Fishers by nature do not like open spaces and prefer tree cover or coniferous forests to dwell in. heavily wooded places like New England make an ideal habitat for Fisher cats.
New England Fisher cats are one of the largest members of the Mustelid family, which includes species like the mink, weasel, otter and skunk. These are noted nocturnal animals and therefore very hard to observe. They are however active during both daytime as ell as night time and that too, mostly during the time just before sunset and just before sunrise, when it mainly searches for food. Their cry is similar to that of a high pitched one of a child’s and therefore can sound very eerie in the nights.
The fisher cat second in size only to the river otter, and ranks amongst the largest members of the weasel family ever, to dwell in Massachusetts. These animals were displaced and their numbers dwindled many years ago, when the farmers cleared the forests and surrounding areas for agriculture. Fishers who are susceptible to trapping and logging were badly affected during this time and were forced to move out into other neighboring areas such as scattered locations in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Virginia. However due to their departure from the aforementioned area, the porcupine population started swelling; and in order to control this menace, the people of New England re-introduced the fishers to curb the porcupine numbers. Nowadays, fishers can be found in virtually all areas or communities in Massachusetts, with the exception of Cape Cod and the Islands.
Until very recently, only rare reports of fisher sightings have been reported by the Massachusetts Audubon Society; however, since 2000, these sightings have increased substantially in number especially in areas of eastern Massachusetts. Reasons for this increase in number have been attributed to reforestation of land, which was previously reserved for farming.
There have been many wildlife laws in place which dictate the manner in which these fishers are to be captured in required to control their numbers and humanely destroyed. These laws have helped keep a check on their habitat and numbers.
Fishers are reserved by nature and are solitary in their mannerisms. They are not known to hunt in groups and are only seen in groups during the mating season. These animals will never den near human dwellings and normally keep their distance from humans.
Even thought their numbers have increased in New England area in US, fishers are hardly a threat to humans even thought they are known carnivores. Fishers prefer snowshoe hares, mice shrews, carrion, etc, and have been known to eat fruit and berries too. It is one of the few animals, which can attack, kill and eat a porcupine!
The population density is known to be one per 2.6 – 7.5 sq. km, but can be as low as 1 per 200 sq. km. The daily movement is observed to be 1.5 to 3 km in a day, but this distance is known to vary given the weather conditions. Fishers walk on the soles of their feet and can climb and swim very well. The fisher paws, have, on its soles large surfaces to help it run on snow without sinking in easily. If its disturbed by any creature or anything, fisher cats tend to arch its back like a cat and is known to hiss, growl, snarl or spit as well as give off an offensive odor!
The fishers are known for their thick fur coats, which provide good insulation against the cold and inclement weather.
Recently a Fishr cat was seen in New York State in Vestal Center. It chased a squirrel up a tree and caught it, broke its neck and ran down the tree with it and snapped its neck again. Vestal Center is on the border of Pennsylvania not far from Binghamton, NY.
We don’t know how many of them are in this area but we are concerned as we feed squirrels and homeless cats.
I tend to agree w/ you about the visious but efficient way they feed.Our neighbor created a ferrel cat colony,after many months and calls to the board of health, I barrowed a backhoe and removed 6 1/2 cu.yds of ferrel crap and urine filled soil.To stop the health risk to my kids,the D.E.P.brought in a Fisher Cat! In 3 months we’re down from 19 cats to 3.We are also cat lovers(indoors) we had them all a very long time.22yrs-17yrsand China is14yrs we don’t hate cats just ones that wreck property .Before such extreme measures were taken a man from a local shelter helped me trap,spay and nueter them hoping they would pick up roots and move. DON’T FEED THE CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Live in Southwick, MA & My pug Raisin was attached by a Fisher Cat on 8/29/2009. I spent the light at the Emergency room getting her neck stapled. The sound it made will haunt me and my dog for a life time. She will not go out side now with out being forced because shes scared shi* less! Why would they re introduce this savage back into the wild is beyond me? Kids were attacked by a fisher in W.Springfield MA, while waiting for the bus, so yes they will attack humans big and small for no reason day or night!
Dalton, MA here (the Berkshires)… we had a pair of them screeching in the field & woods behind our neighborhood last night–scared the bejesus out of everyone! We didn’t know what they were, but after listening to the sounds on this site we now know it was definitely a couple of fishers. (We know there were at least two because the screeches were coming from different parts of the neighborhood.) Heard one again a little while ago. What a horrible sound!
