The Fisher Cat is a marten related to the family of weasels and is only found in North America. The Fisher Cat is known for being a ferocious predator and the sounds of a fisher cat have become notorious because they are similar to a child or a woman crying for help.
Fisher cats have been blamed for attacking and killing domestic cats in every area that they were spotted and due to this they have also been labeled as Fisher the cat killer. While Fisher Cats are ferocious enough to attack house cats and have done that, a lot of what is said about them is folklore and exaggerated. Fisher cats are definitely dangerous due to their predatory nature but they are probably made out to be more dangerous than they really are.
An interesting thing about Fisher cats is that they are one of the few predators of the porcupine and have developed a method to attack and kill porcupines. Due to this reason they are used for controlling porcupine population naturally.
Fisher Cats average at around 4 kilos and some of the large Fisher cat animals can grow to as much as 7 kilos.
Perhaps the question that most people ask is – how does a Fisher cat sound? The internet is sprinkled with Fisher cat sound clips and Fisher Cat photos and you can hear what people think a fisher cat sounds like below:
Loading ...The most striking thing about the Fisher cat audio is that it very closely resembles someone crying out for help and that is what freaks out most people. The fisher cat call in most cases is just a call for mating however they are known to make sounds just before or after hunting.
The Fisher Cat is a nocturnal animal and the most Fisher cat screams and Fisher Cat screeches can be heard at night. Since it is a nocturnal animal it hunts in the night and is not easily spotted in the day.
The Fisher Cat animals live and hunt alone and only socialize during their mating season. The females start breeding at the age of one while the male do not reach sexual age till they are two.
These days Fisher Cat news is mostly bad news, most of the times when they are featured in the news it is because they have caused concern to the human population either by way of attacking their pets or by their screams.
Most of these uproars are a mix of emotion and reality, while Fisher Cats are spotted in most of the incidents, the degree of damage done by them is probably a bit exaggerated.
I doubt it’s a fisher cat…sounds strikingly similar to a young red fox cry. A quick red fox cry search will lead you to any one of a number of recordings of a similar cry.
that’s a red fox not a fisher for crying out loud
Its a fisher! I have a family who live behind my house. Their noise is very distinct.
I saw a coached cat while hunting yesterday. He climbed down the tree and ran off. And this is the cry he had. So it may resemble red fox but it does sound exactly like the fisher I saw
this does not sound at all like an actual fisher
this is SO not a fisher cat. this is a fox, i would know because i have heard millions of fisher cats before, and millions of foxes while hunting and stuff, and this is a fox. but you are right about what type of noise it makes, i heard a fisher for the first time, and thought it was child murder. seriously.
I woke up when I heard one screaching out the window in the middle of the night and thought it was the child next door. I ran out side in my nightgown thinking the worst, but all was calm.
Yes it is. I had one under my BR window not more that 5 weeks ago
I’ve heard a fisher cat in the middle of the night and it’s terriffieing. It sounds like a child screeming for mersey. It wasn’t like the sounds of this. It really got under your skin the horrifing screeming.
nope that sounds like a person trying to sound like a fisher cat lol
That is a good description of what I hear in my backyard it’s very nerve wrecking.
I agree with the comments. I heard a Fisher for the first time las night and, as emily says above, it sounded like child murder to me. This audio is nowhere near as terrifying or as human sounding as what I heard last night.
This sounds like a red fox, i got one by my house, when my dog chases it it makes this sound
Definitely not a fisher cat. I heard one last night and I could not go back to sleep, it DOES sound like a child murder! This audio wasn’t nearly as terrifying as what a real fisher sounds like. A year ago, I heard the real fisher noise, and the next day, I found my cat in scraps in the backyard… This year, after hearing that, I’m a bit worried for my dog, but he’s a German Shepherd I think he can handle himself.
But anyway, I’ve heard a REAL fisher twice, and it does not sound like that, that’s definitely a fox!
it sounds like half crow half fox dude.WIERD!!!!!!!!!
this is a fisher…we have them all over…sounds just like this …i think they are neat creatures!!
it sounds like some one being raped
sounds like 2 dudes doodly bangin
I’ve spent 20 years of my life in the ADKs and this sound file brings me back to my days in rochester, when I’d destroy a family pack from taco bell and scream bloody murder while spray painting the porcelein canvas brown. This is definitely a guy crapping poop out of his A.
Oh man you rule. Please go to the SSO message board on yahoo finance and post some poo humor. Ticker SSO then message boards
you will be a hit
I live in Maine. N honestly it could be either. But i have seen a Red Fox running around here for a few months now. So it might be it. Either way now i have some kind of idea on what it is.
A fisher cat is to blame for 2 cats gone missing in our neighborhood. Home bodies, both cats went out just to do their business. My cat was ferral before I tamed him. A runner not a fighter, when he failed to return as with our neighbor’s cat a month earlier, I knew something was up. Coming home last night I saw a fisher crossing the road from the woodlands across the street in front of my house. Other cats I used to feed on my deck are spooked beyond normalcy & bolt for no reason. When bite marks & a chewed off top from strong teeth punched holes in a plastic water cup I leave out for cats, I knew it was the fisher. No squirrels, no chipmunks around any more, spooky cats & wa-a-ay too quiet are dark backyards, that tell a fearful tale here. I sure miss my cat who survived a ferral start & had a good home for 9 years.
oh man I am so sorry about your cat. I know your heart aches. I am not sure what to make of these animals but one is in my yard and he/she comes right up to my doorstep because I see it’s heavy paw prints in the mulch. It’s a Fisher Cat alright. My dog has been staying up all night every night since our first sighting of this animal just before dusk 6 days ago.My dog Faith likes most animals but this animal is really getting under her skin. I won’t allow her to be loose when I am sure it’s out there. What I am worried about is the fact that it comes right up to the door. I wonder when it will catch us by surprise. I don’t want my dog bit and I am a crazy dog mom, I have had her since she was only 3 days old I know I would fight for her. Again I am so sorry for your loss. The greatest thing would be if your cat took off getting away from that thing and after a while comes home. Take Care
Could also be a coyote. My cat was attacked by a coyote at 3am one night and I witnessed that. There was an animal cry I had never heard tonight and I thought it might be a fisher; it made sounds like the vocal here but we also have red fox so who knows!
Could also be a coyote. My cat was attacked by a coyote at 3am one night and I witnessed that. There was an animal cry I had never heard tonight and I thought it might be a fisher; it made sounds like the vocal here but we also have red and gray fox so who knows!
a grey fox has almost the same exact screech that a fisher makes. most experts couldn’t tell them apart. very well could be a fisher. the guy that said it’s a red fox.. way off haha
i heard something this am on my way to my tree stand and sounded like a kid or woman getting murdered a painful death. it was very disturbing and honestly quite scary. thats how i got to this site. i also caught a pic of it on my trail cam a week before and had no idea what it was. makes sense now. and this is not what i heard, that definately sounds like a fox with most likely small pups not far away.
hdgalshfid scary
Last night my husband & I heard awful screeching sounds like animals in pain & other sounds like animals hunting. Earlier in the day he had seen what he thinks was a fisher cat crossing the road not too far from it. The sounds we heard were blood curdling and very scary. We usually walk our dog in the back of our house, but will not anymore. Could these have been fisher cats? We live in Clinton MA.
