The following story and fisher cat pictures are from one of our website visitors in Andover, MA.
Our dog (Annie – Golden Retriever) was going crazy this morning (April 6, 2009) to get out into our (Andover, MA) backyard. My wife noticed something brown walking along the top rail of our chain link fence and recognized it as a Fisher Cat. When Annie ran out, the Fisher ran up a small pine tree. Not realizing it was on the other side of the fence, it nervously chattered at us while we took pictures of it. It eventually realized it was protected, climbed down the tree (only a few feet in front of me), leapt into the neighbor’s yard and ran off. Annie cornered one up a tree a couple years ago as well.
In the second photo, you can notice the blurred horizontal line toward the bottom. That’s the top rail of the chain link fence.
Great pictures. We live in Andover too and have seen fishers often, but they rarely hold still long enough to get a good look.
THESE PICS ARE GREAT! I LIVE BASICLY IN THE WOODS SO I SEE ALOT OF FISHER CATS. I HAD A CAT NAMED SPLAT AND A FISHERCAT ATE HER. SHE WAS MY BFF. EVER SINCE THAT HAPPEND I VE BEEN SEARCHING THEM.
Hate fisher cats , eating my free range chickens. Afraid for my cats. Trapping didn’t work. Shot gun next.
I hate to say it, but if you are all so worried about your cats, my sympathy to Harley for your loss of Splat, why do you let them out? We have four cats and we live in a rural area, we would never think of letting or cats out.
The Humane society tells people not to let their cats be outdoor cats, they are just as happy frolicking in the house.
They live much longer lives also, not to mention they do not become a wild animal’s dinner.
You cannot blame the Fisher Cat for doing what it does naturally, hunt and kill small animals to live. It may be a sad thing to some or a bothersome thing to others, but is what they do to survive. Oh, and as tasty as chickens are to us, they are just as tasty to Fisher cats. You can’t hate a species for doing what nature intended it to do.
Goodness, to think that we are supposedly the most evolved species, maybe if we were less evolved we would understand the ways of nature better.
Just because it’s part of nature, doesn’t mean it hurts less to see a loved pet mutilated.
I feel bad for my friend’s mother cat killing by fisher, she left 6 3 weeks old kittens…..SAD!!!!!
I think one of my three cats was eaten by a fox or a fisher (the sound is similar). I don’t blame wild animals for doing what they have to do to feed themselves, especially since humans also kill to eat. Just wish it wasn’t my cat. My cat was 10 yrs old and started out a bit feral and enjoyed the outdoors so much there was no way I would take that away from him. I would be safer too if I locked myself in the house, but its not what I choose, and I don’t think it is what my cat would choose either. I think the quality of my cats life was made better by the outdoors. Years ago, I had two cats I tried to raise as indoor cats. They would pace from window to window like zooed animals. They were a bit neurotic and overweight (yes, my fault). When I caved into their meowing requests and escape attempts and let them go outside, they became healthier happier cats. I try to minimize the risk by having a cat door and I try to get them all in at night and shut the door till morning…. but sometimes they hold out and win that battle.
Do fishers typically come on people’s porches to attack house cats? My cat didn’t come home for about 6 days last week, which was very unlike her. Once she finally came home, we were certain something scared her up a tree and she was stuck for a few days (she was very weak, slept and ate for 3 days). Now today something big was fighting with her on our deck. By the time we got out there to see what it was it had scared her up a tree (and she’s quite the hunter). It was still daylight, and there was a loud family outside across the street during all this. My father-in-law saw a fisher across the street last week, and someone a few streets down claims a fisher ate three cats this month. What does anyone suggest? Could it be rabid?
i was missing one of my cats for three weeks and today i sent my wife to the local pound to check and see if perhapps they had found him. When she returned she informed me the pound had Half of our cat. They found him in a cemetary ripped in half the back half missing, and they suspected a Fisher cat in the area that has also been suspected of killing several cats in the neighbor hood that i was also unaware of.
i did some research and found fisher cats are not suseptable to rabies.
I’ve read these articles and I understand your arguement of how nature works, So me being the better predator next time i see a dam fisher cat / weasel. i might find out if it taste like chicken… your invited to my BBQ….. Mother Nature at it’s finest….
We live in Eliot, Maine and just this month we have been hearing all these screams late at night. The first time I heard one was right outside my bedroom window and I was just falling asleep, let me tell you, my blood ran cold and didn’t know what was going on. It just kept on going. Then one of our friends said we have Fishercat’s around, my cat come’s in at night now. Everytime I hear the scream’s, I still get the chill’s!
I would not be saying “hello baby” to that thing. They are really evil creatures. Our neighbors cat got disembowled by one of those things and almost went after their dog my neighbor shot at it with the gun and it went back into the woods.
I would not let my dog near one of those and I wouldn’t go near one. They’re incredibly dangerous. Stay away and I know what the scream sounds like. It’s horrible.
I saw a fisher cat run out of my back yard and across the street last week. It was still daylight but late afternoon. I had never seen one before. I had a cat here for 16 years and she was never bothered. But she was very outdoor smart.
I now have a miniature dachsund who is not aggressive at all. he weighs about 11 pounds. Should I be scared for him.? I have a fenced in yard and woods in the back. My dog doesn’t really stay outside unless i go with him, but I do have a doggie door so he can go out alone and go to the bathroom. Maybe this fisher is a first or something. Should i assume there will be more??
Just lost our cat of 10 years and the neighbours has been gone for a month now. We north of the 401 highway in Ontario in a small town called Newburgh. We do have forest around and live by a river as well. Other than a clump of fir we have found nothing. Going to try a live trap and see what results we have. I think my wife is angry enough to care of the rest!
cool video but it was feeling threatened.not some you want to do with any animal especially a vicious one.i’ve see one kill a raccoon that out weighed it.a coyote won’t even go after a raccoon.be careful.
i live in seekonk ma, and i have a fisher cat living under my shed. at first i thought my 132 lb lab was chasing a skunk but i looked under with a flash light and this was no skunk. i shot at it with a pellet gun and hit it twice thats when it ran my way, but it went into a hole in my fence and went into my neighbors yard. can they kill a dog?? and if so what should i do use my shotgun or try and trap it. i also have a cat and she stays around now were as she use to go into the woods all the time. this is a well populated neighborhood the houses are not that far apart, but, it has a den in the ground. and now i know what that screaming noise is. any suggestions
My black lab was attacked by a fisher cat two days ago. I can tell by the deep gouging teeth marks left on the bottom left side of her belly. It looks like an oversized hampster bit her. The Fisher also gnarled up my Lab’s rear leg pretty good as she still can’t walk on it. We are off to the veterinarian on Monday to get some antibiotics as the cuts that I sutured with butterfly band-aids are looking pretty swollen. The puncture wounds on her belly were deep and unable to suture them, finally I had to put cornstarch on the wound to stop the bleeding.
I have never seen a fisher cat yet, but we recently got chickens on our property, so don’t know if that is what they were after and our dog, Roxy an 80 lb. Lab, startled the Fisher. Prompting it to attack.
Hopefully this is the last encounter we have with a Fischer, but living in the rural woods, I will always be aware now. The damage they can do is unreal! This site has given me some good information.
We saw our first fisher cat here in Duxbury, MA. It looked like a dog climbing a tree it was so big! Called animal control who came and witnessed this bad boy. He estimated it at between 25 and 30 pounds! Biggest he’s ever seen. He didn’t like all of the commotion so he evacuated the nest right next to our porch…we hope! Just a few things I learned I want to share. These animals can take down a deer and will, if motivated, charge a 190 pound man! The animal control officer said he’d prefer going one on one with a full grown wolf rather than a 30 pound fisher cat! Their territory is around 8 miles with multiple nests, usually 20 to 50 feet up in a tree. The females are pregnant most of the time (11 months out of the year) and are particularly vicious if they have off spring in the area. They are smart and not easily trapped. We tried and no luck. If there is one, there are many and they have no one hunting them so they are not fearful of anything or anyone. Play a radio for 15 minutes outside before you play with your kids or your dogs, even in the day. It gives them a warning and will ward off some. Others will not care. Be careful and always be cautious. Good luck.
I hate to break it to all of the people who hate Fishers for hunting and killing their cats, but. What exactly do you think your cats are doing in the woods all night? Hunting and killing birds, squirrels and other small animals. Along with urinating on other peoples shrubs and property.
It’s called karma. Keep your filthy cats in your own house and the Fishers won’t eat them.
Grow a heart, please.
too funny………………”Anonymous”.