Westfield, MA. Just a few minutes ago a Fisher ran through the yard, Our next door neighbor has a cat and small dog which makes me wonder if this isn’t why it is around.
I also live in Peabody abutting conservation land. I have heard the fisher cats scream since moving here back in 02 and have had a few sitings one of them when it was hunting a rabbit. Last night I heard noise in my garbage can and assuming it was a raccoon went outside to scare it away. There was giant fisher cat sitting on top of the garbage can reaching in for food. It was at least 4 feet long, dark brown fur and not the least bit scared of me. It hopped down and casually walked back inot the woods. It’s a beautiful animal.
In Millis Ma. I’ve seen one in my back yard (the wetlands) usually in the rotted trees digging in a nest or something in the early morning. Once about a month ago I saw what looked to be a rabid one wondering in the middle of the road .
it looked confused, but continued in the middle of the road for a quarter mile .
I have had 2 close encounters with them in my back-yard last night, and the night before.
I have a telescope mounted on a pier at the back of my tree-screened yard, along a rock wall. 2 days ago, I was out looking at stars, and crouched over when I heard a loud rustle in the woods that sort of sounded like a deer. How nice, I thought. Then I heard the wierd high pitched “barking” sound, that was repeated. I pointed a bright flashlight at the source, and there was a fisher standing about 15-20 feet away! Scared the bejeezus out of me!
I quickly walked toward the house keeping the light on him. He didn’t move.
Same thing happened again last night. This time there was no noise until I heard the bark. When I shined the light, and 2 beady green eyes lit right up. As I got back to the deck and was going in the house, he sort of turned and melted into the underbrush over by the woodpile and was gone.
He’s not afraid of me- he definately is willing to stand and wait for me to play the next card.
Does anyone have suggestions on how to scare them away in such standoffs? (Clapping my hands and making barking noises back didn’t seem to impress him…
)
We spotted a fishercat crossing a wooded road in Gilford, NH around 9 a.m. on 9/16/2009. I had never seen one before but after looking at these pictures I’m sure that’s what it was.
I think we have a fisher or two here in Portland, CT. Lately my dog has been going crazy at night, she growls and barks and won’t stop. Two of my cats have disappeared over the past weeks and my neighbors have lost theirs as well. It makes me sick to think of my cats dying this way. One was very old and never usually went out. It was a sunny day and he was laying on the deck enjoying the sun. Never came in
Anything we can do to scare these creatures away?
Seen one a few years ago on Pelham rd. in Dracut, MA
I recall growing up in NH we always had outdoor pets and never had a problem at all. Now my old neighbors have lost 20 pussy cats to fishers. It is awful to think of pets dying that way. Condolences to those who have lost furbabies.
I saw one this morning in S. Walpole, MA, it walked across the backyard. It was quite big and all black with a very long tail. It was a little spooky, because I didn’t know what it was until I found the pictures on the web. About a month ago I noticed what I thought was either droppings or something had thrown up on the walkway to the garden. When I attempted to hose it off, I noticed fur and bones. It was either a squirrel or a rabbit. Is this sighting something that should be reported to the town
I saw one yesterday in my front yard crossing the street. Same description as everyone else. Billerica Ma
September 2009
Well we found a dead fisher cat under some brush that we cleared and haven’t picked up yet. Two days prior we were awakend by a dog bark at 4:00am. With reason to believe a coyote killed it. In the winter of 2009 taking care of feral cats for a neighbor we found a dead cat with the belly missing and the ground around the kill all torn up with larger foot prints as if it had chased the cat for a long period of time.
Preston,CT
Saw one this morning 8am in Warwick RI by Brushneck Cove. It was running along a seawall by the water. We have coyotes too. My cats are going to lose this battle.
i was wondering if you could maybe help me figure out what a fisher cat’s niche is.
These animals are nasty, they aren’t as afraid of you as one might think. They’ll attack dogs, cats, even humans given the chance. We had one a few years ago that was attacking someone’s animals and the police had to take care of it….
early yesterday morning just before sunrise i heard what sounded like a conversation that i could not understand so i listened nervously thinking someone was in my backyard the noise stopped and was replaced with the sound of a child or female whimpering like it was hurt followed by a screech that would send shivers up your spine, looked on line up came Fisher cat I called animal control and sure enough they have come to marshfield ma as well as duxbury ma and i’m sure many other towns in my area why are we not being informed that we have new animals around us that could possibly kill your kid or dog.