Clinton, MA We r from Orleans, MA (Cape Cod) what I hear is blood curdling too not so much like this video. The sounds here r louder longer and scarier. They do sound like someone being viciously murdered.
A fisher cat killed my uncle’s Australian Cattle Dog. So they can kill something bigger than a domestic house cat. He is freaked out every time he heres one. He is afraid it is going to kil another one of his dogs. Just so you know; keep a watch on animals smaller than medium sized dogs. I don’t want anything killed.
WELL…I have a MOST eerie Fisher story of my own. I had 100 chickens…ALL strewn across my acreage, during the day, by one. I tried to trap this thing for months! Couldn’t, as they’re too smart… then, my Paint mare had a long-awaited foal. The foal was about 2-3weeks old and both mom+foal were turned out 24/7 with a run-in shed. ***IT WENT AFTER THE FOAL!*** what a GREAT mama…she stomped it dead!! baby had a couple of scratches, but was ok thx to mom… The state of CT re-introduced these animals back into CT to lower the DEER population! They are relentless hunters and tire the deer out…just like the porcupine…so they can and will be able to kill other larger prey they same way. they are the largest of the weasel family, and although they don’t weigh much, they are about the size of a fox.
In CT, we also have bobcat, coyote, and Mountain Lions, so the only way to ensure any pets safety is to walk it on a leash, and keep it IN your home. I fenced my yard with 42″ high electric poultry net fencing, which keeps everyone safe and secure… u can buy rolls of this thru agri-tek catalog, for anyone interested.
Sorry, those invisible fences DON’T work! They only entrap your pet to your yard, allowing other dogs and animals to come and go, eating or attacking them as they wish.
Maybe the fence, along with a fencer, will help give some peace of mind, and exercise to those Australian Cattle Dogs??
Why re-introduce a killer? Man fooling with nature was not wise in this case. And what eliminated the fisher cats years ago? That’s what we need now.
Fisher cats have also been know to drag deer carcus up into trees, so yes, very powerful creatures.
Thank you so much for that warning. I would freak the hell out if I saw anything attacking my dog. I am sure the scene would get really crazy. I am so sorry to you and your Uncle for your loss.
sorry about your and your Uncle’s loss. Thanks for the heads up
This is most probably a fisher. I have one screaming in our woods as I write this.The calls of fox (red or gray) & the fisher are notoriously difficult to distinguish. The main difference is in the character of the call. Fox carry on a series of calls for a few minutes, then generally quit & move on (not unlike a dog barking at something). The fisher makes a single call, repetitively, every so many seconds (say 30 -60), and just keeps at it, sometimes for so long you’d think it was stuck in a trap. They are very dangerous but amazing critters & I would not put it past one killing even a very large dog … just takes one bite to the right spot … their teeth are long & sharp, as are their claws. They are killing machines.
Last winter a fisher cat jumped onto the back of our pickup. I thought it was a puppy at first as I had never seen a fisher before. This happened during the day, and we were getting ready to go to the town dump with our garbage. We were loaded and just waiting for the truck to get warm. I kept thinking who has a puppy around here except it dawned on me that I had never seen a puppy jump so high. I live in the northern portion of NH and have heard of them, but have never seen one. Then it jumped off the truck and I knew it wasn’t a puppy. It was a beautiful creature and I was very excited so I ran to the computer and looked up fisher cat and there he was! He was rummaging in our garbage bags! (not a happy camper about that). We had a lot of snow and he was long and black! Then it occured to me no wonder we haven’t seen all the ferral cats around! A few days later during the midmorning hours I see another fisher, this one is brown and smaller. We have very large boulders on each side of our front yard and she was playing on them. She took off and we haven’t seen them since. Now it’s Sept. 18th and I’m sleeping like a baby for a change and I hear something that wakes me up a little, I roll over and then I hear it again, I open a blood shot eye, did I hear right? I hear it again and I’m up and sitting on the side of my bed. The next blood curtling screech has me up and looking out the windows. The moon is high and bright I can hear but I can’t see anything. I race from window to window, then decide to go to the front door and open it (has a screen door) just to get a bearing on where it’s coming from. I haven’t turned on any lights in the house I know it so well and I’m standing there at the door; I’m thinking jeeze it’s beautiful out there and not as cold as I thought it would be. I know I’m going to hear it again, and I’m anticipating, but when it happens the loudness and closeness of it almost gives me a heart attack and as I’m slamming the door shut I’m thinking “Oh my word, the whole mountain can hear this!” It was the loudest and scariest thing I have EVER heard.” Listening to the audio it almost sounds like it, but what I heard was louder and more blood curdling…man and I thought I hated cats howling at night! Ahh Nature!
A fisher Killed our Cat the other night. he was part maine coon cat, the best Cat we have ever had. he would go after squrills then come home and nudge his nose against ours to show us affection. He was the most uniuque cat. he will be missed.
I saw a fisher for the first time yesterday. It came right up behind me and ran down the log I was leaning against. It made no sound but scared me for I thought it was a black bear cub at first just seeing the face and paws, was lookin for nearby mom. I don’t really want to hear this horrifying scream but HAVE to now that’s as bad as you all say. This doesn’t really answer a question but just thought id share
Where did the name fisher cat come from , they are of the weasel family . nothing to do with cats .
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.
Do raccoons sound like they are screaming screeching and being brutally murdered?
Hey Rob- take it easy.
Fishers are not mythical; this is not a Bigfoot website. They definitely exist.
lol. I know. I’ve studied, and tracked them for over a decade in MA and RI.
I heard a baby one outside and i no it wasnt a fox cause i went and checked it out and that was the sound i heard.
I heard this for the first time tonight. I have heard fisher cats before & this sounded different. A fisher’s cry is a long and very high, peircing scream. it lasts much longer and is repeated fewer times than this barking scream. I’m inclined to think it’s a fox. you can find videos where you can see the red fox making this sound.
These fishers have shown up in nj after being extirpated for probably 200 years. We just heard one tonight and it sounded like a women being murdered. A friend of mine used to have a flock of turkeys around his house, but a fisher hunted them down. It made a God awful sound when hunting in the middle of the night.
I saw a fisher cat for the first time today! At first I thought it was a house cat and a closer look I knew it wasn’t so I looked it up and found this site and it definately was a fisher! This was around 11 am…thought they only came out at night? I have a mini-doxie that runs free in the yard once in awhile….NO MORE…I Will be with him outside always now!
Domestic cats shouldn’t be wandering about, anyway. They’re not part of the North American ecosystem, and they do a significant amount of damage to the native bird, butterfly and rodent populations, reducing available prey to native species. Too many butterflies flying about with shredded wings are a testament to the damage of feral cats jumping up and swiping with claws extended.
Just because you don’t see the “serial killer” doing the killing in the neighborhood, doesn’t mean it’s the cute, cuddly, docile type. The fisher is restoring a delicate balance.
yep!! thats a fisher, one just walked by my house making that exact noise
We had one the other night and now Im missing my Fat Boy- who wasn’t really fat but I think that fisher cat didnt mind. Does anyone know what a chupacabra sounds like? my friend Rachel and I heard last summer and now we are wondering which it was….
I thought a chupacabra was a mythilogical creature Myth or real ?
