When New Hampshire resident Duke Smith first heard the cry of a Fisher cat he thought he heard a baby dying slowly. The shrieks were constant, high pitched and their resemblance to human voice was really eerie. Several nights and a few missing cat notices later other residents of the neighborhood confirmed that these were the sounds of a Fisher cat.
Fisher cats are ferocious predators belonging to the weasel family and are known for their eerie screams and liking for house cats.
The sound of a Fisher cat is very shrill and resembles someone calling for help. The shrillness lends a certain high pitch to the sound and makes it sound like a woman or a child. Most people who hear the Fisher cat call for the first time are fairly convinced that they are hearing a human calling out for help.
The Fisher cat is a nocturnal animal and the fisher cat cry is sometimes a hunting cry and at others the Fisher cat call is just a mating call. It is well established that the Fisher cat makes the sounds to mate and attract other Fisher cats but people have also noticed the Fisher cat animal scream out just before or after a kill.
There is a lot of eeriness associated with the Fisher cat call and most of it is to do with the ferociousness of the animal and the creepy sound of the Fisher cats screech, compounded by the fact that it is found in the wilderness and can be heard mainly during nights. For example picture yourself in the place of this family that are going through this lonely wooded area in the dark and hear this lady like screech in the distance.
Loading ...While you can’t be sure whether this is a person or the fisher cat animal, you can be sure that being in such environs and hearing such a scream will run a chill down your spine.
Fisher Cat sounds are usually constant and you can hear them at a regular interval like in this video
Loading ...In the video you can notice that the animal screams out every few seconds and the pitch and the volume is constant. While the animals do not prey in the day time they can still be spotted moving about. The sounds are much more prominent during the night and people have witnessed these animals screeching on for hours and hours together. More often than not the Fisher Cat sounds are going to be constant and it will become a haunting experience. The Fisher cat sounds especially weighs on the minds of people who have pets like rabbits or cats. This is because Fisher cats are really dangerous and have the reputation of pretty much killing all small animals in the surrounding areas that are not kept indoors. While much of this sound like old wives’ tales the incidents that happen every year across United States give real evidence that the animals are deadly predators.
Usually the one off sound means that the Fisher cat animal is either closing on a hunt or has already killed its victim.
Next time you hear these haunting sounds make sure that all your pets are indoors and that you comfort your children and not let them get too scared by the sound.
Are these sounds from a Fisher Cat or Red Fox screech?
Fisher cat screeches are often mistaken for red fox cries. Here are two different examples as pointed out from one of our readers:
These are fox calls or screams on this video
This is the possible sound of a Fisher Cat
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None of these sounds display the blood-curdling snarling-screech of a fisher cat. It is prolonged, lasting 10-15 seconds with pitch changes from a low growl-like pitch to a shrill squeal. When you hear it you’ll have heard a noise like no other.
whenever I have a question I simply Google my question -and in a split second I find that dozens of others have already asked my question. I want to thank everyone that submitted the audio and video clips. I am certain now that the hair-raising noise I’ve been awakened by lately was a red fox. I wondered if it was a fox, since I have been seeing them sculking around my property. One day at 3PM I saw a pair together. I lost two guinea hens to those beautiful red menaces. Thanks again for your contributions.
I don’t know “Woodsman” Tom, I’ve heard these same sounds for a few years now and there hasn’t been a living Bobcat seen or heard by anybody in the state of Rhode Island for almost 60 years. The last one was shot and killed in the 1950′s. There are many Fisher Cat sightings however. Speak for your own woods.
After listening to these statements its clear I have both living in my woods my biggest fear is my pair of mallards will be lunch to either. But also the fisher cats are the scareyest sounding animals ever and I fear they will wipe out all the wildelife living in our area. We have wild turkeys, deer and our neighbors probably don’t even know to keep there pets safe from these evil menaces.
I heard one of these things last night outside my house…i thought it was someone being murdered!!! It kept me and my dog awake all night. I’m really nervous to take my dog outside at night now..she’s small..about 20 pounds..is there anything that will scare it off?