I left a blog earlier this morning and have since read some of the blogs posted earlier, one blogger had said she was happy she had dogs and not cats, we have both. I wanted to let that blogger know that fisher cats have been known to attack and kill animals as large as full grown deer and coyotes. The animal control officer in the next town said my dogs, Labrador retrievers would not stand a chance against a fisher cat. So now I not only have to worry about my kids but my dogs and my outdoor/indoor cat. Watch your animals never send your dog out to scare off a fisher cat because your dog, no matter how big, could be the fisher cats next meal!!! Be careful they are opportunistic hunters, and do not discriminate based on your animals size. they will take anything on, even you!!!!!
My comment earlier was to the idiot that thought it was funny that fisher cats kill possums and cats, dogs, etc… One attacked a 6 year old child, who was with his mother and another child at a bus stop.
Keep your animals in at night. Don’t let them out once it is dusk, and not until after sunrise. Coyotes are out in abundance too. These predators will take small dogs right off of your deck as well.
Many cats and smaller dogs are missing in the Worcester/Sturbridge/Southbridge areas. The only way to control the fisher is to shoot them. Oh yeh, that’s illegal.
This morning while fishing the 5 Mile River near rt 44 in Putnam CT a Fisher Cat appeared and did its foraging in and around the trees and shrubs on the river bank scarcely a few feet away. It showed no fear of me as I fished from the middle of the river in waders and the whole event took several minutes before the cat left my vicinity. What strikes me is its size. My guess puts it way over the states estimated size and weight. On-line there are some confirmed reports of these animals weighing over 25 pounds and in excess of 35-40 inches. Now all we need is the mountain lion and the wolf to expand south and it wont just be our pets that have to be careful.
The video that shows a dog attacking a young fisher cat is disturbing, and I would like to say to the owner of that dog, that you could not love your pet very much. If my dogs came into to contact with a fisher cat, large or small I would do everything to protect my animals first and the fisher cat second, and not encourage a fight. Its videos like yours that organizations like PETA are formed. While I agree that PETA is extreme and their views do not reflect my own, I can see why they exist after viewing your gross video. Please remove it from viewing it does not reflect most peoples feelings toward the fisher cat, if anything it makes us feel sad that people like you exist out here in this day and age that would think it funny to kill a wild animal for no reason. I hope you are not from Massachusetts. .
Saw my first Fisher Cat today in Wellfleet Ma. Who said they were no longer on the Cape! When we mentioned our experience to friends many of them have also spotted Fishers in Truro Ma. Could it be the famed Pamet Puma???
I have no doubts that you have fisher cats on the cape because we have them in Marshfield. We are about 20 miles north of the bridge and I know that the Duxbury Animal control Officer has seen them in my neighboring town. There was a special on Chronicle a couple years ago about whether fishers are on the cape. Its funny that you thought it was a puma because when I heard one last week my first thought was a bobcat. Be careful they can be vicious. The Duxbury Animal Control as well as Marshfiled Animal Control told me they have been known, under the right circumstances to kill animals as big as deer and coyotes, so your cat or dog could potentially be on the menu.
I saw a fisher cat this Summer in my backyard. I was in my sailboat working on it when this weird looking animal came walking through the woods. It looked at me and I watched it and it just mosied along. The animal was about 12 feet away and was not scared of me in the least. Bigger than a cat with a big bushy tail and a weasel looking face. Looked up video on Youtube of Fisher Cats and that’s definately what it was.
My husband was chopping wood and about 20 feet away from him he saw a Fisher Cat. They both stared at each other. My husband wasn’t fazed by this as he did have a chain saw in his hand in case it decided to attack.
I heard a God awful scream the other night. It continued for about 5 minutes. I came to the conclusion that it was indeed a Fisher Cat after I went on this website and heard the audio of the scream.
We have a pond in our backyard and we have fishers that come to swim and eat. Yesterday they were out there all day eating. Today we have not seen any. They must be sleeping off their banquet from yesterday. There was a pair of them running and sliding on the ice like kids. They were really fun to watch. Also we saw a larger ones during the day also eating. They are really stocking up.