To Dan May 17th…The delicate ballance, are you for real? You best call your own existence into question if you are going to argue that point. Im sure the native Amaricans might have issue with it. Fishers are nuisance vermin who not only attack house pets but livestock and occasionally will go after a human ( I speak from experience ) Their main food source are squirrels in the wild and the reason peoples pets get devoured by the little killing machines is because they come looking for an abundant supply of easy pickings rodents who are likewise attracted to the bird feeders overflowing with seed by well meaning nature watchers. And that my friend is is also NOT part of the local eco system. So the next time a bear takes down a human shall we call it restoring the delicate balance ( serial killer who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones )
this is what i heard and saw in wakefield . this was no fox and its the same screetch
i think fisher cats r stupid as poop
I heard this same noise 4 nights in the past month. I was told today that a neighbor saw a fisher cat in his yard yesterday so I am assuming that is what was making the noise.
This is August 6th and I had a fisher cat in my backyard. I was taking my black lab out for his last duty of the day and I walked into my backyard which has a reflection from the lamp in the back and there it was just sitting and staring me in the face…I quickly back up and got my lab to go into the house thru the front door and then went back out to see if I could see it. It was not where to be seen. My lab weighs about 78lbs. so it is bigger than a cat but our neighborhood has a lot of little dogs. The next day I went up and down the street warning the people with the small dogs.
I live in North Providence,RI. They have been in this area for 2 years now. What scares me is that a lot of pet owners with small dogs and cats are not aware of them.
There’s a fisher that wanders around my yard every single night, and we have two cats. For some reason I can hear it the loudest of everyone from my room, so it wakes me up and lets out these screams that make my skin crawl. I feel like someone is in agonizing pain outside, and then I realize that it’s a fisher. Still though, I hate the idea of it ever getting ahold of one of my cats, and making that awful sound too. It just grates on the ears and makes my blood curdle. That’s not a fisher, but it makes a similar noise. This is higher, and more human sounding though…
it will kill your cats please keep them close by n never let them out when it starts gettin dark.. PLEASE…
We have been hearing this in our backyard for several weeks now. A neighbor mentioned that it might be a Mink but upon research I ended up here. I believe it is a Fisher since it resembles the Mink. It is a terrible sound and my husband said nothing has ever made the hair on the back of his neck stand up like this sound does!!!
wow that fisher cat scares me it is like a miny bear
I too thought it was a baby black bear eating apples in our country back yard. It was sitting so did not see the tail and held the apple in its paws. I have heard that terrible sound like something just being ate alive.
i have a fishercat in my back yard.it has dug under my barn and killed my chickens. could someone please help me kill it.i bought 2 traps but it is very smart and i didnt trap it.if anyone could help me please send me some advise i how to kill it or trapped it.my child is in 4h and this upsets her and also the whole family. thanks for your help
if you probably have a small caliber rifle you could send your daughter away for the night and see if you could shoot it
Fox.
I heard the same noise every night for a while – then one night, I heard it and it was getting closer, and closer, and closer — so I looked around the corner of the house and this sound was coming from a COYOTE!! It was DEFINITELY a coyote, as I know what they and what foxes look like. He made that noise right up until he saw me, then he barked like a wild dog once or twice and took off down the street.
I know a coyote killed my cat in august as I witnessed it by the light of the full moon and scared him off by throwing rocks from my deck ( he was 5 feet away, and I was a bit crazed at the sight)at least I was able to comfort my cat in her final minutes. I just heard this sound tonight and thought fisher but looks like maybe not.I have never seen them but I know the coyotes live close by.
I found an animal in my garage eating the cat food. it looked like a fischer without a tail….no tail. it was the size of a large cat…hair stuck out like a bear’s hair…. small ears and not quick like a cat…more slow and clumsy…no tail…can anyone tell me what that might have been?????
i was outside last night and i heard something knock over the pile of logs in my back drive way. then something came from behind the car, and seeing i didnt have my lights on i couldnt tell what it was. i didnt hear any of the screeching but i heard a low growl. and i knew it wasnt a dog because the outline looks similar to a fisher cat and after i coughed (seeing im sick) it ran up a tree. didnt know if anyone could tell me what it was
stupid video
love this video and emma way did you say that
I have red fox that play on my property all the time and it does sound just like the fox.
Ahhhh. Gotcha! Makes complete sense!
I meant that cuz moment for comment below this
Sounds exactly like a fox alarm call. People often say they see the Fisher, and then they hear that call, but there are no videos clearly showing a Fisher making the call and biologists have no evidence that they make such calls (in contrast there are lots of videos that clearly show a fox making that exact call). My guess is that fox are threatened by Fishers and tend to sound the alarm when they see them. People hear the call and assume the Fisher made it. It’s like when you hear the gray squirrel alarm call…look nearby to find a cat. The cat didn’t make the call, the squirrel did. But when I hear the squirrel alarm call I know there is a cat nearby.
That makes a lot of sense Teresa and ur probably correct. If fishers hunt foxes then ur theory would prove correct.
Not to be disagreeable, but nope, that’s a fisher. I had one (or more) traversing my backyard between the Pittstown hills and Round Valley Reservoir in west Jersey a couple of years ago. Still have plenty of foxes. They have very similar calls, but the fisher’s is way more unnerving. I’ve described it as sounding like an angry hawk (yes, we have plenty of those, too) being eviscerated.
I looked up fisher cat just now because I can here it. I played the audio of the screech real loud and the dam thing came right in my front yard. HUGE fisher cat! I live in springfield, Ma.! I thought it was amazing that it actualy responded to the call.
If it does indeed actually make that call, it’s been assumed that it is a mating call. So it would make perfect sense that it would respond to your audio. 🙂
Or, if it really is a fox call, it responded to what it thought was prey.
I just had one, possibly two screaming behind my house in the Pocono Mountains. I had just put the kids down when I started to hear it (them). I had no idea what the noise was, so I went out onto the deck to see if I could see it but of course could not. My neighbors’ garage was open and the light was on so I thought maybe the noise was their dog. I came inside and found this website after a bit and am pleasantly surprised to learn what is living in my backyard.
What about this for an explanation… maybe the FC makes the same exact sounds of ALL his prey in order to call his prey to him for an easy dinner… he may just have built in prey calls naturally… could be why everyone believes something different. Plus his own calls! Sorta like a a person who does impressions of other persons! What cha all think?
i have many run ins with the fisher they are a grate part of ct wildlife
what does ct mean
Connecticut
I BELIEVE I HEARD THIS SAME SCREECH IN QUINCY SUMMER 2011, IT WAS IN THE PATRIOT LEDGER NEWS PAPER THEY WERE NOTICED IN AREA MORE OFTEN. COMMENT ON 2/27 2012.
We live in The Flats in Winchester, MA, and we saw one walking along our fence in the back of our backyard one early evening in August 2010. When we saw it, my husband and I quickly moved our two small dogs off of the deck and into the house. If you’re a resident of Winchester and have small pets – DO NOT leave them outside without being outside with them at the exact same time. Not even alone for a second! I’m telling you, these fishercats are FAST and sneaky and will pop out – what seems like out of nowhere, and kill your pet when you’re not looking. If they grab your pet and you try to intervene, be prepared for them to take you on. Just avoid the stress altogether and stand near them and when they’re outside and get them back inside when you’re ready to go back inside (even if for a glass of water!).
