Other kitsune use their magic for the benefit of their companion or hosts as long as the human beings treat them with respect . As yōkai , however , kitsune do not share human morality , and a kitsune who have adopted a house in this manner may , for example , bring its host money or items that it have stolen from the neighbors . Accordingly , common households thought to harbor kitsune are treated with suspicion . Oddly , samurai families was often reputed to share similar arrangements with kitsune , but these foxes was considered zenko and the use of their magic a sign of prestige . Abandoned homes was common haunts for kitsune . One 12th @-@ century story tell of a minister moving into an old mansion only to discover a family of foxes living there . They first try to scare him away , then claim that the house " have been ours for many years , and ... we wish to register a vigorous protest . " The man refuse , and the foxes resign themselves to moving to an abandoned lot nearby .