Red Fox Sounds or Fisher Cat?
This is the blood curdling screeching one of our followers heard night in the woods outside his house. He said the video doesn’t do it just justice, it sounds much worse in real life. After doing research, they think it is a fisher cat, a ferocious weasel like predator that can attack small pets. Needless to say, he says he is very worried about our small dogs being outside now!
Difference between a FisherCat Scream and Red Fox Sound
The user who submitted this video thinks it may be a fisher cat but after listening to it, it almost sounds like a dog or a fox bark. Some of our readers say the Red Fox Scream is often mistaken for a fisher at scream. What do you think? Is this video below a fisher or Red Fox Sounds?
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Fox have a den under our deck and every spring they have their babies there. Since we have allot of fox around here, we hear them make this sound often during the night, usually during breeding season. They open their mouths really wide and utter this sound, which sounds like a hoarse strangled shriek (waaaaah!). It is usually referred to as “the vixen’s scream” because biologist’s believe this is likely a vixen in heat summoning dog foxes to compete for her. In more urban area, several vixens share a territory, as they do under our deck – mostly two females at a time, and they both make this sound, but not in the same night, and never when there are cubs in the den. Because of the sound I hear in the video and the spacing between the sounds, it sure sounds like a fox to me!
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:49 pm
My husband and I agree with Bonnie. We have a fox and this is the noise it makes at night — found it in a sound database as “territory call”. It drives our dogs nuts!
July 6th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Red fox… we had one… scared the CRAP out of us!! I got the same audio tape with that call, and then heard it a few days later in the morning, but this time I saw it… red fox!
(:
July 8th, 2009 at 8:25 am
We have a red fox in our neighborhood. It has wakened me in the middle of the night and we have seen it passing thru our yard. I at first thought it was a fisher cat but then after hearing the video and seeing the animal this early am run down the middle of the street it is a fox. Strange noise and scarry we have cats. thanks July 8th 2009
July 9th, 2009 at 6:36 am
I think this is a fisher cat.. Woke me up last night scared to death dogs goin crazy.. Walked right past my house in the street. We have a very wooded area. There have been sightings of a fFisher cat in the area. recently I had sighted a beautiful Vixen in my back yard also. This wasn’t her when I saw that skinny long brown tail i knew it wasn’t a fox….he was moving quite fast so hopefully he’s going to a new home
July 9th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I live in Springfield Ma.
I was awakened by this horrible screaming, at first I thought I was dreaming. Than I thought it was my neighbor screaming. I was looking at both houses and they were dark. It was 4-4:30am. I looked down in the yard across from me and I saw ‘it”. Not quite sure it was a fox or fisher cat. had long tail, grayish color. I thought maybe small coyote? Never heard anything like that, very loud. We are in the City, however across from our back yard is a pond and woods, We have woodchucks, deer etc… So not too unlikely to have fisher cat, although I hope not. This scream is prettty much the same sound.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Hi again,
Follow up I’ve been looking at videos and listening to audios of red fox and fisher cats. I think what i saw was a fox. I am still going to keep my cat in!
July 9th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I’ve seen a fishercat and it screamed at me… it sounded like a woman’s scream. So this audio must definitely be a red fox.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I too heard this sound last night. I am not sure what it is. To me, it is not a fisher cat. The animal was more like a dog shape and light gray in color. This is the 3rd time it’s happened in a week.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
We have heard this exact noise for a week or two – between 10:00 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. It is definitely a fox. It strolls across our front yard – then off down the street. It’s very glossy and plump! The noise goes on for quite a while and is very loud. We are wondering whether it is somehow attracted to our outside cat .
July 16th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I heard this sound before and I did not know what animal it was. I heard it last night and my dog was barking back at it. I know we have fox and fisher cats I have seen them. My cat stayed outside last night, but he was here this morning. Hmmm….maybe that’s why I heard the noises…..
July 19th, 2009 at 8:28 am
My wife and I were awakened by this same screech at 4:00 am. we thought it was a Fishercat. I turned on the back light and saw a redfox run through our yard and stop and screeched. It is a scarey sight and sound. ten minutes later saw the same red fox run through the yard. heard screech comefrom different direction in woods. the redfox stopped and looked in that direction and ran away from sound. So maybe different fox? or maybe fishercat?…. either way I wasn’t going to step outside to look
July 20th, 2009 at 5:30 am
A few years ago, we heard the same ungodly screeching for several nights in the fields behind our house. I finally shone a spot light on it the next time I heard it and it was a red fox. After that and during the day, our Australian shepherd and the fox used to take turns chasing each other and the fox would make the same sound.
July 20th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
We hear this a lot we live in the woods and do see about 2 foxes running around there’s only 8 homes here and we are a pretty good distance apart we have only seen the foxes but some neighbors think maybe its that fisher cat ,,,but we seem to all agree on the fox.My husband started to follow one in the evening for about 5 mins. after he saw and heard the fox scream so we think its a fox.It is a horrible sound ,when I first heard it i was a little scared because I couldn’t see and it felt real close to me just freaky
July 21st, 2009 at 8:10 am
We have a couple of red fox in our backyard and they make this scream every 3 seconds for about an hour every few nights. It is absolutely ear piercing and terrible to listen to. They sound as if they are right in our bedroom. The first time I heard it I thought it was someone screaming and got up with a flashlight. It surely was a red fox. A couple of neighbor cats have been missing lately and am certain it is the red fox that visits us at night. Milford, Ct.