Well, I had the pleasure(?) of hearing one 2 nights ago and last night, I actually witnessed the fisher cat just at the edge of the woods and trust me, the screeching was coming from this animal. My neighbor was witness to it. I’m hoping, since it’s been in my area for 2 nights, that tonight I’ll be able to try to capture it on video. It manages to dart across the back of yard, across to the neighbors but since we all have security lights, I might be able to see it on video. It was very clear last night as it scurried past my deck through to the wooded area in back of my neighbor.
I am not a fan of Fishers!! I live in Maine, and have unfortunately had run ins with them with my pets. Two of my cats were let out by accident, and at 2:30 a.m., we heard terrible screaming out in my back yard. A huge Fisher had one of my cats up a tree, and then when they both fell to the ground, it grabbed my cat by the throat, and would not let go. My son had to beat the damn thing off Runty with a broom, and then it turned and snarled at my son!! We took Runty to the vet that evening, (thank you Christine Welsh!!) but unfortunetly, he died two days later. Our other cat, Spooky, was never seen again as well. I hate them, and have no use for them. We did have a trapper come out, and set traps, and he caught the male, which weighed 28 pounds, so saying they “weigh between 8 and 10 pounds” is bullcrap!! We saw the damn monster ourselves, and it was as big as a dog. When I hear of someone shooting them, or trapping them, I want to celebrate.
I agree with you… they are horrible and I’d celebrate them being killed, too.
I’m so sorry for the trauma you and your family went through. It still chills me to the bone to hear them and I’m in Buxton, Maine with a small chihuahua, although I suspect the loss of my cat a few years ago was due to the screaming demon in the woods.
I NEVER let my little guy more than a few feet from me outside and I try to make a lot of noise when we’re out and always have a flashlight and am “on point” whenever we’re out at night. It’s the joy mixed with the fear / pain of country life, I suppose.
I share your hatred for them, but I also know it’s part of living in the country. My brother in New Hampshire has witnessed some extremely brutal killings by them, too.
God Bless and Know someone is thinking of you and your dear lost kitties.
Darla from Maine
I live in Belleville Ontario and we have had upwards to 30 cats domestic, barncats, loved pets taken and killed by these sneaky so and sos I am so sick of this and we do not own weapons apparently MNR introduced these into Ontario few years back to kill porcupines etc, but when I called them on it they totally denied this fact but everyone Knows after being alive for over 50 years never hearing of them in Ontario then all of a sudden they arrive How by plane come on. I feel for anyone who has encountered these things my husband was combining oats yesterday and stirred up a whole family of them during the day, large family I might add.
Wish I had thought to record it! Maybe if I can hear it again. The sound I heard sounded different to the audio clip here, but similar. Almost like a monkey? Its 2am in Vermont. Possibly a fisher cat, maybe a fox? So strange. Almost birdlike.
I live in Hope, RI. I have never saw a fisher cat or heard of 1 b4 2day. My pregnant cat Peekaboo disappeared almost a month ago. She was at the end of her pregnancy. She never stayed out over night. A week after she disappeared, my sisters kitten Dempsey went out and never came back. I’m heart broken over the loss of our pets and I pray everyday that they come home but I’m starting to think a fisher cat got their claws on them :'(. My mom was saying that their claws and teeth are razor sharp and that a fisher cat cut her friend Tommys dogs head off without a problem. I couldn’t believe it. I lived here my whole life, well most of it and never once saw a fisher cat smh idk ugly creature though. The fisher cat looks like a bear and a ferret mix. It has the face of a ferret and the body of a bear. I think I heard that cry before. Maybe I was around a fisher cat and didnt see it? Idk or maybe it was a fox like Teresa said. Idk I just want our cats back :'(
thats a pretty scary noise. i would hate to hear that noise in my backyard.
I have heard that exact same sound here in Arkansas, and I am in a very habited area. No one could tell me what it was…someone said Bobcat, and someone said Cougar, but I researched each one and neither makes the same sound. It has to be a Fisher Cat…and we have weasels down at the lake here, which is all around us, so I wouldn’t be surprised. I would like to see it just to know I was right, but we have cats and dogs all around here, and I wouldn’t want my pets to go missing.
We have a Fisher Cat in North Carolina. Has anyone else in NC ever seen or heard one?
Yes we just heard some kind of animal screaming likeable woman it was scary just know. I had to google it to know wat kind of animal made that awful sound
That doesn’t really sound like a Fisher as much as it sounds like a fox call. Fishers tend to make one screech, usually right before or after a kill. It’s sortof difficult to describe the sound…it starts out at a lower pitch and then raises to a high-pitched shriek that sounds like a woman or a child screaming, “wwwaaaAAAAAAA!!!!” that lasts for about two beats. I live in the woods and they hunt right outside my house (usually underneath my window at around 3am). They’re vicious. I’ve heard them raiding bird’s nests, attacking pets whose owners are either uninformed or don’t care enough about them to keep them inside, killing rabbits, squirrels, cats, etc. I mean, they’ve got to eat too, but it’s heart-wrenching to hear it happening to a pet who should have been kept inside. Fishers are pretty wild.
Sounds more like a fox bark to me.
I have heard this sound at my home in Canterbury, Ct for several nights now. It sounds like a fox as well, so how can we really differentiate between the two?
I heard a weird sound when we were coming home two nights ago. Our golden ran out into our wooded barking and the scream was repeated 4 or 5 times. I had never heard anything like it. My wife was telling a friend about it and she said there had been a Fisher in her neighborhood. I Googled Fisher and listened to a recording. No doubt it was a Fisher. Scary as hell. We are raising chicks and I’m concerned that iit might tear the coop down. I have installed anti-critter flashing red lights and wonder if they will keep it away.
There are fisher cats in brooklyn,ct. I found a dead fox in my back yard on 4/8/2012.
I believe it was a fisher cat since they were seen and heard in this area.
The call this site claims is a fisher is definitely a fox. So far this site is the only that claims the call is a fisher. I have yet to find a site that claims to have audio of fisher that doesn’t refer back to this site. You will find many, many other sites that document the calls of foxes. Here is a small sampling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6NuhlibHsM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_DqEZos-m0
Filmed in daylight and you can see the fox calling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBpZTo1dlPM&feature=related
We lost 11 of 13 year-old hens to a fisher last night. Make certain your coop is shut tight. Mine wasn’t. Found only (!) 5 decapitated hens, so we hope some (one?) will come out of hiding this morning. Take care…
We found 2 of our hens decapitated, another with it’s ribs showing that we had to put down and one of our ducks missing. Aweful sight! Yes keep the coops shut tight at night.
In NK RI the fisher screams woke me up last night at 4am it was one of the scarriest sounds I’ve heard, been here 20 years first we ever heard one. In north kingstown
During the October snow storm I saw what was easily a 4′ long Fisher run out of the woods when all the tree limbs were falling. I live in Forrest Park area of Springfield, so was was extremely shocked to see a fisher. Tonight I heard the screeching and was freaked out because it was so loud and freaky. It was much louder and constant compared to audio on here and I was curious if it is mating season because it was pretty brutal sounding.
i ahve one in my abckyard cuz i got houectas, i keep them in but it screams like every 2 nights… man
I’ve seen & heard ,there’s no mistake It’s a fisher, saint James ,Maryland, Mark!