You can type your name, be brave. Or is that your name because you couldn’t narrow down the possible “donors”.
Your just hilarious jim, which of your two brain cells came up with that one…..
so i have to cats. i try to keep my baby in the house and yet she still gets out sometimes. well three cats in the area have already gone missing in only a week. i hurd from across the street that people have seen fisher cats around the area. if they try to kill my cat im taking out my gun too. those creatures are so ugle. i havnt seen one yet or hurd it but if i do that fisher cat will be the first one i go after. i live near a dam and water so maybe thats why there here, it snows here and i thought that they would be gone by winter but apparently they hunt in winter too damn. i wish they hibernated.
Personaly, I think fishers are awsome. They can actually kill porcupines. COOL.
I hate cats. But I am also VERY sorry for your loss.
I don’t think it was the fishers fault though. Maybe your cat started it.
I don’t find it very funny.
I recently heard a fisher cat attacking and killing a cat, we own 1 cat and two dogs. Regardless of whether or not these two animals are your favorites is okay, but to say so what that someones house pet was killed, shame on you. If you could have heard how vicious this attack was and to hear a domesticated or wild animal screaming for its life was not pleasant and I hope I am lucky enough never to hear it again.
what eats a fisher cat?
bobcats
dont be hatin on the fisher cat cuz he be snatchin up yo pets
I believe this is what ive been seeing at lake mayer in savannah georgia,3 years ive seen them 4 to 5 times but only on land once rest of the time in the water wich is throwing me to not believe that is whaT IM SEEING,NOTHING ON THE COMP SAYS THEY SWIM BUT WHAT IM SEEING SWIMS STEALTH,A FRIEND SAID HE SEEN ONE WITH A DUCK,IF there is somthing ele out there help me out.grew up around beavers and otters no comparison.
by the way the comp says there not suposse to be any where nere here ?????
Dont pick on these poor animals!
These cats are cute and wild
Fisher cats are not cats. They are weasels. If you saw one in the water, it could have been an otter, which are also in the weasel family. Like all members of the weasel family, they are excellent hunters and killers. Weasels and ferrets (which are smaller than weasels) can easily kill rabbits. One of my ferrets came upon one of my cats fast asleep and tried to drag it away by the ear! (Of course, the cat awoke and objected!) The way weasels kill prey is by biting the neck. They go for the jugular vein.
Of course, they kill in order to survive, just like any other carnivore. Raccoons, esp. mothers, are considered extremely vicious and dangerous – and they are not obligate carnivores; they are omnivores (they can eat anything). Weasels ARE obligate carnivores: they MUST eat meat. They do not have the part of the digestive tract for digesting vegetables.
Any of these animals, of course, in the wild can be dangerous to humans. I got bitten so badly by one of my ferrets when I first took him in that I spent 8 hours in the ER. He was not wild, though, just had been mistreated by others. It took me well over a year or more of working with him to get him to trust me and now he is the sweetest, gentlest guy in the world. That’s because his basic needs are met – for food, companionship, love, freedom to explore. (I don’t cage any of my animals and they have constant access to a large enclosed yard.)
I also have 5 indoor/outdoor cats and there are raccoons and opossums here, as well as hawks and owls (and gray foxes and coyotes, altho I live in a city – it’s a pretty wild, green city). It’s obviously safer for cats to be kept indoors, but they are happier going outside and they have learned to avoid the wild animals, as well as the wild humans. (One of my cats got hit by a car last year and I live on a double dead-end street. He was saved by surgery.)
I could swear that I and my husband have seen Fisher on two occasions. We live 20 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa! I don’t think they are suppose to be this far south?????
Ive seen tracks past my house in Shrewsbury MA for the past 4 years and last winter I saw tracks just 20 feet from the house. We lost 7 cats over the last 24 years. My current cat has a fused front paw after all the bones were broken 2 yrs ago. He survived but I thought it was a racoon. Now I think it was a Fisher Cat as I confronted one Saturday 3apr10 at 10:10 am. I heard a horrible scream…. my cat was elswhere….I ran out and into the area and find the biggest fisher cat Ive seen (seen only one in my campsite in ME in 1992) then it ran left and right and watched me. I chased it and it never ran up a tree. I chased it again and stopped and growelled like a bear. It passed left and right 20 feet in front of me 40 feet out and snarled. Then I raised my arms and growelled at it again and again and it beelined away to the NE to the neighbors house. I live on 7 acre surrounded by 200 acre of hardwoods and a swamp 1/2 mile south where they usually range.
Steve
i saw a fisher cat go down my stairs my dog shasedit into the woods
Saw my first fisher cat this morning, hunting turkey (spring gobbler) in central PA mtns.
Had heard they were introduced along west branch of susquehanna river (north of me) but wasn’t expecting to see one in the woods I was in.
I noticed a very musky odor where it had been.
Anyone else make that observation?
I have noticed an animal in the last couple of months I have never seen before. It is roughly the size of a small cat and swims very well. It dives into my pond and surfaces about 20 seconds later. It swims in a doggy paddle fashion. I do not know if this is a Fisher Cat or some kind of otter or weasel. I live in a rural part of Massachusetts with a lot of land. Any suggestions to what this animal may be?
you people are losers, get a life and find something better to talk about than weasels
Get a life and find something better to do than down-talk people who are simply sharing information with each other.
To all you that are affraid of the wild animals around your home…I suggest that you move into a city or nice rural comunity with a night watchmen that prowels the streets at night to make sure you are safe. Lock your doors and windows. Any animal will attack if it feels threatened! the trick is to know how to temper your fears and face a situation. Most animals big or small relate not only to size of an apponent but also agression. Fox’s are addorable little animals much like a dog in the fact that they will follow you around, come with in close proximity to you just to run away as soon as you move towards them. Do not in any situation show an animal fear!!! hell even a house cat will attack you if it thinks you’re affraid of it! on the other hand…if there is more than one at a time…RUN LIKE THE WIND!
If you speak firmly to an animal (even a bear) they will usually run off, if not, well you chalanged them so prepare for the fight or flight of a life time. I have lost cats to fisher cats too and know how bad it feels. When I was a kid I lost my cat Bandit, she just disappeared. One day I whent out to my tree house and there she was (Half of her anyways) I dont hate fisher cats for doing what they need to and only would shoot one if it threatened me.
Sorry if this offends anyone but I’m just tired of people moving to the country and then complaining about the animals. Here in Vermont if someone complains about a wild animal the game wardens just shoot it. Please stop complaining, some of us have lived several years with these animals and enjoy seeing them!
We have been hearing this creature in our area for the last week between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. I also have many cats from various rescue efforts . Most are either in our house or in the barn at night. The cries sound frustrated to a calling type of bark, as though looking for its cubs. The frustrated screech I surmised was because she can’t get at our barn cats.
Does anyone know why they screech? Mating calls?
Thank you for the recordings. I had no idea what it was until I heard the video tape. We live in s.w. Connecticut.
I THINK ONE IS IN M FROUNT YARD AT NIGTH,LIVE ON
CAPE COD .DO NOT KNOW IF IT IS .MY DOGS DO NOT HEAR THEM?DO NOT KNOW IF THERE IN A DEEP SLEEP OR SOMETHING…. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU KNOW ,IF THEY ARE ON MED CAPE COD .THANK YOU
MARGARET
I live in the Catskills in NY and saw my first Fisher yesterday at about 6.30 in the morning. It is one of the most beautiful and graceful animals I have seen. This fisher was black and about 40 inches long and the fur was so spectacular to look at. Of course I had no idea what I was looking at, I am a city girl and had never heard about Fishers before so I went on the internet to confirm what I had seen as I thought it was some type of a weasel.
This is one of the reasons I moved to the country being able to discover new animals.
HEARD ONE NEAR JASPER,IN WHILE GINSENG HUNTING,VERY NEAR,VERY UNNERVING,VERY AWESOME
these varmits make might good eating ! sons-a-bitches taste like chicken !
saw a fisher cat in Shrewsbury near the vetern’s inc property at midnight last night, couldn’t figure out what was making this crow like sound. so I googled it and sure enought a fisher cat. I also have a cat that goes outside only with me and is always on a cat leash attached to a clothes line. She never is off in anyones yard, now I need to realy watch out as I never knew we had fisher cats in the area.
On April 8th at 1:11 AM, I heard this awful cry, like an animal broke its’ leg or a child screaming in pain… woke me out of a sound sleep and it came from the field and trees across the street. We live in a rural area with lots of wild and domestically wild animals.