There’s no need to be alarmed. Just take precautions: keep pets indoors at night (cats, dogs, rabbits–whatever goes or stays outdoors); lock up your chicken coop if you have one; NEVER approach a wild animal, even if it seems tame–they’re often rabid when they seem tame and will attack without warning; if you see a wild animal in your yard or in close proximity to you, and it does NOT flee within 10 seconds, turn around and walk away slowly. It will sense you’re neither predator nor prey: a predator would stand its ground or advance; prey would run. But no need to get dramatic about it. Be sensible.
Human activity outside will probably keep them away during the day, and just take precautions at night. I’ve only seen one, and it took off the minute it saw me peering out the window. I don’t have pets, but we get a lot of wildlife here: deer, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, possums, turkeys, hawks, owls, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and other wild birds and rodents. In 20 years, we’ve never had a problem with any of them, aside from the coyote chorus that woke us at 1am one wintry night, and the squirrels getting into the birdfeeders.
Coyote pee might deter them from coming into your yard. I don’t know. I can’t find anything online, either.
Look up “predator urine” on google and you will find many sites that have much stronger predator urine and you can read more about how to use it and how it works. Good luck.
was down by the connecticut river with a fire goin… noticed some noises that continued on for a good while… at first we thought it was a bird or something but as the noises got closer they got louder and more screeching…we continued about our business until we heard the rustling in the bushes, then shined a flashlight into the bushes where the noises were coming from…i saw 2 small green glowing eyes, said holyshit its RIGHT THERE!!!! then it ran away and the noises continuted for afew hours on and off… i really believe i saw the elusive fisher…
i have been hearing this sound for a while. the only reason i can think of is because we have some cats at home. once i heard this cry i put out one of my traps and put dead fish guts in it. after about a week i went in the wood to find a fisher cat in it. i didnt no what to do so i called fish and game and they told me to let it go so i did. little did i no was that i was going to come back. about a month later one of our cats went missing and there and then i new that it was a fisher cat. now that i no that they are back i put my traps back out and i hope i will catch it again.
We live in RI and I DID see a Bobcat in our backyard (wooded area of S. Tiverton) about 5 years ago, perched on his hind legs, under our bird feeder. Recently, and about this time every year, we have the “screamer” as it’s called locally. Not sure if it’s a bobcat, red fox or what. Today, I saw what I believe to be a fisher crossing on the road, about 1/3 mile from our home. All of the above animals are indigenous to our area. I did check w/ DEM of RI and they don’t know of any bobcats (some suspected) but, I KNOW it was a bobcat I saw. Very cool!!!
The screams are blood-curdling and freaked me out when we moved in 12 years ago. Used to it a bit more, but still wakes us and our 3 dogs up at night. Wise to bring in small dogs and cats. Part of living in the woods is the nature that surrounds us! Like Judy, we have so many animals in our yard.
I heard a Fisher cat in my backyard. I live in the woods in Massachusettes, and I can honestly say that I have NEVER heard something so frightening in all my life. I thought at first that I was dreaming….It was evening and I am so apprehensive about venturing out in the woods alone now.
the fisher is mostly a noctural animal he starts hunting when the sun goes down usualy but i saw a few hunting during the day specialy in fall time. they hunt more cuz of protein reserves. Here in northern quebec winters are long and cold. they need this extra fat to get them thru winter. I walk a lot in woods around my place it is very quiet and calm and during the past few years i saw that there was almost no squirrels, rabbits, and partridge. thats why the fisher is comming towards our houses and looking for food. A cat a small dog, tame ducks or anything he thinks he can get at will do for him.Its a matter of survival. i heard this loud cry many times at night and i can tell you it still gives me the creep .
the best way i found to get them away from my house is to let a radio (music) play outside all night and sometimes when i hear one crying i press the panic button of my truck lol they dont stay around . I leave lights open all night outside ( motion detector lights would work good ).
this is the sound of a fisher attacking an animal no doubt about it .
foxes as almost the same sound as a fisher cat they use it to call one another. when a fox hunts he doesnt make a sound.
These sounds are great. Just heard this horrible screaming, like something shredding another animal and we wondered if it was a fisher…wonder no longer
Essex county in MA
thats a weisel
Yah, its around 11:47, about 15 or so minutes ago i heard a scream like a young woman screaming as if being attacked and mutilated..sorry to go into detail, but thats exactly how it sounded..and I have heard that there are fishers and red foxes in the woods behind my house, but..have never seen or heard any before tonight..my hearts racing honestly..
and later on, maybe not tonight..but some other night, i might be walking my dog and hear one again..if I’m not exactly close to the house..anything I should bring with me incase i happen to run into one?