A huge Fisher Cat took my brave little dog a month ago here just east of Atlanta, in Conyers, Georgia. One was also spotted in Monroe, Georgia about 20 miles north of us. We live on ten acres of heavily wooded land. It was about 2 to 3 foot long, very wide and low body with jet black, 4 inch+ long, coarse fur and moved like a flash when it took my dog. I was just 40 foot away at the time about 30 minutes to sunset.
I heard this sound last night.
First thought was Fisher, but it was followed by a “yelp” as I’ve heard from my dogs.
This is what had me confused.
Have not heard a ‘cat’ yelp before.
I ‘know’ we have Fisher in the area, but this sound is I heard, but with the ‘yelp’ behind it.
I also ‘know’ I have a young fox in my yard (helping me curve the chipmunk population, of which I’m very grateful).
Understanding that the new ‘Young-lings’ will call out when the need be (lonely, hungry or just cold (and we’ve had some rather rainy cold weather as late), I believe, what I heard, was the ‘Young Fox’.
The ‘Yelp’ I heard at the end of the screech is what convinces me.
What I heard.
My 2 cents..
I have found several examples online of a fisher cat screech. Are there any of a mating call? I have heard what I think may be a fisher cat making a call that sounds like a child saying “help”.
At our home in West Greenwich we have fisher cats come & go. And yes they do sound like a baby screaming for its live. Very spooky.
However, my 90 year old mom in Warwick, RI has one living under her lawn shed. They’ve come face-to-face 1/2 dozen times in daytime. Holy smokes! If she gets attacked it could kill her. We’re trying to get city or state to come trap it, or whatever.
Has anyone ever tried to remove one of these demon beasts? In RI, you can’t trap, release or shoot these darn things. So what’s left? Ask it to behave?
P.S. Someone mentioned sounds like loud monkey-calls. Those are Barred Owls. They make that sound when the male shows up to visit female & young ones. I’ve seen that first-hand. Seems domestic bliss isn’t reserved for just us humans – Ha.
you guys are nuts about all this, get lives !!!!
why are you reading this page ? Guess you need to get a life
i am also raising chicks and a neighbor thought she was woken by a fisher the other night, and she recalled seeing its shadow. im so scared it will eat are dear little chicks and possibly get our cat who escapes sometimes! (my bro’s more worried about it than me)
a friend thought she heard a fisher, but she discovered it was a fox. she said she looked up that foxes have a similer screech like a fishers (like a woman or child screeming) iv never heard a fisher, and i hope i dont!
I live in Quebec. My first encounter with a Fisher dates a year ago today! I was sitting out late at night watching fire crakers as we celebrate Canada Day the 1st of July, but continue on the next few days. I had a fire going and all of a sudden this animal comes and sits on a wooden plank put over our old water well. Often my cats lay there as it is cool. This animal was smelling for several minutes, and I didn’t move as I watched it. Then in a soft voice I asked the animal what it was doing there! ( I know but what can you do I love to talk to animals and NO they don’t answer lol). This animal turned and look at me with cold eyes and didn’t move initially. Not recognizing it I slowly got up and walked back to the house. The animal did the same on a parrallel course to me, limping as it’s front right paw was useless, going torwards the forest. I had heard the 3 previous nights, screams of two animals. When on the third night again I was awakened by these screams, I ran out torwards the noise and shooed it away ( at least I hoped I was!) Something growled at me and I saw a huge turtle as well fighthing with an dark animal. I hurried back to the house. Sure enough the next morning we found that all of the turtle’s eggs where destroyed and eaten. This was a year ago to this date and again tonight I heard those screeching sounds making my hair go up on my arms! Believe me my cats don’t go outside at night and they seem to sense the danger. I live in an old forest with a lot of dead trees and we have swamps, bays and a river as well. So I guess I will have to learn to live with these guys! That’s all Folks 😉
Ellalouve
That is the exact sound I heard a week ago for the very 1st time in my life. I have been wondering what in the world that could be! I was house sitting. I had heard stories about fishers but did not believe they were in my area. The evening after I heard that sound I saw an animal in the woods climb a tree so quickly I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’ve been searching on-line trying to figure this out but fisher never crossed my mind. Today I spoke with my dad about it. He grew up in the deep woods, hunting, fishing, trapping – living off the land. I told him about what I had seen & heard. He thought maybe it was a fisher. I searched for fisher on-line & here I am. Bingo. The picture of it in the tree is exactly what I saw. The sound, spot-on. – Sullivan County, NY.
Definitely a fisher cat. Fisher cats make more than one call though, too. One of the mating calls can be significantly higher pitched, almost sounds like a little dog barking in the far distance. Fisher cats also tend to have a habit. If they pass by your house once without interference, odds are they will do it again. They also are active in daytime when they are looking for a mate. I only know all this because I have so many near my farm! 🙂
I live in a residential neighborhood in Norton, Ma and over the last year I have heard the screams of the fisher cat more than a few times. It has occured roughly 1 month apart and over a 2-3 night span. I have heard it as early as 10 P.M. and been woken up in the middle of the night between 2 and 4 A.M. sometimes on the same night.I have heard it for the last 3 nights. Last night I tried to see it by shining a flashlight into the woods where the sound was coming from all I saw was a pair of glowing eyes appoximately 40 feet behind my shed. Whatever it was it took off through the underbrush and all I saw was a momentary silhouette as it took off. Less than a few minutes later the intermittant screaming began again about 2 houses further up the street. This occurred about 10:15 P.M. I did see a fisher cat last summer around dusk walking behind a small stone wall that borders my back yard from the woods however there were no sounds at all at the time. Oh I did find some scat on a small seating deck in the back of my yard yesterday, origin unknown but definately not dog or cat.
Holy crap idiots! I heard the first half-second of the sound on this page and knew it was a fox. You all hear the sound and see a fisher (not a fisher cat- BTW, what an awful description- don’t insult the fisher like that), but not at the same time. Ever occur to you that more than 1 species of wildlife may be in an area at one time? Fishers live and hunt alone- for what reason would they have to make a call all the time? Just like the insurance commercial on TV- “must be true, it was on the internet.” Look for reputable sources (read- biologists) when you’re researching.
I agree! I have a fox or two or maybe more living right here and I hear them often. The first time I heard them I heard a “territorial call” which was a very weird sound in the middle of the night. I went to some state university site and immediately identified not only the animal but one of its half dozen calls.
Fishers don’t generally live right in somebody’s backyard. They stay away from people as much as possible.
Fox territorial call. Different from fox warning call.
Fishers are not nearly as common as people think. They are there in small numbers but they rarely make their presence known to people. if you do a search for fox calls you’ll hear many different calls from one animal. Territorial, warning, randy females, mating, etc. are all different. I think many people make the mistake of identifying this as fisher when in fact they usually stay away from people, where fox will live right in your yard, as one does here. Granted it’s a big yard but it’s also on a fairly busy street. It’s a fox.
They are pretty numerous in our area. I see them all the time. I saw one about 4:30 in the afternoon crossing in front of me on the street not too long ago. The sound recording here doesn’t sound like what I heard. What I heard was closer to what I would call a caterwaul except more intense and longer than what is presented here. Only once not repeated.