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
This is definitely a red fox. Our suburban neighborhood has recently (for the first time) been inunduated with red foxes. They made this noise this past Sunday at 3 a.m. and I flew out of bed and my dog ran for the door (I did not let her out-she forgets she is small)! Scared me to death.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Definitely is a red fox, not a fisher cat. We hear lots of both up here in NH.
August 10th, 2009 at 1:25 am
i just moved into the woods and heard this terrible screming from an animal mixed with a cat could the fisher cat be living in connecticut?
August 10th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
This is definately a red fox territorial call. I’ve done hours of research now, after 4 sleepless nights of hearing the same thing. I’ve lived in the same area for now 18 years, and had never heard it before last week, but here are some hints that I found out for it to be a red fox: 1. high rodent populations (especially bunnies!) we have never really had squirrels, but the bunnies are everywhere in my neighborhood. 2. If the calls go on for roughly an hour around the same time each night. Fox calls are very repetative (like your video) because this form of vocalization is used for marking territory. Whereas, Fisher Cats tend to only vocalize when in danger, or feeling threatened. 3. My neighorhood is backed up to an empty field, but many foxes and other wildlife are being perpetually forced out of their natural habitat by new developments. Just because you live near a city, or have not heard the noise before this incident doesn’t mean they haven’t been there all along. Foxes can be very quiet and sneaky, and are mild scavengers, so they don’t mind the garbage, and if the population is on the rise, an existent family may need to set clear rules for any new foxes in the area. 4. Foxes mark territory with scent as well, and their dens often are very similarly scented to that of a skunk odor. If you randomly get whiffs of skunk during daylight, or when none near are dead on the road, you undoubtedly have a fox den nearby! Best of luck with your noisy nighttime neighbors, the sounds should stop within a matter of days or weeks at most!
August 15th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Sunapee, NH
We heard this ear-piercing screech outside our bedroom last night (4:15 a.m.) and it made us jump out of bed and grab a couple of flashlights – scared the heck out of us. Thought it was a fisher cat, but finally saw it after an hour of on -and- off \screams\ – was definitely a fox. Even smelled a weird scent at one point.
Think the fox living in the abandoned home next door.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
August 15, 2009
Cooperstown, NY
Definitely female fox, could be grey or red. We had a den at the edge of my property, and the vixen would patrol her boundaries, making that bark at intervals. Once, inadvertently, I was working in the garden in the evening and was between the vixen and the den and she stood and barked at me furiously until I retreated. Later that week, she moved the kits from the woods den to a culvert in my driveway, which was quite unbelievable, but the DEC said they frequently move once the kits at somewhat self-sufficient. The whole family would come out at night and eat the mulberries that had fallen on the gravel in front of the house–incredible.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I think I’ve heard a fisher twice near our house, but it didn’t sound like this. It was a continuous, blood-curdling scream, but it went on for about 10 seconds, repeating again and again. It sounded like it was running around the perimeter of our hard and then off into the forest.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Red Fox, heard it Saturday night, we were sleeping in a cabin in northern NH. We had our dog with us. There was a horrible musky, mildly skunky smell as well as the terrible screaming. The fox circled our little cabin for hours because it was upset that our dog had marked up his territory. The fox marked all over the place and screamed from about 2:30am until about 5am-bone chilling. We thought it to be a Fisher until some online research confirmed that it was a fox. The smell was the key, the sounds are so similar.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
This is absolutely a red fox giving a “this is my territory “bark. I heard this just this past weekend, got out of bed and saw the fox in my driveway.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Campton,
Funny story. I guess in response to what EBL replied, my wife was calling someone downstairs in our house and it was quit loud. Just afterwards, we heard the barking in our front yard / woods. I guess the fox was letting us know this was his yard. Maybe he should pay my taxes!!
September 24th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I have this horrific scream (NOT like the one in the video- it is the same intensity but more like a howl that sounds almost like maniacal laughter- seriously- I am not being dramatic) that I hear in our area at night in CT. We have approx. 14 acres (about 10 of which are completely wooded) and it is very frightening to hear if I am outside at night. It always sounds like it is far away, but I have never heard anything like this until this year.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS WHAT THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Definitely a Red Fox.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:49 pm
You know something? You were ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!! (Thank you very much, by the way.) And I saw it with my own eyes- it was in my dogs’ kennel a few nights after I asked the question. I have no idea how it got in there- never saw anything in there before- and with the dogs (a 120 lb. Presa Canario and a Bull Terrier), I never thought that was really an issue. But evidently, I was wrong.
Any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening (along with my ensuing heart-attack) again??