The folks saying no bobcats in RI for 60yrs are wrong according to their gov. See http://www.dem.ri.gov/news/1998/pr/0729982.htm. We had one in Freetown when I was a kid (not far from Tiverton). I was 2nd guessing myself – figuring it may have been a fisher cat. Then I remembered its tail struck me as odd. -7in. long or so. Not a fisher cat’s. Besides, it just was a bobcat. I saw him 3x & family & neighbors, too. One of those scary marlen (that’s what we called them in N.H., as a kid) critters maimed a cat in Fairhaven, MA last week (say the animal control there).
i saw what i thought were three long black cats crossing the street from my neighbor’s yard to my yard then to a small wooded parcel adjacent to my back yard. i saw them at dusk, and then at 11:00 am the following day. early in the am on the same day, i smelled a skunky type odor. after searching online, i discovered these were fisher cats. i’ve lived in se mass. my entire life and had never seen them before, creeepy!
Our cat of three years is missing. He’s always near our home and comes in before the sun goes down. We looked for him everywhere and asked neighbors. One lady told me her cat has been missing for a few weeks and she heard a screaming sound one night and her cat never came home. Since I’ve never seen these animals, only one red fox two years ago, I was awakened one night two days after our cat was missing with a horrible screaming sound around 3:00 in the morning followed by a hollowing sound from a coyote. In three years since living in our home, there has never been any problems till this week. We are still upset our cat is gone and even more at the thought he might have been killed by some strange screaming animal we didn’t know was around these parts till now.
Just heard a fisher scretching. I didn’t know what it was but my neighbor did. Both my cats were out and after reading this information I’m freaking to know it was probably closing in on one of them. (read it will scretch before or after a kill). Thank God I was able to finally get my cats!! I will not be letting them out anytime soon now that the fisher knows they are here.
I heard these horrible sounds almost directly in front of my back door a few weeks ago. I didn’t know what they were at the time(I described it to friends as a cat either dying or destroying something), but after speaking to my brother and doing some research, it was definitely a fisher cat. There has been some speculation about them being a nuisance in my area on the local news(Central MA), as I have a relatively small range of woods behind my house, but was never certain until recently. Not long after the screeching incident, two of my cats disappeared within approximately ten days of each other. One was seven years old and another was a very loyal stray that we saved three years ago, so I’m positive they didn’t run away. Another cat had disappeared almost exactly a year prior, and several others have gone missing over time. My cats are like our children to my family, so it’s pretty devastating, but the majority of them have been outdoor cats for their entire lives so it’s difficult to keep them inside though I try. This fisher cat, or however many of them there are, apparently aren’t afraid of coming extremely close to human population, so I have no idea what to do. I saw the radio suggestion but I can’t exactly do that at night with neighbors on all sides. I wish there was some way to get rid of these nasty things.
Heard a red fox in the woods behind us last night. Very haunting sound. FYI, a bobcat was recently caught in our town (Simsbury, CT) after attacking a dog. Was euthanized after being found positive for rabies. We also have fishers, fox, coyotes and more bear than we care to count. Thank you to all for posting the audio clips. I was not sure what I heard, but the red fox clip confirmed it.
I just fell to sleep last night, when suddenly I awoke to the sound of my dogs’ toe nails hurrying down the hall and then the younger dog barked at the bedroom door. Figuring something was going on, I got up and just greeted my two dogs when I heard it. It was at the other end of the house outside the kitchen window. Sounded a bit like a kitten at first, then I realized it was something else. So we (me & my girls/pups) listened and then it began a really strange clicking type of sound and then a sound that was almost like a whirring or whooing sound. I had turned on the outside light but couldn’t see anything. I looked this am an didn’t see any evidence of anything there. I figured it was probably a fishercat because I know what foxes sound like which is like a mad or crazy woman wandering the English moors on a foggy scary night. And I know what the coyotes sound like. So it had to be a fisher sounding almost like a cat but not quite. Yet it’s the clicking and whirring/whooing noise that stumps me. Do they do that? Or could this have beeen perhaps a turkey I heard? I know somewhere I have a night video which was down for the audio of some crazy bird schreeching in the woods across from my house. That I knew was a bird from the thumping and squawking sounds. But this sounded like a fisher except I never heard the clicking and whirring/whooing noise before. Any thoughts?
