The first significant action of the afternoon came when Danny Tiatto clattered into Riccardo Scimeca to concede a free-kick 30 yards out which came to nothing.
It later transpired that as a result of the challenge Scimeca was taken to hospital at half-time after coughing up blood.
Alan Maybury's clever throughball then set up Elvis Hammond for a run on goal but he was denied by Darren Purse's tackle.
The first attempt on goal came in the 12th minute when Steven Thompson fed Michael Chopra whose 16-yard shot looped over the bar.
Midway through the first half Hammond was dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area with the loose ball falling to Gareth Williams, but the Scotland international was disappointed not to get his 18-yard shot on target.
Chopra then tested Paul Henderson with a quickly-taken free-kick but the Australian keeper was alert to the danger.
Kevin McNaughton was next to try his luck but his long-distance drive drifted well wide. Iain Hume's glancing header from Tiatto's cross then landed on the roof of the net as play continued to swing from end to end.
On the stroke of half-time Hume's shot was parried by Neil Alexander with the keeper quickly back on his feet to make a double save from Hammond.
The Foxes continued to attack after the restart with Williams driving over the bar from 20 yards and, as the pressure mounted, Tiatto blasted wide from a similar distance.
Hume latched onto Patrick Kisnorbo's long ball on 68 minutes but, shadowed by two defenders, he shot straight at the keeper while for Cardiff, substitute Darcy Blake shot wildly wide from 30 yards.
Cardiff created a good opportunity on 74 minutes when Purse burst forward to feed Joe Ledley whose 12-yard angled shot beat Henderson but not Alan Maybury who had got back to clear off the line.
The Foxes thought they had broken the deadlock on 78 minutes when substitute Matty Fryatt had the ball in the net but he was ruled to have strayed offside.
Cardiff almost snatched a late winner when, just before the end, Chopra, from close range, failed to get a clean connection on McNaughton's cross from the right.