Video Shows Feral Cat Popeye Chasing 2 Foxes And Then Having His Food Dish Stolen

FAIRFAX, VA — Popeye, the feral cat who pays nightly visits to a Patch reporter's home north of Fairfax City, has been having a tough time with foxes lately. Not only are they snacking on food intended for him behind his back, one of them even stole Popeye's food dish.

Patch originally reported on Popeye's late-night escapades last April, when a Ring camera recorded him chasing off a fox who was trying to steal his food.

Just after midnight on Monday, the Ring camera caught Popeye having to chase off two foxes who were sniffing around his food bowl. A short time later, one of the foxes returns, climbs upon the window ledge and then snacks on some cat treats and birdseed.

Related: Video: Feral Cat Lets Fox Know Not To Eat From His Bowl

When Popeye jumps up on the window ledge a short time later, he finds the treats and birdseed missing. Then, the video shows the both foxes returning to the scene at 4:05 a.m. to see if they missed anything.

At 1:07 a.m. on Tuesday, one of the foxes decides he's not going to mess around with Popeye. Instead, the video shows him snatching Popeye's food dish in his mouth and running off.

Popeye has been visiting the reporter's home for more than a year. The family leaves out a dish full of cat food every night, with a handful of cat treats near a bowl of water on the window sill.

The family has also started putting birdseed on the window sill, which birds nibble on during the day. While Popeye doesn't eat the birdseed, the foxes vacuum it up.

Since one of Popeye's ears has been clipped, he likely has been fixed by someone who catches, neuters and releases feral cats. Many feral cats are unable to be domesticated, so capture/neuter/release programs are used to control the cat population in the wild.