The “fisher cat” sound (the one under the red fox barking) really sounds more like a cat in heat. Are we SURE this is a Fisher Cat sound?
My son approached a cave where we think a Fisher Cat lives. It hissed at him and his friend. He reported that it was a raccoon. We then learned about Fishers and he realized that that is what it was. We used to lose chickens and ducks to predators–not sure if a fisher, coyote or raccoon, but we did know about the bald eagle as we found it with the dead duck in the barn in winter…
We think that the sound that they make, which usually arouses us in a panic as it is so alarming, is just them walking about in search of a mate. We’ve heard the cry and looked out only to see them walking through the yard screaming their blood-curdling scream. We think that they’re just announcing themselves to other Fishers.
We’re cautious with the poultry now, locking in a secure place–the trick is in winter persuading the ducks to go to the barn when their beloved ponds freeze over.
We’re in southern Maine.
Melissa, cat in heat, yes. We think that they’re in heat when they cry…looking for a mate.
I have a cat and he is my best friend. I wanted to thank this website for keeping him alive, or else he would’ve been the Fisher cat’s next meal.
Where can I buy a fisher. I would like to irradicate the cats in the neighborhood. I am sick and tired of stepping/cleaning up their shit.
Actually, cats cover their “poop” so what you are seeing is from another type animal! I raise cats and have NEVER found this from my outside cats.
And,by the way it’s illegal to own a fisher!- or any wildlife
Actually “Max”, I’ve lived in Southern Rhode Island my entire life and I know for a fact that bobcats live here. There has actually been several bobcat sightings in my area in the last six months. Of course the DEM would never let it go public because then people would start hunting them. By the way, there have also been moose, black bear, and rattlesnakes. They’ll just never let you hear about it…
Well, I heard this 2 weeks ago and it freaked me out. Something killed my neighbor’s kitty and I suspect this is what it was. I have to keep my cats inside until it’s found and caught. Some of the younger kids in the neighborhood are getting scared, too. Fisher cats are CREEPY! When I first heard it I thought it was something being killed. And that was when the cat was murdered. It does send chills down your spine. It’s so spooky! I hope it doesn’t kill my cats. =C
-Flower
I believe that I heard a fisher cat last night, and I live in the city – Fall River, Mass. My husband and I both work second shift and had just gotten home from work. We were about to go to bed, when we heard what sounded like a woman yelling “help.” We both threw on our sneakers and ran outside. Our reaction was similar to those on the video, such as “did you heard that?” and “what the hell is that?” When we went outside, the noise stopped. I remember my brother who lives in Coventry, RI, say that the same thing happened to him one night, and he was able to determine that it was a Fisher Cat. It was frightening to listen to, and even scarier to realize that they are venturing into populated areas. Fortunately, my pets stay indoors.
Roflmao!!! people move to the country side to hear strange animal noises! i live in the mountains of va, and ill have to say that those sounds(fisher cat) you think you hear most likely isn’t! Bobcats and mountain lions make thats same sound!! but rest assurred its more likely just a red fox! you people are funny!!
On the first video clip, “weird noise behind my house”, I am fairly certain that is the call of a RED FOX. In the second clip, “screching sounds in the woods”, the first minute you can hear a pair of dueting BARRED OWLS. I believe that this is two audio files together, because after the barred owls I am pretty sure the next portion is a RACCOON fight, which I hear fairly regularly, especially in the fall over wild grapes. I do not think that any of these sounds are necessarily a FISHER, although the short VIDEO clip is definitely a fisher. I have seen fisher twice in my life, photographed them once, and have tracked them in the winter. They have just recently returned to our area. Much of the descriptions here seem fairly unscientific and more like unsuppported scare tactics. If you ever get to GLIMPSE a fisher you will be lucky. I doubt they are very likely to hang out near human habitations unless the wild food supply is very low. Just so you know, I have degrees in biology and have been a naturalist in the northeast for over 20 years. I have spent quite a bit of time in the woods in both the day and the night. The unfounded fear mongering posted in these comments is slightly amusing to me as well as scary from a scientific literacy perspective. You have little to fear from fishers.