The next morning at 10:15 AM I spotted an animal (thought initially it was a raccoon) walking the tree line of our yard heading to the woods and marsh area (lots of wood ducks there). It was about 3-4 feet in length, with a brown or reddish – brown body and a black and brown bushy tail somewhat like a raccoon. It had a weasel like body (tall rear hips to smaller sloping shaped front shoulders) and its face was not that of a weasel, but more like a cat face (longer snout than a cat).
I have not heard or seen this animal since, but the ducks disappeared and the squirrels and rabbits have only recently reappeared. We had two wild domestic cats that I would see from time to time but they have disappeared too.
Could this be a Fisher cat?
heard the cry about a month ago at 1 in the morning. fisher was back the next night. Heard it again 3days ago at 4 in the morning but this time put the flashlight out the window and saw the glowing eyes. Its a creepy sight at that time. Also have noticed both the squirrel and rabbit population has gone away. Has anyone noticed if the fisher stays around the same spot for a few weeks and then moves on or is it like a month cycle that it returns?
fisher cats are easy to catch with the right method. A trapper from my place caught 37 one winter . fishers come around my place cuz i live by a farm and ppl getting rid of their cats thinking they will be ok living here are mistaking . the fisher comes around every 2 weeks. i hear him crying almost every time he attacks an animal. OH by the way they make this sound just before attacking a prey ( ive seen it happen). The best thing to do for your pet is to get him in the house before dark. OR hire a professional trapper.
A fisher establish a territory usualy 2 fishers (male &female)10 square miles. They usualy stay around until food is getting scarce. they patrol their territory and usualy comes back to their nest every 4_5 days except when they have a litter . the female stays around the nest while the male patrols the territory on a regular basis.
this audio is the sound of a fisher attacking an animal no doubt about it.
We are in the Catskill Mtns and have seen a fisher on our property. Yesterday afternoon we were out for an hour or so and returned to find our 3 week old kittens gone without a trace, all cat food gone and water knocked over. No prints. Is it possible that a fisher came in through an open window and did all of this???
Hi Liz,
I am in the Catskills also and I’ve seen these animals around.
Where was the mother cat when this happened, did she disappear also ?
From what I’ve read, the Fisher can prey on cats and small dogs,
I hope not, but unfortunately it seems that is what might have happened.
I have young 1/2 grown cats,
now that I know they can be dangerous for them, I will keep a closer eye out
and not encourage their presence!
Sorry that that happened to you 🙁
I live in east Mendocino county at 3500 feet and my very small dog chased a fisher cat up a dead pine tree. It was at noon and was realy neat!
I live in a wooded area near the mountains in NH. In the last week we have had two cats missing. One older cat and a 6 year old. The older one just never came home one night. Last Sunday, our 6 yr old cat was browsing the edge of our yard and went too far out. Next thing we hear is what sounded like a cat fight. My husband ran into the path to get our cat but nothing was there. Our cat was gone. We scoured the woods around our yard for over two hours. No trace of him. We think it was a fisher cat. Beware of your cats!
When you leave a domestic cat outside it becomes part of the food chain…….as far as I am concerned keep domestic aniamls indoors. Think about it this way…….When the Fisher cat eats a domestic cat it is no different then your domestic cat eating native wildlife……Just a thought
we live in a residential area in Rhode Island. Our 14 lb.English toy spaniel was side in a totally enclosed yard. as usual at 9:00in the evening. for less than 5 minutes. When she cam in she had a hole in her side which we thought was a tick or some insect bite. The vet cave us some pain meds and antibiotics The next morning.
the second morning she was paralyzed and died in my wife,s arms.
well, i have a outdoor cat and one night i heard a big scream.
i was really terrified because i thought that my cat was in a fight with another cat–we have cats in the woods– and my brother heard the same thing the next hour and it does sound like a screaming baby! the next mourning, i found my cat all scratched up and so on, soo i wonder maybe it was a fisher cat????
I saw one on Cape Cod, at the Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds golf course on June 19,2010. Had no idea what it was until hearing about fisher cats and looked online and sure in hell, I saw a fisher cat. I scared it as much as it scared me. It burrowed itself into the bushes and just stared at me as I BACKED away!
I live in Oro Medonte, Ontario, Canada. A month ago two of my cats vanished without a trace – two days apart, both at night. 3 nights ago another cat disappeared. I heard what I thought was a cat fight (rare but not impossible in this area). My cat hasn’t come back. I’m wondering if there are fishers in this part of central Ontario, Canada.
absolutely, and that is most likely what got your cat, I live in Bracebridge and a couple of years ago, one of them took 2 of my cats off my porch at dusk and one of the cats was a 20 pounder, bruiser of a guy . About 3 weeks later at 10 at night one came up out of the ditch while I was taking my sheppard cross dog for a last night pee, and came screaming running at us I just got back onto the porch and inside in time. Scared the hell out of us.They can be very viscous.
My husband and I were grouse hunting by Atlanta, Idaho this weekend and saw, what we believe to be, a Fisher. I thought it was a cat, at first, with real short legs. But, where we were was no place for a cat. It ran across the road in front of my 4 wheeler and disappeared into the brush. The next day we went for a drive and he saw another dark animal cross in front of us. He only saw the back end and thought it might be a wolverine, but they are no generally seen crossing a fairly busy dirt road in the middle of the day. Based on the pictures on-line, I think they were Fisher cats.
I am very disgusted with the couple who actually thought that allowing their dog to KILL a poor defenseless animal was enjoyable. Congratulations U morons !!!! U just trained ur dog 2 B a KILLER !!! That is outright CRUELTY 2 ANIMALS AND ANIMAL ABUSE. If I knew where 2 report ur ass I would, WITHOUT HESITATION. What’s 2 say that ur dog now believes killing ANYTHING that size is an okay thing 2 do (cats, puppies, etc.)…. OMG !!! Ur more animal than ur dog!!!!!
get a grip lady, you have never faced a fisher cat…I get your protecting animals bit. You would be much less dramatic if you met one and heard it scream while attacking your loved ones.
i was skateboarding this morning and i found a dead mouse but all that was left was its organs, his tail, and his head totally separated from each other. My mom called the police and they said that it must have been eaten bye a fisher cat. And the night before this morning my dog got attacked by something but now we think that it was a fisher cat.
Yikessssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ Evelyn- go get some Prozac for God’s sake. Fisher Cats are highly destructive, aggressive predators; they’ve been known to come into people’s homes, not at all scared of the human scent; they’ve attacked small children many times, one little kid waiting for the school bus with his Mom recently here; and they’ve murdered thousands of domesticated pets who’ve lost their innate sense of aggression and have very little hope of surviving an attack. They kill livestock in barns and anywhere else they can find a small animal. Maybe if you find one hanging off your leg you’ll get over your rant about teaching dogs to kill them. I have a 115 lb Rott and believe me, she’ll get roast beef as a reward if she kills one anywhere on my six acres; I have two small rare breed purebred dogs and a champion bloodline Siamese to protect. My dogs/cat never go out without me, but Fishers don’t fear humans, they attack ferociously.They are a serious problem here. Only a kook would suggest they should be protected. You obviously don’t have any pets or you couldn’t say something so irresponsible and wacky. Try to consider the heartbreaking losses other people have suffered when Fishers kill their pets.
This comment says it all! THANK YOU!
Nicely stated.
For those of you who claim to have lost a cat at night and think a fisher cat might have killed them, I can only say one thing and it is what I say to anyone who lets their cats outside whether in the day or night, you are looking for trouble and should never let your cats outdoors. It is entirely too dangerous. I have two house cats, they are never permitted outside. I also have two large dogs who are kept on a leash at all times when outside. We go to a dog park where they can be safely kept off leash. My pets are safe and happy and won’t be eaten by a wild animal.
For those of you who claim to have lost a cat at night and think a fisher cat might have killed them, I can only say one thing and it is what I say to anyone who lets their cats outside whether in the day or night, you are looking for trouble and should never let your cats outdoors. It is entirely too dangerous. I have two house cats, they are never permitted outside. I also have two large dogs who are kept on a leash at all times when outside. We go to a dog park where they can be safely kept off leash. My pets are safe and happy and won’t be eaten by a wild animal.
our cat dissapered friday night we saw her go into our neghibors yard and thats it see was gone and the next morning we heard a scream that sounded like a 12 yr old boy in the woods so we called the police then we think she either got eaten by it or shocked and wont come home and we had just got her like a year before it happened and know anything we say is yazzy or jazzy because her name is jasmine shes a siamese that does not shut up if u find her plez try and contact us thank u come home yazzy waaaah
We live in southern Maine and are surrounded by many acres. Our big persian went out one evening and never came back. This evening I was on my deck, lights on and on phone. My cat and dog were also on deck when I heard the loudest scream, one right after the other. It was a Fischer who spotted my cat! I am familar with many animal and bird sounds, but I NEVER heard anything like this very loud scream -one after the other. I get sick to my stomach thinking about my animal being torn to shreads by this ugly creature, but they hunt to live and survive.