Sorry I forgot to say where we are located in the earlier post. We have lots of wild life around here.
There absolutely are Fishers in NEPA. There’s one in my back yard – we border a private hunting club. We have someone trapping foxes for us on our property because we thought they were what had been attacking bunnies, etc. and we were worried about our cats. This afternoon the trapper knocked on the door and told us there were LOTS of fisher tracks, some only a hour old. We’re at Lake Wallenpaupack in PA. That explains the horrible screams I heard over the summer at night.
A friend of mine called me after seeing a Fisher Cat leaving his property. His description was right on and he is missing a couple of Barn Cats as well as kittens. It sounds to me like other stories here. im just kinda suprised being that we are talking about the end of Long Island. I mean what did it do? , hop the Orient Ferry.? Orient is off the beaten path for sure i guess they could have been out here for many years in next to non existent #s and maybe theyre coming back now. Any Thoughts ?
Husband saw a fisher cat walk through our yard (there is a wooded hole next to our house). He couldn’t believe the strange noise! Have to keep an eye on my beagles who are not as big as the fisher he saw!
I had my third sighting of a large fisher this am. Concerned because it didn’t flinch. He sat and stared at my dog (boxer puppy) and I. I had seen one in the same area a few months back, but it ran off when it saw me with my then large male german shepherd. My second sighting I was with my husband and it also ran from us. This time, I yelled to try and scare it, when it didn’t move I backed up and returned the same way I came. It did not approach or follow. Hence, I am looking on the net to see if they attack people/large dogs. We live in Madison, CT.
I saw a fisher this morning at 11:30 AM on crossing Rt.122 at the Athol/Petersham line. Looked like a male as it was pretty big. I stopped my trcuk and watched it on the snow cover for several minutes.
We spotted one in Madison, CT yesterday around 4:00. We live about 50 yards from the highway and the fisher cat was hoping around in the woods between our house and the highway. Luckily we do not have any animals but I hope that all of the neighbors animals are safe inside their houses!
As we were rolling down 123 in Abington a little past Midway Auto, I noticed a large, dark, dead mammal “tits up”, so to speak, on the side of the road. Much to the dismay of morning commuters, we stopped back by the site later when we headed back that direction. I had called it earlier, it was a fisher. I snapped a couple real good pics on my phone, but I need to extract them and post it on this site. I am 32, lived in South Shore of Mass lifelong, and this is the first time I have seen a fisher up close, dead or alive. They look like they could tear sh** up, what with the sharp claws and teeth. They sort of remind me of a mini-wolverine, another really cool animal. My parents house used to be on the edge of Ames Nowell State forest. I remember hearing weird shreiks and noises but never like the one in the audio on this site. Stay tune for the road kill pics!
I live in Marion, MA. Yesterday morning at 8:30, I watched a fisher cat pounce across my backyard and off into the woods. I’m now wondering if what we thought were some pretty unusual coyote or fox calls was actually the fisher cat! I’m very glad we have an indoor cat!
Have been hearing a Fisher Cat for about three weeks now, here in Wyoming, RI. The horses get a little nervous when it starts calling out. Then everybody settles in. I have seen footprints in the snow, near a little wet area downhill. Walking across some snowy ice. It must travel some distance, because it is not nightly that I hear it, and it always is in the wee hours.
I saw one in my neighborhood this morning in West Springfield, MA.
We saw one walk through out backyard this morning in Sudbury, MA. It was very black.
I just, a few minutes ago while sitting at the PC with a window right by it, saw a large dark weasel type animal jump up on the fir treed berm which we have along our front drive. It ran all along the berm which is about 60 feet long then down across our driveway to the wooded edge which goes down the behind our house. It stopped right beside the house, faced the house and sniffed the air for quite a while, then continued down into the woods and out of sight.
I love wildlife and thought it was a fisher but wasn’t sure so got on Google and did a search. Found some photos and knew it was a fisher, then found this site. Wish I had time to snap a photo but even though I have a good camera because of the screens on the windows they never come out good.
Anyway it made my day almost as much the bear I met nose to nose through my screen porch door, and the moose I watched drinking out of our small manmade pond right across from the front door.