None of the videos or audio on this page are Fisher sounds. I’ve studied these animals for years. You have foxes, and the last video is a domestic cat. This site in general is pretty good, but the web, and the not-so-ferocious Fisher cat would be better off if this page was deleted.
“Fisher cats are really dangerous and have the reputation of pretty much killing all small animals in the surrounding areas” … really?
They are predators, but eat what they need. This is what people like to say about foxes and coyotes too … or other animals they don’t understand and wan’t to demonize. Keep your cats indoors if you want to keep them away from predators (especially speedy cars which kill far more cats than Fishers).
Barred owls and foxes can make very strange noises. Red foxes almost sound like screaming blue jays, and barred owls can sound like monkeys. My cousin who lives in E. Longmeadow, MA has heard fishers and raccoons fighting. When I was in Wyoming, I heard pine martens fighting, and can those things ever squall (a pine marten’s a smaller cousin to the fisher). Also: to the person who wrote in from RI, don’t be surprised if there are bobcats in your area after all. If fishers can return, so can bobcats. Where I live and work in central NC, we now have coyotes, and river otters have returned–we had one in our lake a work. As for your cats, dogs, rabbits ‘n poultry: you should keep ‘em in anyhow, as they can be prey to coyotes: I’d be more concerned about them than fishers and bobcats, cuz they will prey on domestic animals (even so, coyotes eat a lot of mice and rats.)
If, as the author claims “It is well established that the Fisher cat makes the sound [i.e. screech] to mate and attract other Fisher cats but people have also noticed the Fisher cat animal scream out just before or after a kill,” then why can’t I find anything about fisher calls on any of the legitimate scientific websites? Even Wikipedia, whose sources can be dubious, doesn’t mention anything about fisher cat calls. Roger Powell, a biologist who has numerous scientific publications on the fisher, writes the following: “Known fisher vocalizations include a low chuckle (apparently associated with excitement), a hiss, and a growl (both aggressive).” The only sources that ever mention fisher screams are newspaper articles and blogs. I listened to all the clips on this blog and searched for more on YouTube, and they all sound like other familiar animal calls: red foxes, owls, raccoons, and cats in heat. Is the fisher cat screech a complete myth?
I am so happy to see the skeptical comments in some of the above posts. I, too, am a biologist as well as a tracker and naturalist. Fisher “screaming” is most likely urban legend. As someone else pointed out, scientists who have studied fishers for years, both in the wild and in captivity, have never heard a fisher scream. I am currently writing a review article on the fisher, and an extensive search of the scientific literature reveals NO reports of fisher screaming. The only reports are unsubstantiated ones on the internet or in the newspaper.
Most of the vocalizations on the internet that are attributed to fishers are actually those of the red fox, according to my ear. “Skeptical” is correct, in that many other animals scream. In addition to those he mentioned, rabbits will scream when extremely frightened, as when captured by a predator.
Fishers do kill other animals, including small pets, when they can get them. But to put this in perspective, perhaps you should consider the billions of animals killed each year for human consumption. Fishers will also engage in surplus killing, when they encounter more prey than they need to eat. When they can, they will cache this unused prey for future consumption. If that sounds vicious and bloodthirsty, think about what you do when you store steak in your freezer for a future meal.
Please stop the fear mongering and learn to tolerate wild animals.
Wow, if I find one more nighttime video mistakenly calling calling fox calls fisher… What a bunch of complete misinformation. The fisher is all ready misunderstood enough as it is without this website completely misleading people with this nonsense. If you hear a repeating lone call in the middle of the night, it’s not a fisher. This video is of a fox, and no member of the weasel family makes a sound remotely like this. The other references to fishers ‘screaming’… those are raccoon.
Thanks to those who posted informed comments above.
I understand how everyone who hears something in the night wants to put a name to it.
I understand how anyone who loses a cat wants to put a story behind it. If your cat disappeared, it’s most likely that it got hit by a car, caught by a dog or a coyote than a fisher. However, fishers will indeed take a cat when given the opportunity.
The most prolific hunter on the planet however is actually the domestic cat.
