Fox and her cubs help themselves to family’s house to escape heatwave

By Barney Riley via SWNS

This is the adorable moment a fox and her curious cubs made their way into a home to cool off during the recent heatwave.

Retired accountant Douglas Abbott, 73, had been leaving his patio doors open in the evenings to let the cool air through.

He has been leaving food out for the foxes - that have a den in the garden - for years, but he was delighted when they decided to make a visit and eat inside his house.

Douglas, of Riverhead, England said: "As it's been so hot recently, we've been leaving the patio door open.

"One of the cubs turned up to find its sibling had already eaten all the food we'd put out, so it came into the living room to look for food and we put some more down.

"We started putting food out for the foxes years ago when they dug a den in the garden, which enabled us to see the cubs playing in the daylight.

"But the cubs weren't getting enough to eat, and the parents had mange so we put out food laced with medication as advised by a local animal welfare expert.

"They all recovered and after that, it became a habit to put out food during the cubs’ growing season.

"They come every night - usually five minutes after we've started watching a film.

"They are often more entertaining than the TV.

"If they come and there's no food for them, and the patio door is shut, they will put their paws up on the glass to make sure we see them, and we'll go and put some more food out.

"At the moment, there's a mum and three cubs who must be around three-and-a-half months old, but usually they don't all come at the same time.

"It's not the first close encounter we've had over the years.

"One came in as far as the dining room once.

"But when they reach a certain age they stay very cautious and don't come too close - which is as it should be.

"Our daughter came to visit for a few days and even though she brought her small dog with her, they still came - though they'd snatch some food and retreat down the garden to eat it when the dog was in the living room."

The Abbott family spends five pounds ($6) a week on dog food for the foxes and regularly entertained and say that it's "money well spent."

The family has such a great relationship with the animals that they have even named them: "The mum is missing an eye, so she's been named Gaby, after the singer Gabrielle who always has one eye covered.

"The cubs are Socks, White-Tip and Titch, after their physical characteristics."

The family added that the foxes show no signs of aggression or fleas and have never stayed indoors for long or caused damage.