We live in north-western Minnesota. The other day I was out taking bird/wildlife pictures (as I do every day) when what appeared to be a rather large, strange-looking squirrel waltzed in. After taking a few pictures, I realized it was a Fisher. This is the second one I’ve seen up here in 5-6 years. I put out tons of food for the wildlife I photograph and I think the Fisher was attracted by all the animal (chipmunk, squirrel, birds, etc…) smells. I had been sitting very still with my camera so it appeared to not notice me until I slowly stood up at which point it ran towards our beach, under some docking and from there, into the neighbor’s yard/s. The last time I saw it, it was heading into the back lots (mixed wood/marsh area). Five minutes later I heard a squirrel screaming like it was being eaten alive, as I’m sure it was having read a bit more about Fishers.
I do NOT agree with anyone letting their domestic cats or dogs run loose. We have leash laws here that only 2-3 of our neighbors adhere to. I agree with Jeff that wild animals will see them as fair game just as your dog or cat will go after birds, chipmunks and other small animals. Remember folks, we came into their habitat and have forced them into a corner. They have just as much right to be here as we do. Protect your pets and your children but try to remember that we are all (animals and humans) just trying to survive.
Janelle, you crack me up! you feel no sense of responsibility for your part in peoples pets being devoured? You admittedly have tipped the balance of nature by putting out TONS of food for the wildlife you photograph, there by drawing in the fishers with a banquet of rodents and the like who are dining on your offerings. You are no better than the people who let their cats out or their dogs off leash so save your moral high ground for church.
We were hunting elk in the flathead valley mountains behind north of Whitefish Montana on Martin Camp Road and we saw a fisher cat in a tree. It had killed a rodent and it was in its mouth when we saw it. We viewed it through our scope but didn’t recognize the species until we looked it up online. Even though the fisher cat we viewed seemed to be a bit more red color we are pretty postitive that it was a fisher cat.
My gosh to think of our poor cats and dogs being hurt just breaks my heart!
I’ve been training fisher cats for the last 30 years. They are actually quite affectionate and loving of their owners and can be house broken and litter box trained as well as guard pets watching over the house with keen eyesight razor teeth and claws. My wife and I have had Tabitha for 2 years now and she is full grown and lives on a diet of raw meat and loves her whipped cream. Trimming her toenails is sometimes a challenge but I know she doesn’t mean to break the skin while I groom her. We are looking for a Male to breed her with, so please post if you have a tamed Male. She loves her stick as well as her empty tin cans to hone the teeth. These creatures can be so docile and gentle as Tabitha sleeps in the bed with us every night and is truly a big teddy bear.
Ha!! What a great sense of humor!!
I recently saw a large fisher just outside Frenchtown, NJ. Thats about 25 miles north of Trenton.
Has anyone else seen one that for south?
I recently saw a large fisher just outside of Frenchtown, NJ. Thats about 25 miles north of Trenton.
Has anyone else seen one that far south?
Just heard of a fisher who had gotten into the walls of a man’s home in this town. The man had left his cat inside, went off for awhile, and when he arrived home found that his cat had been killed inside his home, having put up and obviously terrible fight for its life. Later the fisher was seen in a nearby tree, which prompted a call to the warden. Not sure if the warden arrived in time to make the animal ‘move on’ in any way.
Fishers are extremely fearless.I don`t think it is very wise to get that close to one.
Rehoboth, MA (next to Prov, RI and Attleboro, MA. hour south of boston)
Just 20 minutes ago saw by chance a beautiful critter scurry right by the side of our house and into the woods behind- the kind of deciferous woods with lots of fallen, dead trees. We’ve looked and searched the web – and it was a fisher cat. We know they have been sited in nearby towns. It was a glossy thick fur, handsome and rather large. A beautiful coat, but I know it is ferocious and our 2 cats will be indoors for now on.
In one picture on line, a fisher cat was raiding a suet bird feeder. We have several of those hanging from our trees near our house -Ooops…
A friend of mine who grew up in Massachusetts, said that his wife said she saw a fisher in old-suburban southern Westchester County, just north of New York City. He didn’t entirely believe her, but subsequently saw one in a tree while walking his dog (off-leash).
The New York Times has a blog (“Scientists at Work”, I think) for a scientist in Albany who has determined that fishers love to use culverts and pipes to move around in urban areas.
My daughter just came screaming into our bedroom after a what she claims is a large sized cat was on our porch right at the door and tried to come in after one of our cats! She won’t stop crying said it was screaming like a baby dieing. After reading these posts I have no dought that it was a fisher cat. our cats will be indoors now but still what can we do to keep this animal from coming onto our porch again? We are huge animal lovers but this was all a bit too much. Our daughter 15 and she was shaking like she had just seen someone die! 🙁
I live in meerimack Nh and while walking my dog this morning in the woods right behind the house he sniffed out a fisher cat that was sitting about 25 feet up in a tree. The cat was about 15 inches long with a tail almost as long. I didn’t know what it was until i looked up fisher cats and lo and behold the picture looking at me was the same animal i was looking at .
i live in fitchburg,ma.i was just watching one run along a fallen tree in back of my house.it was pretty large,beautiful redish brown coat,handsome animal.
At 9 am this morning I saw a fisher come out of the woods into our back yard, it stayed close to the forest as it traveled along up the hill. It was probably a male-appeared to be 15-20lbs. All animals are inside at my house!
Just walked my 10 yr old smoothcoat collie through Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield/Saugus Massachusetts, about 8 miles north of Boston. Saw a fisher cat scamper across an access road and up a trunk of a tree at dusk. It stayed there as I walked by with the dog. I got within 15 or so feet of it. It was making chipping kind of noises, and I heard similar noises in the woods nearby, so it was probably communicating to a mate or possibly its litter. Tried not to scare it as I had heard they can be vicious. It frantically climbed further up the tree as the dog (who was walking behind me) approached. We have had trouble with coyotes attacking domestic animals around here but not with fisher cats as far as I know. However, I can imagine this one could do some damage given the chance.
And Elizabeth, the only thing to die in these posts are pets. I believe the dog to which you refer chased a fisher cat up a dead TREE.
Would or could a fisher cat get under a car to kill a domestic cat? Not a trace of skin was on the face, a front shoulder was nearly torn off, and there was no blood, fur, etc. under the car. The remainder of the body was in perfect condition.
The car itself was entombed on all sides in a rockhard mountain of ice and snow. There was only a cat-sized “bolt” hole that had been shoveled out by my neighbor at the bottom of the driver’s door. The cat’s body was lying on its side under the front fender.
My neighbor’s house is one of two and is fenced in on all sides. Parts of the fence have small “bolt holes” big enough for a cat or squirrel to get thru. The houses are surrounded by a number of small industrial businesses, car dealerships, chain link fencing with a few patches of scrub and grass that is green in summer.
He had been away for a month and left his home in the care of relatives who insisted on putting their mealtime leftovers outside on the back porch for the “cats.”
He has lived in the area all his life, has had cats outside for many years and nothing like this has ever occurred. There have been no other cats or dogs killed in the area before or since. This happened in East Hartford, CT.
Would a fisher cat move into such an area and kill an animal in such a manner?
My husband just called and saw a fisher cat. He has no doubt. It resembled a cat but had a longer face and torso and a longer tail. We have several cats that are loose in the area and I’m thinking of posting a warning on the telephone poles in the neighborhood. We live in Marshfield, MA.
It’s not only Fisher cats that eat domestic cats and small dogs, My daughter lives in a development in Portsmouth NH there are woods behind her house, her beautiful white cat was completely torn apart by Coyote. I called the dog officer and was told that many areas in Portsmouth are infested with Coyote and you should not let your domestic cats out. She said domestic cats are a treat for coyotes. I called the News and they would not post the story to alert folks that are unaware of the coyote. it was so sad we picked up was left of him in the woods and buried him. If my daughter had known she would have never let her cat out
In the middle of winter around 7:00 AM I was walking thru the city park and something screeched or squalled that scared the hell out of me. It sent shivvers up my spine. It was close, sounded like it was in the trees but then I immediately thought it was a mountain lion. I heard one about 25 years ago and I can’t think of anything with that kind of scream with that much power.