October 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Whatever it is, my dogs didn’t like hearing it. All three of my dogs reacted rather alertly when I played this video. I am guessing they have heard it before, as we live in a very rural area.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
We’ve had red foxes around, and fishers around. this could be either, but the fisher cat often has a hiccup at the end of its screech, which must be the air intake through its long neck. I first heard a fisher cat about the time cats started missing around here. Also it is a wide ranging creature. You can hear the screech getting closer each night, as if the fisher cat were doing a search pattern. And I am told they are.
Also told the screech is to stun prey. I’ve heard coyote and fox, but the fisher cat sounds more — infernal.
October 25th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Just heard this sound, tore downstairs, flicked on the front light to scare it away (if possible) because one of my cats was out. Ironically, the cat was out because our angora bunny was in … the cat, who isn’t afraid of much of anything, is freaked out by the site of the giant alien fluffball bunny.
Anyway, the cat came in, tail all puffed. The fox was *not* frightened of the light and continued to call. I couldn’t see it, but it was no more than 50-100 feet away. There is a forested lot between our house and the next and the fox was in that little section of woods. LOUD! Terrifying sound. It sounds more like something dying than a territory call. Makes me duck every time I hear it.
We live north of Albany in NY.
October 27th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I have heard this awful sound twice within the last year and it scared the cr_p out of me. We live near Rock Creek Park just outside of Washington, DC and the screech woke me up from deep sleep. The first time we heard it, the sound was just outside of our house, but we could not see anything. The second time I heard it was about 2 months ago and this time it was from further away. I guess that it must be a fox since it does not appear that fisher cats are located this far south. We do have coyotes, fox, lots of deer and raccoons in the area. One raccoon is maskless – his coloring is lighter and the rings on its tail are not so pronounced.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Definatly a red fox. Our neighbour had a couple tamed fox and if we were outside on the deck and they heard us talked, they would come around and hang out around our house. We’d almost have a heart attack when they would make that sound just a few feet from us…. but then we got used to it.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Woke up this morning about 5:50a.m. to hear this terrible barking screaming noise. Thought maybe it was an injured dog. Walked outside and saw a red fox sitting in my yard barking. My cat was sitting and watching the whole ordeal. When I made a noise the fox turned to look at me and walked across the yard to where another fox was standing. Definately sounded like this.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Oops, sorry forgot to say we live in south Mississippi right on the bayou. We’ve seen a lot more red foxes in the area in the last few years. I have to agree with DL that it sounds more like something dying than a call. And boy was it loud. Woke me out of a sound sleep.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
its a red fox because fisher cats sound like screeming women..
November 25th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I believe the sound is that of a Red Fox. Here in Niantic, the red foxes stroll around like stray cats. It is amazing! They are not afraid of anyone or anything. I love them but the shrieking sound they make has freaked me out many times, usually between 3:00 – 4:00 a.m. At first I thought they had killed a small animal and the noise was that of their prey. But one night I actually witnessed the fox open his mouth up really wide and make this chilling noise. Couldn’t sleep after that!
November 29th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I have seen a fisher cat twice in the persimmon grove by my house, and heard this sound twice, but have never seen a red fox in the area. i believe it to be a fisher cat.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
I was in La Veta, Colorado (pop. ~700) around 29 December 2009 walking the family dog at about 11:00 PM. The town was dark and still. We were walking back from the town park and the streets were eerily quiet.
I heard this screeching sound behind me. I froze and the hair on my neck stood straight up! It was pretty freaky since I had never heard this sound before. It repeated every 5-10 seconds and I stood and listened for a minute or two. The dog wanted to go after it.
A minute or two later, while I was staring intently in the direction of the calling, my dog basically pointed to my left where I saw a Fox coming up the road about 50 yards away. The two Foxes started ‘talking’ to each other.
It was a very interesting experience, and this is definitely a Fox call.
Here are some Fox sounds to compare it to: http://www.angelfire.com/ar2/thefoxden/sounds.html
Check the \call.wav\ and the \Fox_Territory_Call.wav\.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:06 am
We live in upstate NY in the woods and this sounds like a red fox’s territorial sound. We have stood on our deck and had one 20 feet away looking right at us making this sound. He is telling us this is his territory!! I found another site that had fox sounds and identified each different one–they have many different sounds but this is an exact match for the territorial fox “bark”. (We also have a fisher cat around and their cry is more like a wild cat sort of.)
January 25th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I have fox fisher and NY coyotes fisher killed my semi feral cat a few years ago we went fang and club in my garage for a few long moments before the fisher left, I think this is the wwaaaahhh of the fox, a fisher sounds exactly like a female screem
February 1st, 2010 at 10:17 pm
this was soo helpful!! I am pretty positive its a fox sound. i just hear it a little bit ago. my dog was barking because he heard it. we used to have some fox pups and their mum living under our shed and we have a lot of other animals in our wooded area so it sounds right that this would be a fox.
thanks
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:01 pm
ive heard that sound at night like something killing another animal and i see both red foxes an fisher cats ill keep an eye out for either one when i hear the screeching
February 25th, 2010 at 10:49 am
HOW DO YOU HEAR THIS SOUND I WANT TO LISTEN FOR MY PROJECT.