Just got out of the woods checking out the damage here in WV after the resent storm. I was above 4000 ft. And just in front maybe 10yds a fisher was running in the path and darted in the woods. Size I would not think 8 to 10 but more like 20. Yes I have heard this sound just under my deck at night when I was living at 4000 ft and was able to put a light on it from almost directly above. I was at the time 10 years ago not familiar with this species however this is what I very likely saw and heard at the same moment. I know the mind plays tricks on us however at the time I did not know what I was seeing and only now can I believe it to be very likely the out line of a Fisher under the glow of my flashlight.
I was photographing an old abandoned farm house and seen movement out from under an enclosed entrance area. It was a dark area and I was using a wide angle lens so wasn’t able to zoom in to see what it was, but I had assumed it was a raccoon. Then as I stood there waiting to see if it would make an appearance that I could get a shot of, I heard this loud, high pitched, screech that made my hair stand up. It was repeated several times over the next 10 minutes that I stood there. Once I moved around to a different area of the house I never heard the noise or seen any movement again, even after returning to the area. Later, as I was processing the photos, I zoomed in on the photos in the area I seen movement and in one of the photos, I could make out an image of a critter that I have never seen before. Another photo taken before I seen the movement shows something curled up in a dark corner, on a shelf, of a deteriorated wall. Photos afterwards do not show this image. I sent the photo to my nephew the great woodsman who suggested a Fisher, but wasn’t sure if they were found in lower Michigan. (everything I have read so far says they are only in the Upper Peninsula) After searching for sounds of several possible critters, to identify the sound I heard, I am absolutely convinced, it was the territorial call of a Fisher.
Hi, I live in East Prov RI, I have heard a few people say they saw a fisher cat in the neighborhood, I have never seen or hear it. I have a small dog, so needless to say I am always very alert when I take him out later in the day, and evening. I have also bought Pepper spray “in case” anything ever attempts to attack my dog. When I go in my yard, I also have a blackjack type stick I take with me. I have heard such horror stoies about small animals being mauled, killed.
I have also heard that Bobcats are all over in Jamestown. Deer are being seen all over the place. These poor animals are SO confused.
I believe all animals have the right to survive, and need to eat, however they are NOT going to get my baby. We have to be very careful of our pets, you luv them, keep them in eyesight by your side all the time.
There has to be a reason why they have migrated to rural areas, Could it be their homes in the woods are all being distroyed and built on? This is why we have coyetes & fox in rural areas, they have to have someplace to live, mate, eat. None of this is the fault of these Poor Critters, they are doing what they have to do to survive, as they have always done, it’s their instinct. We have to adjust to it and take every procaution to protect our animals, and children.
We can thank the Large Developers, the ones that clear out their homes [Woods] then build to fill their pockets, never worring about where the critters that live there will go, or what they will do for food, nor do they appear to care. They leave us to deal with it.
I believe I have said enough.
Iam from mn. was out beartonight and I had one come too my baite dam thing ran up a tree and got a turkey don”t know whats next but he did make the bad bad sounds
Wife and I saw this odd animal for about 20 minutes playing under a grown tree. It had a burrough. We were in a camp ground S.E. of Great Falls, Mt. We are both Montanans. I have hunted, camped, explored, scouted, and walked a lot of Montana. We had never seen such an animal. We had to ask the Fish and Game what the heck it was. It was playing about and playing peek-a-boo with us. Fun.
I live in Stoneham Ma and was awaken at 2:00 am to what sounded like a woman screaming. It was soooo scary. I assume it was a fissure cat but I didn’t see it. Could that really be a fissure cat?
we lived in nh on a back side of a mountain we had a fisher cat come right to my glass door and cry at my cat in the house it had killed two of my other cats pulling one threw the cat door with us in the same room and two of my uncles and a neighbors and a small dog it was a mean looking thing and its cry was like a cat fighting with another cat very loud sold that house moved to vt got up this morning to the same noise but louder hubby went outside and we had two outside our living room window not sure what they were doing but very loud and didnt move until a car went by and that scared them away
I just saw a Fisher Cat in the Shenandoah NP, so they have come south. It was near Big Meadows which is a major tourist area. Lots of campers! I reported it to the rangers and hope they take notice.
i have heard that bloodcurdling scream several different times while walking my dog at night. now i see that most of the squerels are gone and there are LOST PET fllyers for 3 missing pet cats . this is n attleboro ma…..west – broad st. has anyone else noticed the same? i have a small dog and a cat. melody
Do fishers ever make snorting sounds, like a wild bore? Something attacked a whip-poor-will in my backyard (we next to a large wooded area) and it made sounds like a raccoon but it was much bigger than a raccoon, I am guessing.
because there are 3 pet cats missing on our st. and we have heard that screetch, my
husband joe does not want me to walk our dog late at night anymore. he wants me to report it to animal control also. has anyone else done that…do you feel safe walking your dog at night. we have a yorkie. melody
news artical in projo….prov.journal…date 10/1/2012. woman attacked by fisher in her own yard at 3:30 in the afternoon..read it scary melody
HEARD THIS EXACT SOUND THIS MORNING WHILE BOWHUNTING WITHIN 30 SECONDS A 3-31/2 ‘ FISHER WANDERED HIS WAY PAST MY TREE STAND WITHIN 5 FT. ITS NO FOX I ALSO HUNT THEM EVERY YEAR FOR APPROX THE LAST 40 YRS
i have heard this sound for the last 5 years around my house, was not untill last year that i found out what it was. i live in north alabama!
Heard one at 4am this morning in Jefferson, MD, when I went out to my car, probably at the end of our driveway, maybe 30 feet away. It’s an awful sound. Thought it was a baby crying at first, but since our nearest neighbor is more than 50 yards away, no kids, no windows open at 4am in December, I knew what it was instantly. I have heard this sound many times around Concord and Canterbury, NH. Too close for comfort for me this time.
I would certainly think that was a fox if I heard it in the wild.
BTW, what is up with all of you folks complaining about the horrible awful fishers taking you little pets? They are wild animals, that’s what they do. Small domestic animals left outside to their own devices will be taken by coyotes, owls, foxes, and yes, fishers. If you live near woodlands and are concerned about your pets…keep them inside.
That is a red fox call. Search “red fox cry/call” on youtube and watch videos….you’ll see for yourself.
Its not a Red Fox, because ive seen the fisher up close in the daylight making this noise. It is a sound that makes itself known and as a warning to anyone around.
As my dog just caught a Fisher cat in my yard who was going after my house cat I can definetly confirm that they have a hair raising piercingly loud high pitched scream. It was awful.
I live in South Central Virginia and last night I’m sure I heard well either a fisher cat or a red fox but it definitely had the sound of someone crying for help and it lasted for a few hours and then suddenly it stopped I thought maybe it was an animal going after another one and finally killed it but it sounds like that may not have been the case but it’s surprising that if it was a fisher cat and I’m in Southern Virginia.
Fisher “cats” are Asian and have no business being in the US. Fishers are members of the mustelid family (skunks, badgers, wolverines, etc.) and make no cries, as far as I know.
Fishing cats are from Asia. Fisher cats, or fishers, are the N.A. mustelid. It’s a small difference in name, but fisher cat is a name often used for the fisher. And almost every source I can find says that fisher cats do make noises (but I have never seen a fisher myself, nor heard one, so I can’t say absolutely 100%).