About a month later I was on the same trail, we had a heavy ice storm and everything was completely covered with 2-6 inches of ice. I saw this dark animal running across the ice. It was running like a gallop and doing very well on the ice. It had a long bushy tail and appeared to be two or three times the size of a racoon. I dismissed it and thought it must have been a coon. It was too big and didn’t run like a coon. Plus it was too sure footed on the ice.
My son told me about a Fischer Cat in PA and said it may have been one. I remembered reading an article a few years ago where they were re-introduced in WV. I’m wondering if they were introduced to IN also??
I live in linden michigan and have a fisher cat living in my back yard. I have one neighbor who has lived in his home longr than we have in ours and they’ve been watching it for quite some time. I have looked them up and it seems they are almost non existant in my area.
I was putting gas in my chain saw on Mon the 18 th of April in Jewett NY when this what I though was a cat came out of the woods and went under my deck it was the first time I had ever seen one later to find out it was a Fisher it was about 10 ft from me have not seen it again.
Wild fisher cats are vicious and dangerous. They like to drop down on their prey and have very sharp teeth and claws. I consider it extremely dangerous for this woman to be standing under a tree – with her dog – taping and talking. I have seen one of these cats drop from a tree on an unexpecting cat and destroy it in a matter of seconds. Next time a cat appears, I suggest taping from inside your house… and take your dog! He would probably lose the fight.
I live in NE PA and recently discovered a momma and her kits living in a tree on my property. I’m a little concerned because I have cats and dogs. I live in the middle of the woods. Should I be concerned or maybe call someone? I hate to have them disturbed due to the babies. They sound so cute. By the way this dead tree is very close and I can see it from my house. The dogs keep running over there every time they hear one of the babies. They can’t get to them though!
I live in South Central Kentucky and last night I definitely heard a Fisher Cat screaming in behind our 30 acres. The dogs and horses were going crazy! Their scream is unmistakable. I’ve listened to both red fox and fisher screams and it was definitely a Fisher. Over the years we have had different poultry killed, but we have 5 very large guard dogs that roam free at night which I am sure keep most all predators at bay. Has anyone heard of them being this far south? Our local game warden didn’t even know what they were, let alone if any were in this area.
I saw a Fissure Cat playfully leaping through my back yard this morning. I wasn’t sure what it was ’til I checked on line. It climbed partway up a big oak and then off into a wooded area where there are some fallen trees.
I thought I saw one in the wintertime but it was so quick I could not be sure. Now I am.
It was just beautiful. We live in Ipswich, MA not far from marshland and we have some wetland area on and next to our property.
I also see a gorgeous fox from time yo time. More frequently we see deer and this year so far they have not eaten my tulips! (just the white azalea)
We also have some wild turkeys that were born here a few years ago and tier mother taught them to fly using our front deck which is only f couple of feet off th ground and then higher into a small tree and eventually up into the big oaks.
These three “babies” two females and one male, come back regularly and have no fear of me. (nor I of them) The female actually runs over toe when she sees me and stops just short of contact. I do feed all the birds and we do a a healthy squirrel population so that is probably attractive to the Fissure Cat, too.
When the turkeys were young I saw the adult fly up onto a big oak branch, followed by a youngster and the adult put his/her wing around the youngster and then another young one flew up on the other side and was enveloped under the other wing! The adult had an “arm” around both babies. It was the neatest thing I’d ever seen.
I will be keepin a sharp eye out for Fissre Cat family activity this spring!
I woke up this morning at my home in Boylston, MA to a fisher sitting on my front porch. I followed the cat while inside my home and it moved slowly to my back just and eventually sat down, casually staring at my house. I have two small dogs that I typically let out in the morning to my fenced in back yard. I watched the fisher until I went off into the woods and let my dogs out. Although I went outside with them and brought them back in after only minutes, what would I have done if the fisher climbed a tree and got into the fenced in yard? I rarely let my dogs out alone or out of my sight in the yard. Now I never will. I’ve read these predators are nocturnal but this was 9AM and seemed late for the fisher to be around. The way he walked and just sat around made me think he was still on the hunt and in no hurry to get back to his den. Truly a scary animal and I’ll never let my dogs out alone again in the fenced in yard.
These animals are coming into houses through dog and cat doors and killing pets and doing major damage knocking everything over and chewing things up. Lock your pet doors and keep your pets inside.
thats real nice! NOT!!! Why would u watch another animal get killed/hurt or torture another one?! That was just cruel! nice for my 10 yr old to watch when he was trying to LEARN about a fisher cat! You should be ashamed of yourselves. i feel bad for your animals!!!!!
me and my friend were walken in the woods at night (20 mins ago) and we here larg rustling (me having my bb gun being a man said lets check it out) i saw something that looked like a small bear/ HUGE weasle.my friend saw it yelled fisher i go “a what” while he was runing i then saw it was chasing me and hauld ass down the hill and in my house he said look 4 a pic and see if thats wat i saw we came here i saw the pic and now i know the “HUGE weasel” is a fisher.
im from norwich CT nd have heard of them but never seen them nd never want to they are veryyy mean animals..
Hi I’m katie Kane and I live in Springfield massachusetts and one day a brown large cat was climbing a tree in my backyard it seemed to be very thick coated it looked to me like a fishercat and also I here the fisher cats screech almost every night!
I live in Casco Maine and I am aware of the presence of fishers, coy dogs, fox, and even mountain lions in our area, therefor, I make sure my 2 cats are in at night. However, my male cat (quite a hunter himself) came home a few afternoons ago, looking like something had nearly “ripped him a new one”. Had a 1 1/2″ gash next to his anus. This was around 3 pm!! The vet had no idea what got him, and he’s lucky to be alive, although a little ashamed of his naked behind and the drainage tube sticking out of his tail. I assume it’s a fisher that got him, as I heard the screaching a few weeks ago as a fisher chased another animal up a tree in my backyard. I will be keeping a much better eye out on my kitties AND my kids!! Scary!
A fisher also attacked my old cat. The vet told me that fishers attack from behind, grabbing and holding on to the hind leg/s, and when its prey is subdued it will climb on top and evicerate it. He also indicated that it was likely a young fisher as the bite marks from its k-9s were close together. This event also took place in mid afternoon. A full grown fisher would’ve killed my cat. I guess she gave as good as she got because she ran home injured but without a pursuer
Same thing happened to my big Black Kittie in Brewer Maine. The cat door saved him, but his back end was injured and tail was broken. He lived for many years after that in Massachusetts with me and for of his sibling. His eventually got back to normal and healed. Poor baby! I HATE Fishercats. THeyh all should be shot.
i heard a weird noise outside my house in pa last night. it was a screaching noise. it was so scary.
I heard that same noise last night, but a lot closer. It sounded more like a girl getting killed.. Thats why im searching to see if i can hear the same sound! Thank you!
bob cats sound like girl screaming very scary if you don,t know what it is.
I hear this noise nearly every night between 11pm and 1am in the back yard. I live in Laconia, NH, and it’s decently populated with houses close together. These animals are brave and undefiable. My parents live in Plymouth and my father has actually saved some of our cats by shooting the fishers on the spot. We also lock our cats in every night as they have a cat door to use during the day. If you own pets, you might want to take these precautions. Fisher cats, coy dogs, weasels, and some spotted lynx are a constant danger in the new England region.
That looks kinda kreepy
so, i googled this fisher cat, and i also youtubed it but it seems like some people have them as pets in their house and a dog crate ? so my mom let our two little shih tzus outside to use the bathroom, and she said she had saw a fox or a coyote and so her friends said to us that there is a creature call this fisher cat and so i googled it today to see if that is what she saw and it was! im scared, but they seem nice ? info please .
It sounds like something dying from getting shot and a child getting murdered .
I have them all over my yard and I wake up to their screech every night like an alarm clock.
Shabooty out !!!!!!
are there fisher cats on cape cod, specifically Provincetown?
I had one outside last night, made the most bone-chilling screech I have EVER heard. The cat tried to get our rabbit in its’ hutch but started freaking out when it couldn’t get in. I couldn’t get back to sleep after hearing that horrible noise..We’re in Wellfleet, I’ve seen one in Truro too so I’m sure P-town would see some.
What do fisher cats eat????
They are carnivores. They eat other animals.