Grantham, NH
We just saw a Fisher in Poestenkill, NY… Just east of Albany. We had no idea what it was and were just positive it wasn’t a House Cat. It was really big.. I’d guess more than 10 pounds…
We were able to search the web and figure it out… the pics were spot on and the web posts here are an eyeopener…
Last week while taking our white miniture french bulldog for her morning walk I spotted a large cat-like animal walking in the field across the road from our home. When I stopped short to get a better look, the animal also stopped short and just stared at me and the dog. It was a dark colored cat about 3′ in length with a long bushy tail, ears close to the head with a dark muzzle around the base of the head. I did not know what it was, and it ran into the woods when I started to walk closer. Last night, when my wife and I arrived home, there was something very large climbing our blue spruce tree in the front of our yard. I could tell it was quite large because of the crackling and moving branches in the lower section of the tree. When I got my flash light and shined it into the tree, it became very still and quiet. I thought it might have been a black bear because we live in a wooded area where they are. When looking online for noctural animals, I found this site about fisher cats. When I read the descriptions of the sightings, I realized immediately that the animal I had seen last week was, indeed, a fisher cat. My wife and I have heard what sounded like a baby crying in the wooded area several times before, and didn’t know what it was. We know now and will warn our neighbors who let their cats out at night.
Rutland Town, VT
I saw one walking trough my back yard woods yesterday. In Luther forest Malta, NY
I saw one about 4:30 pm in my backyard on Fernwood Drive in East Longmeadow, Mass on the 4th. It was very dark in color and it came from under a large brush pile near the edge of our woods and ran into a hole in a stone wall. It was very sleek, fast, and low to the ground, as it climbed around a tree before jumping back to the ground. The fisher was spotted in the same area as last year. We’ve had a few cats disappear in the neighborhood, and our cat had to be put to sleep last year because it was severely attacked. Keep your pets inside. I never expected to see one only 40 feet from our home, but all the houses in the area border the woods.
I was walking my Redbone Coonhound in Ravenswood in Gloucester at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday when my dog took off on a scent. Several minutes later he was baying frantically. I followed his voice and found him about a hundred yards from the trail. He’d treed a fisher cat. The weasel didn’t seem frightened or hostile. It just stared at us from the safety of the branch above. A few years ago our tough and hardy in door / out door cat went missing. I suspect a fisher took him down.
Saw something unusual in the woods behind my house in Ellington, Ct. the other night. Had just let the dog (Black Lab) out for the last time that night and she began barking (very unusual). She refused to go into the woods and stood at the path barking and directing her gaze into the woods. I grabbed a light and shone it into the direction she was looking at and immediately picked up the return glare of a pair of yellow/green eyes. The animal was ducking down and then looking up again at the light. It then moved back and forth parallel to my yard, but never totally revealing itself. The only time I got a glimpse of its body was when it raised itself up to look at me. It was about 18″ in height and close to 2′ in lenght. Coat blended in with the dark night and woodland background. It eventually took off and I haven’t seen it again. On subsequent walks in the woods I’ve noticed areas around fallen trees and other rooted trees that have been violently excavated. Dirt thrown everywhere. Only paw prints that I’ve noticed in the area seem to be dog like, large pads and definate nail imprints. Roots and small branches around the dug up areas noted to be severely shredded and broken. Last night I went out with my dog around 10PM and she constantly looked up into the tree tops. Heard nothing and saw nothing. Quite scary to be out there and knowing that something might be lurking in the shawdows. I never considered that it might be a Fisher Cat, but I am now reconsidering. Is this a possibility?
two nights age the screeming sound of a fishercat was heard in the middle of the night in my back yard. It kept my girlfriend up but I didn’t. After letting her hear the sound it makes she says that was the sound she heard. Living in Marshfield on the Duxbury line. We have the south river up stream from chandlers pond as our boundery. Plenty of wild life around, now something new and a bit cocerning . We breed and raise dogs in this area.
I spotted a small fisher cat @ Marsh creek state park, Southeastern pennsylvania. I was about to go for a jog as I looked at the lake I noticed a small black object moving. when I turned around to focus I noticed that it was a fisher cat. I watched for about 5 minutes before it noticed me because I stepped onto some crunchy dead leaves. It ran to the waters edge, and disappeared into a pile of old gray stone in a cluster of trees. Well, that fisher cat will live and eat very well in this area. There are woodlands and open fields for miles with plenty of small wildlife.