As someone who has studied and tracked fisher in New England for over a decade, I can tell you that there are no credible accounts of fisher broadcasting territorial vocalizations of any kind (no screaming, no night calls). As mentioned above, they will indeed growl, while eating, threatened at close range etc. Like other close relatives in the weasel family, they can chatter (one video on this site shows it). All mammals, and many other animals can screech (as seen in the ‘baby fisher confronted by dog’ video) when fearful or when being attached. Raccoons, Rabbits, Mice make similar sounds (the closest thing to screaming) in similar situations.
that is scary!
I have a small cabin in the woods of Northeat PA. and yesterday about 2 hours after sunrise I was walking past a window when I glimsed something very low and long looping through the snow. It bound around and in front of my wood pile and then to the back side out of sight. I grabbed my camera, but to late as I caught sight of it’s tail as it ran into the woods. As I did research to identify this beautiful animal and I came accross this site. I have identified it as a Fisher Cat. I have bobcats, red and gray fox, coyote, many different kinds of owls, eagles, hawks, bear along with the usual skunks, possums, deer and assorted rodents, including flying squirels that find their way into my cabin from time to time. I have been noticing a larger print showing nails in the snow on my patio for a couple of weeks. Now I know what it is.
I have 2 cats that go in and out a geat deal, one of which is 16 years old. I make sure the old man is in at night but my Maine Coon is out exept during cold and snowy nights. Last spring, about 1 in the morning, she brought home a young bobcat, I guess for my approval, but the bobcat was a bit shy, screamed and ran into my rock garden and watched me from a very short distance away. I had no fear for either my cat or myself and enjoyed the fact that I live where I can experience this kind of thing.
I hear many sounds and screams during the night, the fox scream is haunting, and the bobcat as best I can describe it, during mateing season, is a woman in labor with her finger nails being pulled out at the same time. With all these noises I have never had any fear of the nature around me. The thing I fear is human.
That last video sounds like my cat when she’s about to barf
One morning around 10am I was sitting at my computer and almost fell out of my chair because I heard a blood curdling scream. Sounded like a woman being murdered or something. I heard it again and ran to my picture window to see a dark brown animal which I was not familiar with. At first I thought it was a fox or coydog, but after listening and seeing these videos I now know that it was definitely a Fisher Cat. It must have been going after my 2 outdoor cats. It came about 5 feet from my deck. When I ran out on the deck and started hooting, holllering and clapping it turned around slowly and walked off into the woods. It definitely was not intimidated by me. Ocassionally since then I hear the screech in the woods at night after we’ve gone to bed. I make sure to get my cats in the house before dark now.
Two days ago, I was driving to pick up my mail at the East Poland, Maine, post office, when an animal I had never seen before crossed the road directly in front of my car. I knew it was a member of the weasel family, but I had never seen such a large animal this shape. I inquired at the P.O. and the people there guessed it was a Fisher. Today, out of curiosity, I went to this site and learned that indeed, that was what I saw. This was about 11 AM on a cloudy day, within 1/8 mile of houses. The animal looked to be in excellent health with a shiny dark coat and moving along easily. What a treat to see this him! I have lived in New England all my life, ( am 79 years old, ) mostly in rural areas. I am familiar with owl calls and foxes, but don’t believe I have ever heard a Fisher. I’m going to start listening better! I don’t have pets, but I will warn my neighbors with cats and dogs to keep them in. Thanks for an informative site!
a few months ago we had our 3 pound dog out for a bathroom break at 11p.m. she was barking so my husband went out and there was a fisher cat growling at him right on our deck.it did take off but we were afraid for our dog for quite a while. we did not see or hear anything else until march 31 in the morning at 11:30 i was on the porch having a butt and it walked right by me on the lawn. it was beautiful and scary at the same time. they are not afraid of me should i be of it? are they supposed to be out in the day?
Looked out the back patio door this morning and did a double take. What I first thought was a large black cat was way too long and scary. The pictures at the top confirm it was a fisher cat. Later tonight after dinner my husband and I saw a red fox run between our neighbor’s house and into the woods behind our homes. All residents living in southern Dover, N.H keep your small animals in at night. In 30 years have never seen this, I’m thinking their habitat has been disrupted.
I had one of these enter my house through the pet door. He almost got my Mittens.I got him with my son’s baseball bat. No more pet door!
what are fisher cats afraid of? i need to trap it because it is terrorizing my neighborhood. do they like rotten meat?