I live in Marinette County, Wisconsin. My husband has a picture of a Fisher on his motion camera. This is a first, as he has been putting the camera out for years. It seems on the picture the head is more brown, but the body and tail are black. I didn’t know we had them around this area.
our neighbors dogs were going crazy and we went outside to see what it was at first we thought they had gotten a hold of a screech owl and had hurt it,but it was a fisher cat and it make a horrible screaming noise !
I live in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia ( Canada) and have heard this ungodly sound at night several times. It wasn’t until today that I now know its a fisher cat. Played the audio clip I found on the net and it matches what I have heard.
My Mother in law saw one in our backyard today.We live in central southern Connecticut. we must be at the southern end of its range.i have never heard of one in our area before.
Keeping our dog on leash.
when there were tons of fisher catsin the cape cod a couple years ago so many people got attcked and killed
We live in southern Pierce County, WI and caught a Fisher on our trail camera (twice). I guess the Fisher Cat’s are following the Black Bears down, and extending their range.
We have one right in our back yard in Byfield, Ma. It’s screeching at night is so close and intense. last night it was constant for over two hours. I wondered why they screech; is it most prevalent when they are threatened or when threatening? Does it mean they caught prey or is it a call to other fishercats? Does it screech wherever it goes or mostly close to home? Every night for the past five nights it screeches here. It sounds ominous and feels like being caught in a horror movie. Having two small dogs and a 4ft high chain link fence, how cautious do we need to be during the day? Thank you so much for sharing all this information and amazing pictures.
The MA Audubon says they are MOSTLY nocturnal but can also be around during the day. I’m positive I heard one a couple of nights ago – we know they have been seen in our neighborhood now, and at first it sounded like an owl and then I realized an owl is not on the ground. My smallish dog was likely within 15 feet from it, so no more doggie door use in our house. Apparently they don’t actually stalk but use surprise as their method, they do have fangs like cats only bigger, they roam as singles, and they can and do take down prey larger than they are, the largest males known topped out around 20 lbs., the size of my little dog. We will be a lot more cautious from now on, though, I listened online and this was a fisher cat the other night. Creepy sound, ick.
We had 2 fisher cats fighting in our back yard in northeast Pa. Sounded like a child screaming.
They were very vicious going at each other. I watch my dog closely at night.
On June 12, 2012, I was planting apple trees in my orchard and heard a fawn in distress. After running up a hillside, I saw the fawn in the ferns being attacked by a large fisher cat. It had the fawn around the neck holding it with his claws and biting the spine area. When I ran up to it, the cat released the fawn and I carried the fawn back to my barn and contacted Debbie at Wildlife-Line in Sherman, CT. After a visit to the vet and some TLC, he seems to be doing fine. His pictures are on facebook at Wildlife-LIne. He’s the one with the shaved neck. Had another encounter with a fisher cat while walking my 95 pound Akita. The cat wanted no part of her but my dog did return with a bloody nose.
My family and I moved to Millbury, MA from Maryland in the fall of 2010. We had never heard of Phisher Cats, but we know them all too well now. Our 8 year old cat, Vegas, fell pray to one about 1.5 months ago. Our dog Boomer woke us up at 3am one night which was totally out of character. I thought he had to go potty, but when I opened the front door he bolted out and into the side yard. I was mad thinking he just wanted to go chase a deer as he normally does. Wasn’t until Vegas didn’t come home that I figured out Boomer heard his buddy being taken and tried to go save him! We hear the Phisher’s call every night at twighlight, and tonight it was literally in the woods directly accross the street. Not too worried about Boomer and Buddy (80 pd English Setters), as we do keep them in at night. Happy to report that to repair some broken little hearts in the house Daddy gave in and we will be bringing home a new pupply to replace the hole left by Vegas. RIP buddy….I’m not a cat person, but you were a cool cat and we miss you dearly!
I had one trapped in my garage for 2weeks while out of town! It ate chunks of the walls, the wiring to the garage door etc. The kid I had watering my plants must have left the door open at night and it crawled in. I had no idea what it was and poked at it with a broom to try to get it out. It looked at me for a bit then finally walked out. a man stopped his car when he saw it walk out and said “what is that?”. Of course I had no idea. I couldn’t find anything like it on the Internet until a guy I work with said “I bet it was a Fisher Cat”. He googled it and sure enough it was! It is a creepy scary thing to see trapped in your garage. I live in Oshkosh, Wi. Never knew we had those things here. I was freaked out for awhile not knowing what the heck that thing was. I’m not sure I feel any better knowing it was a Fisher Cat.
Fisher cats are beautiful animals, please just leave your small animals indoors at night. If it realizes that the small animals aren’t around as much it just may leave the area. Like us, they also need a place to live so don’t make it too homey for them, leave sheds fully closed every night, close the car windows and hopefully they won’t take up residence. Make sure all trash is away from the house and tightly covered. Just a little common sense and your problem should go away. Fisher Cats are just are just a tiny part of our beautiful World and deserve as much respect as possible. For Fisher Cats everywhere I say thank you.
Peace. Dave
fisher cats suck ass
ANONYMOUS- I surely am starting to think you suck ass! Pretty funny how you leave your name ANONYMOUS! Pretty pathetic? And I don’t know why you have so much hate towards these animals? Because every post that someone says something good about these animals you come back with some rude nasty comment! Pretty sure people are intended to their own opinions! Maybe a Fisher killed one of your pets or something? Hate to break it to ya but that’s called the Circle of Life so get over it and DEAL with the wildlife around you? If we didn’t have Wildlife then we would have never evolved here either!!!! Maybe you should get off the computer and tend to your little animals!!! So they don’t get eaten by bigger predators in the wild!! Just saying!
They truly suck a d I think they are protected in MA. Why???? I havent seen a porcupine in years Hateful little bastards
I understand where you’re coming from Dave .. but you say it so kumbaya-ish. LOL.
Are you saying they come around BECAUSE of small pets? To hunt them?
That’s what I’m trying to fond out about, their hunting nature. Do they only attack pets if said pet goes messing with them in their area or do they intentionally hunt them out? They certainly can smell the difference from a house pet that happens to go outside for a while and another wild animal. Most animals attempt to avoid humans and anything associated with them for their own good/safety.
I’m in NC and it seems there is a Fisher around here now.
See post here – fishercatscreech.com/fisher-cat-sound-and-audio/comment-page-3/#comment-8359
It’s new to this area and new to me – so I’m just trying to learn about its nature. My pet cat won’t be spending much time outside at night anymore anyway since it’s getting cold and by next year I should’ve been able to replace that screen door that was tore up.
This evening , about 9:15 PM, my wife and I were sitting on the back porch and heard what we thought was a child screech/yelling, I grabbed the baseball bat and my wife got a flashlight. We have about 2 acres cleared and surrounded by woods, Our two dogs were not barking as usual and I thought that a bit strange, they are Pitt-Weillers, in a 40 x 50 fenced-in area, they were whining and antsy to get out and go get whatever made the sound. My wife asked if she could turn the dogs out and I told her no way. I have seen a Lynx type cat in the area and thought maybe that was what made the chilling screaming noise. I approached the woods with my flashlight and bat, caught some eyes glowing as whatever moved behind some brushy cover. I thought what I saw was a raccoon, darkish stripey furry critter. I dismissed the animals to be a Raccoon that I saw but did not hear, and the Lynx that we heard but did not see, we came back into the house. My wife wanted to know what a Lynx sounded like so I Googled it, it was NOT what we heard ! Then I stumbled onto this site. When I played the video, the hair all over my body stood on end and goosebumps to boot ! The video was identical to what we heard. I live in central Alabama, in town, surrounded by woods with Turkey, Deer, Rabbits, Hawks, Hoot-Owls and several other critters out there. I saw where a Fischer might be in North Carolina, now I think this Northern-North American animal is on the move south. This has been a learning experience and have enjoyed reading about this new critter in my area. I have also had about five house cats disappear over the past three years, i suspected the hawks, now I’m thinking more like this Fischer Cat did them in ! Thanks again for this very informative sound video and also to all who have posted here !
Sincerely,
Jay
Montgomery, Alabama
Me again, armed with camera, I intend to go hunting tomorrow for tracks and or sign of this Fisher Cat, will re-post here if I find any sign of a predator cat in the area. I heard this sound again a few minutes ago down close to a large pond 75 yards away. Hope to find tracks there!
