foxes, which is irresponsible.

P Barnes, address supplied