Martin Sloan: I have had the pleasure of not only seeing a Fisher Cat in person but to see it hunting! Our whole neighborhood was drawn outside by these terrible screams, we thought child was in trouble but I went out my back door to see it was a fisher cat that had a raccoon up a tree and the Fisher was screaming. It literally sounds like someone screaming bloody murder! They absolutely do make noise and it’s quite a unique sound, even besides the screaming.
Fisher cats were introduced to N.H. years ago to control the porcupine. But as we see it not only controlled the porcupine it also eats any preditor that moves in the night. As for sound? Marton Sloan, you are mistaken. They make a sound that will make the hair on your body stand on ends. I personally have heard them, seen them in the night and have experienced their havoc. They wiped me out of all my ducks, including feathers, cats, and tried to get the dogs. They are the menace and need to be controlled. They have even been known to attack man. There is nothing they cant eat including the bones. It is a dangerous creature.
These beliefs that fishers are a “menace”, need ti be controlled because they are violent, dangerous creatures are an irresponsible way of thinking and simply not true. Fishers weigh around 9-18 pounds and I’ve never heard of them attacking people and dogs. Occasionally a cat will fall victim to an overly hungry fisher, but for being in the same family as the fearless badger and wolverine, they are quite timid, especially around humans. They are far far from being a “dangerous” animal. They are like foxes and coyotes in that they are given an unwarranted and severely distorted reputation when they are so afraid of humans and are, in fact, muxh more scared of us than we are of them. I raise fishers and see their way of life and behavior on a dsily basis.
Raising a domestic Fisher presents its own irresponsibility that goes along with domesticating any wild animal. Domestic animals typically do not display the survival behaviors of their wild kin since those needs are usually met by their owners. Watching an animal in a cage and judging the concerns of people who live with the actual predator in the wild can be considered irresponsible as well.
Carrie: Perhaps the Fisher Cats you are raising have been somewhat domesticated and even if they were wild they are in the situation where their personality cannot be compared to a fisher cat that is free out in the wild. Of course they’re going to act differently! Living in NH I have seen a few fishers in my time and they will absolutely go after a person before running away. They kill cats and dogs, it’s unreasonable to think that a fisher cat will kill cats but will not kill a dog who happens to be the same size as a cat, that’s just not logical. Fishers will kill any animal they feel they can subdue, cats, dogs, whatever!
The fisher cat killed 5 ducks 30 some chickens and injured 2 of are pet milking goats. Now we are tring to get rid of it, does anyone no how to stop it and get rid of it?
Parti Johnson: I realize your comment was a few years ago but for the benefit of future readers of these posts I will reply. You can use a live trap, bait it with a can of cat food and check it a few times a day. You can release them further away from your house, preferably in an unpopulated forested area.
they are dangerous creatures? so are we.
I believe the sound about is a fox…i have heard many fisher cats in my area where i live and it sounds more like a screaming sound then the above sound captured on tape.
red fox call…..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxLHUxzEoRU
the above is a red fox sound! NOT a fisher cat!!
The fishercat sounds like a woman or child in the woods. I have seen them and heard them. They are in the mountains of WV. The coyote sounds like a dog. The fox sounds like a big angry house cat. There are web sites that have captured the sounds. Hope this helps.
Fisher cats (Martes pennanti) are native to NH and much of north America. Not asia as someone stated in the comments. There numbers were low due to a number of issues including deforestation and trapping and many states had re-introduction programs. They have always been in NH and Maine. The fisher cat the same as the smaller marten. Though it is closely related to the marten this is reflected in its Latin name, Martes pennanti while the American marten is Martes americana. It is not just related to the weasel family it is a member of the weasel family, mustelids.
The fisher cat is not in the least scary. They are no more likely to eat your pet ducks than a possum or a fox. I have seen possums get into a hen house and leave a number of dead chickens in their wake. It is quit interesting that people have a phobia about a 10 lb animal.
As for screaming, most of the comments seem unreliable. I have seen fisher cats many times and never heard a scream that was not identifiable as another animal.
Though they could and I just never heard them. But when a naturalist who has studied them for many years has never heard one scream it makes me doubt the probability that they do scream.
Many animals and birds make screams in the night. The fox’s bark as stated before or a saw Whet owl. The saw whets calls are much more like a scream than the raspy bark of the fox.
fishers can be dangerous to all small animals. And they’ve attacked two people in Rhode Island; one woman in her front yard walking her dog, and one young child at a bus stop with other children and moms.
Fishers grow to be way over 10 pounds. More like 20 pounds. They scream in the night like someone getting murdered. I’ve heard them sound during the daytime like the wierdest squirrel or jungle bird or crow you’ve ever heard. So many of the cats in our neighborhood and town have been eliminated by the fisher cats. Last night I saw one across the street from us, and we live in a densely forested and coniferous area of Hamilton, MA. with a vernal pond in the woods across the street from us. My Siberian Husky was making “warning barks” like she usually does when she spots a coyote or any wild animal coming through the paths in the woods. We’ve had 3 coyotes near our yard that we’ve seen. We’ve run into fox and coyote on walking the dogs at night, too. Anyway, I ran out to see what these “warning barks” my Husky was making were all about, and there was a fisher cat. Staring back at me, from across the street. I had never seen one, but I’d been hearing one for over a year. It amublates on the ground differently than any animal I’d ever seen, and it has a very long bushy tail. Just watch the videos on youtube.
The fisher cat IS NOT the same as the smaller marten.
Missed these 2 words.
Yea, the fisher has a very eery, very loud cry, can be heard far away, I have seen two up close , real close, and one at a distance, like the black one in the pictures, I find these preditors are usefull ,like fox, kyotes they clean the woods of dead carcases. and obviously they do hunt ,my wife witnessed one dragging a chicken from our hen house.THANKS RAY R.
The Fisher coolest animals ever
I live in Illinois near a wooded area. My husband and I adopted 2 stray cats that have been out in the wild for at least 4 yrs. We’re trying to keep them indoors so they won’t be harmed. Early this a.m. our lg cat was out wondering. I heard this horrible screaching, screaming, growling, and moning sound. This is a noise I’ve never heard – it went right through me. I’ve heard cats fighting, but this was different. I wanted to go into the woods to find and protect my cat, but it’s hard to find a location at 3a.m. in the woods. I don’t know if it’s a fisher cat that was out there in the woods. My cat is terrified to leave our deck ever since last night which is a good thing since I want both of them to stay inside. I hope never to hear that bone chilling scream again!!!
My Harris hawk was attacked and killed during the night would anyone know if a fisher cat would do this ? Nothing was eaten just blood sucked and mangled love to find out what animal would do this ?
sounds like a mink. I waged a war on one that would take a chicken a night from the hen house. Every morning Id find a chicken with its head eaten and all the blood drained. Also got a goose once, which is a big tough bird to kill. It broke its wing, ate its head and drank all the blood PLUS it was a snowy night and no blood spatter anywhere! Mink love to go after roosting birds at night.
Spotted a Fisher late this afternoon in Easton Ct. Looking up their supposed North American range, they are not supposed to be living here which I can only assume bodes well for them. Beautiful animal and I was pleased to have had the chance to see one.