Jay
I think we have them in Tuscaloosa. I have not heard them but our chickens have dissapeard. No feathers were around what got them was fast.
a fisher cat killed 3 of my cats……a fisher cat will kill any competition in its territory,for its food source.. rabbit ect.but thats life
I live in Amesbury on the river, Point Shore, I heard this tonight for the 3rd time in 2 weeks. I thought it might have been a predator bird, because there are hawks and eagles in my neighborhood. Thanks for posting this sound clip.
driving home on back road I encountered a large totally black cat like animal with an exceptionally long tail dining on a ran over squirrel in the middle of the road. Looked like a smaller version of a cheetah, long, black and much larger than a cat. It ran into the woods, then stopped and stared at me. It was cat like and totally black !!Very short hair and streamlined. 30″ long — about 10 ” tall — very long tail Doesn’t look like pictures of fisher cat !!
in the last 3 days I had these creatures, that I was told were fishers, however they al had a wild gray/silver”lions” mane, a few had black and white rings up their total tails, the adults (there were about 6 babies, same markings, most all babies and adluts had a lot of white/silver markings) they would all just sit still and watch (me mostly) sitting on my screen porch that overlooks a lot of ferns) They would rarely move at all, it was creepy having them just sit and stare. Never heard “screeching” but they were about the ugliest animal Ive ever seen, and I”ve seen them all. And to top off last Sunday, a large mountain lion wandered into my yard (a condo) fearless…so where these fisher cats or WHAT? The adults were the size of a medium dog, very wild fur tufting out everwhere.
I live in central NY and my duck was swimming in the pond (as she does everyday). I looked out the window because she was quaking a lot and saw a long black cat-like thing hanging around her neck. My husband and I raced down to the pond and the creature ran into the woods. This was mid-day, very hot. Don’t know if it was out to cool off and happened upon her or if it was stalking her for days. So far she seems to be just shook up and badly chewed on, especially around the face and her neck! From what I read above it sure sounds like a fisher to me. I guess no more pond for our duck. d;(
We have beauty fisher cat in our backyard. Mostly he sleeps on tree branch or fence during day but screeches loudly during early morning either for mate or prey. They like catching chipmunk and squirrels. We used to have 14 squirrels but we’re down to 6. I never let my sheltie or Maine coon cat out unattended else they might get picked up by coyote. But I’m glad fisher cat has plenty of available food choices…. and leaves neighbor cats alone.
i just moved to dighton mass, and i was told by my neighbor if ive ever heard of a fisher cat and said i had to make it a point to look it up…she said we have them here and not to freak out if i hear screaming. she said it sounds like a child is getting murdered. and she warned not to leave my animals unattended. so now i am just waiting to hear this so called fisher cat. pretty scary after reading up on them…. yikes. to be continued if i have an encounter or hear one.
This has been driving me crazy? Trying to figure out what animal I saw the other day in my back yard. Now I know. It was most definitely a Fisher Cat! At first it reminded me of a beaver because it was low to the ground and had a black tail, and it was huge! All except there’s no water around me so that was highly unlikely. So did my research and this is what it was! Good thing my cat is an indoor cat! No worries here. Oh yeah and I live in the South Shore of Massachusetts!! Pretty neat animal these are!
We thought my sister had a Fisher Cat in her yard on the Cape…. thye were hearing an eerie sound that my 23 yr old niece described as a bunny being eaten… however it was very repetitive- this was occuring in the late afternoon. I witnessed an animal in her yard that resembled a fisher, but really wasn’t sure. They have large dogs and most wild animals avoid the area… well, today she heard the sound and followed it only to see a RED FOX making the very sound… enlightening!
my nana was walking her dog early one morning and she spotted this creature and described to me something with a long body, cat like and a bushy tale with a red/brown coat, i tried to match the description and when i showed my nana a picture of a fisher she said it was this, i live on the north east coast of england; is it possible for them to be living in a park around this area?
I saw the strangest animal in our yard today, and searched for mammals in Minnesota. When I saw the picture of a Fisher, I knew it was what was in our yard. I didn’t even know we had them in Minnesota. We live in a suburb of the Twin Cities, and have lots of wild life in the yard, but this was a first.
I saw five animals coming out of the woods across from where I work, in Wareham, MA.They scattered when they saw me.When I got home and described them, my husband told me they were probably Fisher cats. I looked up the picture, and he was right.They are quite pretty but obviously wild animals. I have read they are nocturnal but this was just after 5:00 PM and it was still quite bright outside. I so glad I got a good look at them!
We live in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and spotted a Fisher Cat yesterday morning. We were standing at the end of our driveway waiting for the school bus with our children when we spotted one coming up from the pond on the edge of our property. It was a about 50 feet or so away from us when it spotted us and stopped. It stood there and stared at us for a few seconds, and then went back the way it came. We have heard them many times in the woods on or property, but this was the first time we’ve actually seen one. After looking at the pictures on the website, it was definitely a Fisher Cat.
Just read an article from Maryland DNR that there are no Fishers on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. As they say on the Shore. O S A R. ( Oh yes they are) They are obviously not looking for them. They have been present for years. I haven’t seen an overwhelming number of them recently. I have one living under a shed just spotted yesterday. Gotta love the Government! LOL
Me and my friend were out in the woods
In boylston ma and we heard a sound like
A old lady screeming
I livein johnston,ri I heard the noise and smelled a skunk so I put my puppy on the porch for bathroom then I saw it his teeth OH MY GOD I know know it was a fisher I’m scared to take him out now!!!!
I have an animal in a live trap that looks like a fisher, but is silver to gray! Could this be a fisher? If no, what am I dealing with?
Just learned that we’re seeing Fisher cats down in Virginia beside the Great Dismal Swamp in the City of Suffolk, VA.
I thought that I was looking at some sort of hybrid or crossbreed. Oddly enough, only two of us have ever seen the one on the farm where we hunt. None of the locals have ever seen it on the blacktop.
It absolutely mesmerized me when it moved; but, by all accounts here, I’d never want to get penned-in with one! The farmer who grows soybeans says that he hasn’t seen any rabbits on that field and it’s usually loaded with them. Now we know why!
Driving home tonight east on Rte 23 in western MA, between Great Barrington and Monterey, cold rain, very little traffic, I had to shift the car in my lane to avoid running over a feline-type body horizontal across the center road line. I stopped to remove the animal — as a safety precaution for other drivers and in respect for the creature. Hands protected, I moved the body off the road. It was too large and thick-boned to be a domestic cat, and the fur and markings weren’t right for a cat, anyway. Especially the fur, but, well, it looked catlike, especially the face, but it had rounded ears… Strange.
I went online to check and yikes, it was a fisher! Bless its little heart; I wonder if it’s the one neighbors have reported off and on over the last year.
We live in Youngsville, NC. They supposedly don’t live here but we saw one in our backyard the other night. Our larger boxer-mix dog went ballistic on the back porch – almost going through the screen door to go after it. After doing some research online and knowing now that it is one of these fisher creatures, we are more concerned not only for our larger dog but especially or our 9-year old pug dog that may look like a tasty treat for the fisher. We now have a shotgun on the back porch with the understanding that if it ventures into range of our home and pets again, either my husband or I will eliminate it. We can’t take the risk of something that has the potential to be so vicious put our pets and the neighbor’s young children and pets at risk.
Hi wondering how big do you think that fishercat was? I saw one up in a tree in my backyard in the woodline yesterday and he or she looked to be HUGE..like the biggest raccoon I’d ever seen. It was definitely a fishercat because I saw him/her pretty up close about 4 feet away. It was NOT a raccoon and it’s fur was very dark brown with a long tail. I initially thought it was a maine coon cat but it was not as fluffy. It climed right into a hollow of a tree and it appeared to be digging around up there. I estimate it was at least 25 lbs, is that possible?
Oh meant let you guys know where we live . We live in Warwick, RI next to a wooded greenbelt. I saw the fishercat yesterday at around 3:00pm. It was right before it was going to snow a little dusting and the fisher cat looked to be foraging up in a hollowed out maple tree. He or she was about 25 feet off the ground up in the tree. It was interesting to see that!!
I live near Ely, MN and while making coffee this afternoon, here comes a fisher right by the window and ran up the hill behind our house. I had never seen one around here before, plenty of Pine Martens but first time for a fisher.
Thank you so much for posting the audio. I saw this animal the other night, not sure what is was until my husband said it was a Fisher cat, then tonight heard the screach. Came in, googled it and then I knew for sure. Very eerie…thank you everyone for the info, I will be keeping my dog in!