Oswego n.y. Got one on my trail cam last week. Really nice looking bigger than I thought.
So last night at 3:45am my wife and I were awoken by a child’s voice yelling for his mom non-stop. The sound was coming from outside, we started getting dressed then the noise outside changed and sounded inhuman. We closed the window and fell back into an uneasy sleep. It was freaky…
my neighbor told me she was awakened in the night and it sounded like someone was getting murdered. I said, “oh, come on…..it was just coyotes……” She insisted, “no, this is different. this sounded horrible. high pitched child crying, and getting murdered!” I thought, good grief. Coyotes don’t sound like that to me. What else can it be?
Well, now we both know. Fisher Cat. We knew we had them in our area for over 10 years. But we’d never put the sound and the animal together, till doing some research.
absolutely a fisher cat !!!! you cannot mistake this erie sound !!!!! this is messed up all over the net…not a fox !!!
North Haven, CT…..just saw an animal walk through my heavily wooded yard. I thought it was a large ferret but it was much too big. Very large claws as well. After looking through pictures, it’s a Fisher Cat no question. And here I was wondering why I haven’t had raccoons or skunks breaking into my garbage lately. Now I know…..
we live in northern VA, near I66/I81 intersection – my wife and I saw a fisher this afternoon, for maybe 3-5 minutes, no sounds. this is my 3rd viewing over last 15+/- years, wife’s 1st, so exciting… brownish/reddish not black or dark dark brown
I live in northern Minnesota on 120 acres of Red Pine planted in 1966. I have lived in the woods for most of my 73 years still without electricity or any cars. I have two fishers that will come around my place early evening never together both are jet black
I have never heard them make any loud sounds. they both seem to frequent my wood piles the closest they come to me is about 30 feet. There are red squirrels living in the split and stacked firewood. Thanks to Susan for the use of her computer….
sorry Mike I am 100% sure that sound is not a fisher cat. where I live we have white fox and fisher cats. I have seen and heard both. the key is the duration. The fox has short bursts as in the above sound. The fisher has a much longer sound. they both have human qualities to their sounds. another key is that the fox sounds like someone yelling, the fisher sounds like someone crying. its a fox.
it is most definitely a fisher cat we have one that comes by my house quite often it sounds pretty scary, but Is a beautiful animal.
I mean, click my name and the video pops up, it shows an injured fisher cat screaming. It sound like a crow.
Contact wit Reijo rantakyto
This night time scream is indeed that of a fox. Many people in New England mistaken it for a Fisher. Like mentioned, the screaming of a Fisher is longer in duration, and higher pitched. The Fisher doesn’t have a large enough diaphram to emit this type of scream.
70% of NH residents are also mistaken of circling flying birds up high above in which they call “Hawks”…., when in fact they are Turkey Vultures/buzzards.
Sounds like a fox to me. As for fishers being dangerous…cats are dangerous to birds, dogs are dangerous to deer in winter, our cars and roads are dangerous to everyone and most of our sounds would be scary to any wild animal.
I live in pa,i recently heard that someone-perhaps game commission released these animals not too far from where i live,Supposively to control the deer population—how stupid are these people?????why not just up the deer- hunting limit ??i know i f they are seen in my area they will be shot! i have outside cats n i live by the woods–they will be thinned out quickly
Martin is a idiot!
Who ever says the fisher doesn’t scream bloody murder is indeed uneducated!
Fishers do not prey on deer!!Does anyone research before blabbing their mouth?
That is the sound of a Red Fox warning call. Signifying others of danger being near. I’ve heard another sound from the Red Fox sounding like a woman being attacked in the woods crying out saying “No ah, nooo ah.” That is two vixens battling, but even male Red Fox sound like that just before mating. Very well could explain the screeching sound of the legendary Jersey Devil.
This is a fisher cats call. We have them in the woods behind our house and if I get the chance I will eliminate them. I have laying chickens and I was losing 1 a night to this critter, lost 11 chickens. I’ve heard they are protected and if destroyed you could get a hefty fine. If that is true them I will look into who will be paying to replace my chickens. And fences do not keep them out of the hen house.
How to get rid of fisher cats
A connebear (sp) trap is a kill trap and it will get rid of fishers. Mostly licensed trappers use them.
Other than the connebear and a man with a gun, the only other thing that will kill a fisher is another fisher.
I’m an animal lover from Maine who is very well versed in Fishers. Cannot find then beautiful due to the havoc they cause. In the last twenty years I have lost several cats, a goose and more chickens than I could keep track of. Unfortunately geese mate for life and my gander completely lost it when his mate was killed and partially eaten. I have also observed a pair of fishers in my yard feeding the color of their eyes at night and the noises they made were beyond scary. I have also heard their screams from the woods along with their unlucky victims. Those of you who found them beautiful, get up and personal with one, but don’t forget your bat, they DO attack people.the pair had a mile circle of dens that they move between, one den used for raising their young. Unfortunately that was the den behind my house. How do you get rid of them ? I found that an 8mm Mauser worked extremely well. The fisher was coming for 3 chickens who had rooster on the porch next to me. He didn’t care that I was there. He got upright and started his bob and weave routine and boom, that was it. My husband got the mate the same way the night before. We were safe for several years till a new pair took over. Yes they’re protected but you do have the right to protect your animals. Have no pitty . it’s not like cats and birds . These are viscous predators that you should be very wary of. Just look at a cast of their print and check out the claws. Good luck!
To protect themselves will fight. Perhaps a fishercat will not attack but will protect itself. I believe one was under the steps and deck of my home when I took my dog out to pee 11:30 pm . I believe my dog went under the deck to investigate. Animal ran past me with dog on his tail, up steps, across porch n deck and leapt unto a nearby tree. As my dog went by me I grabbed his collar for control and put him in the house where he was bleeding profusely from toes on front paws. Toes. 2 toes were missing. There were no sounds exchanged. Very dark brown, about. 42″ tip of tail to nose when stretched out running/leaping. Very dark brown, not black. Thick coat on body and tail. Tho not in the daylight they have been seen in daylight and photos taken right by my home. This happened 01/25/16 Ross Twp. Monroe County PA
OMG!
October 6th 2015
Hunting today for a buck , seen one was ready to shoot him with my crossbow @ about 40 yrds and out stepts a fisher @ 15 yrds he looks @ the deer then turns my way and starts to walk towards me, i. lower crossbow and try to get cell out to record his screaming while hes walking towards me. Then he runs into the brush comes back out about 10 mins later deer is gone he looks @ me for about 2 mins then runs away. Glad i dint shoot him they’re not in season til Dec. 19. live in northern Pa
The sound bite is that of a Red Fox
The sound bite was definitely a fox. There is absolutely no evidence that fishers scream.It amazes me that no one has a video of one “screaming”. Lots of sound no proof. Perhaps it’s big foot.
Fisher cats have made a return in Virginia and population has been increasing, I’ve heard them in mornings and evenings and have gotten pictures (not really good pictures ). They seem to have made their home in my yard, originally we thought they were bears so we have been trying to scare them back further away from our home but turned out they are Fisher cats, any ideas on how to move them away from being so close?
Just saw one walk by our backyard shed around noon today. I was puzzled by what kind of animal it was and found a picture of the Fisher Cat with a medium brown coat and very dark tail that was exactly it!