I was walking through the middle sex fells area on the skyline trail when I saw what looked like a small bear to me. It was about 30 feet away. I froze and watched it move like a cat. I realized it was more minx looking than a bear. It was creepy since it didn’t run away. I jumped around and yelled and it looked at me and took off fast into the trees. They are bigger looking in person. When I got home I googled it and came to this page. Yep it looked just like the photos here.
Had a close encounter with a Fisher tonight at dusk in Sharon, MA. Was hiking behind my house on a spur trail in Borderland Sate Park. I unwittingly spooked it, it jumped onto a tree and started jerking its body at me. I got the message and moved on………..
Just went out to feed my 2 horses and saw a Fisher cross the whole back end of our pasture. Odd thing was as it was running it held it’s tail straight up in the air! We have a 10 acre pasture with the rest of the 50 acres being wooded. This was at 4:00 PM. We live in Central Maine near Skowhegan.
i had a fisher cat in my yard eating a squirrel,when i dropped my book then the fisher cat hissed and ran off
We live in Fairfield Ct. in a wooded area. I am used to seeing deer, foxes and occasionally a coyote. I have never heard of Fisher Cats before today. I saw a strange animal on my property the last 2 nights and heard what sounded like screams in the woods a few nights ago.. At first I thought it was a fox or a cat that I saw. I asked some folks about it today and they said probably a Fisher. When I saw it last night I was out with my pup and she went after it, and it ran away through the fence. The animal I saw was much lighter in color – almost tan – than what I saw in all the pictures today. Has anyone seen any in a lighter color – or in the Fairfield area.
2/27/14 FITCHBURG, MA. SAW WHAT I THINK WAS A FISHER THIS AM (5:00). IT WAS RUNNING AROUND IN A WOOD LOT NEXT TO OUR HOME. SEEING YOUR PICTURES I’M SURE NOW THAT IT IS ONE.
We live in bucket gulch missiouri we was playin the hurdy gurdy outside when we heard an awfull screech that wuz a fishourasourus be we knowed it was ackshully godzilla so the old men pooed themselfs but they do anyway and if people dont stop buyin monsanto GMO corn products every one is going to be like a miltard old man, stupid and pooing itself.
On Oct 9th 2014 I was sitting on back porch around 9pm and I heard this awful hair raising scream/screech scary enough to make me put my cat on back porch overnight…I turned on my recorder to try and catch the sound it was making but it never made another sound that night… I tried to tell my husband about it but he didn’t pay any attention to me and just shrugged it off, I tried to look for sounds that screech owls make but no this definitely wasn’t what I heard …we live out of town surrounded by 35acres and the further south east you go from our house the denser the woods become I’ve heard ands seen all sorts of wild and tame animals around us such as deer, bobcats, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, and various other birds such as barn owls, hoot owls and etc. its nothing to hear 3-4 owls some nights the sounds coming from all directions and coyotes well lets just say they start out on one side and as they are howling and running they end up all around in just a matter of minutes… but this new sound that I’ve heard is really frightening to me nothing I’ve ever heard before if I believed in werewolves I would’ve bet that’s what I was hearing LMAO… I came outside again tonight Oct 11th 2014, around 8:30 it was eerily quiet and before I could sit down I heard that God awful screech/howl AGAIN….I tried to get it to replicate the sound to no avail so here I sit at 9:47 still hoping to record this strange sound… I got on the internet and typed in “animals in the south eastern part of the US that make strange screeching/howling sounds” and this was the first website that came up it looked interesting and I logged on just to see if there was some recordings of this animal you are calling the Fisher/Fischer cat and bingo I’m 99% sure this is my culprit…im going to call the Clemson wildlife extension tomorrow or maybe Monday since tomorrow is Sunday and see if they can come stake out this area and hopefully figure out if that is in fact what I’m hearing it seems that maybe it has taken up residence here for a little while anyway ill have to read a little more on this animal and see what their movements are if they camp out for a while or if they keep on moving…thx
I cannot understand why you would want to call some government agency who will lie to you about what they will do to the animal. This is what I have learned in my life. People are moving into areas that no one in their right mind would have ever dreamed of living. Earth movers can go just about anywhere for people to build but in the mean time the animals homes are being destroyed once again to man. Is the Fisher Cat causing you problems? If it is, other than scaring you, then I could possibly understand your concern for these nocturnal creatures can be quite destructive. My husband and I only have 10 acres with no chance of ever being able to add to our lot because we are land locked. But I share our property with the bears, the raccoons, who we live trap and relocate ourselves due to their destructive nature of killing our chickens, etc, We do not kill snakes unless necessary, I’m sure you get my point. So sit back and enjoy nature, keep your small animals in the house, out of harms way as well as yourselves, I feel it will move on. Throw a few fire crackers his way, I bet he will
I’ve heard foxes also make a horrible sound like that, and even worse a black bear. I still haven’t confirmed the black bear as the critter responsible for the hair raising scream/growl I heard last November deep in the Adirondacks. I’ve heard them “holler” before, but this sounded more like a sasquatch or something. The fisher screech/growl is definitely intimidating enough to get me to back off!! I wouldn’t mess with their cousin the wolverine, so I don’t think I would mess with the fisher either, unless I had to in order to save one of my big shot Jack Russell Terriers.
To anonymous who relocates wild animals (namely raccoons): Who gives you the right to trap something and put it somewhere else? Raccoons carry disease and will kill and eat cats – sometimes they just kill them for kicks and giggles. I’ve SEEN the remains. If I caught someone setting a raccoon loose anywhere near where I live, I’d press charges against them. Stop giving someone else a hard time for innocently trying to do the right thing by calling the legal authorities and for peace sake – STOP relocating wild animals that kill YOUR chickens to somewhere else where they may be doing who-knows-what.
As they do with nuisance bears (blanks or rubber bullets) firecrackers like anonymous said, or a low velocity bb or pellet gun (with shots to the hind quarters if possible) are often the best way to discourage unwanted predators from snooping around your property. It’s usually much more difficult with a bunch of chickens on your property. Foxes and coyotes usually can’t resist chicken and/or eggs for dinner, especially when squirrels, mice and rabbits are in low supply. They’re very determined and often can’t be stopped without lethal methods. I have little experience with fishers, except that I’ve seen the aftermath of a porcupine dinner had by one in the Adirondacks. I later learned that they can be quite savage like the wolverine they are related to, and are one of the few animals that regularly kill and eat porcupines. I had one in my yard last night headed for one of my Jack Russell Terriers, but only after the other two that were with him had returned to the house. I believe it may have been the dogs lucky break that I stepped out with a flashlight to see what he was barking at. It didn’t seem to want to change course at first, but as I yelled and kept the light on him he eventually altered course slightly and headed toward the neighbors back yard. My JR held his ground and then retreated to the house. The dogs have little fear, even when they should, and I was about to head out with a shovel to save his butt. Fortunately he didn’t go after the fisher, but if his siblings had been with him there’s no doubt they would’ve attacked. I think I’ll try the bb gun and see how that works. I’m also setting a trail camera out to monitor the local nightlife for a bit.
I mentioned foxes and coyotes, but forgot to add that anything in the weasel family should also be on that list, especially fishers.
The Government (with their brilliant knowledge) Imported the fisher cat from the North, down to CT. they did that to control the turkeys. Will someone tell me what harm the wild turkeys are doing? Furthermore, obviously our great intelligent government doesn’t know we have coyotes, wolves and foxes in CT. These Fisher cats are killing everything. My neighbors and I have been taking care of the feral cats. We have taken them in. We have caught them–got them fixed and have placed them. We still have some we have been feeding for years. We have places for them to get out of the weather. The fisher cats are killing them all, Thanks to are VERY intelligent Government. As I said, obviously that intelligent government has never heard, wolves, coyotes and foxes work with nature.
Amen
In mid
In mid-April, 2017, in Omaha, NE at a local community lake, I believe I saw a Fisher. I know Omaha, NE would be considered well south of its normal range, but am pretty sure I saw a Fisher. I know a bit about wildlife and I am not inclined to mistaken identities .
No wolves I Connecticut
My relative lives across the Missouri River from Omaha in CB Iowa in town and has a fisher cat that comes onto the porch. No fear in that guy. The rabbit population has disappeared.
Fisher cat has been sighted in Greenfield, Mass. slaughtered chickens then next day came back and removed thier heads left them in a pile !! then killed ducks and a turkey
We live in Geauga County Ohio and last night a fisher cat was through our front yard and into our woods and came back to the house across the street which has rabbits, ducks, sheep and goats. It was screaming for 20 minutes and very creepy. I believe it was hunting and found something at the neighbors (many animals).