MassWildlife has issued a warning to cat owners around the Boston area to keep their cats indoors.
It seems as there is an increase in the number of fisher cats in the area and they are not really nice.
Even though their name implies that they may eat fish..they are more likely to eat rodents or your cat. In fact the fisher is one of the only animals that can kill a porcupine.
While most fishers weigh between 4-11 pounds they do have records showing one as big as 20 pounds.
They normally live in wooded areas in Canada and as far south as Oregon and West Virginia in the United States.
At one point these animals were close to extinction due to hunting for their fur. But, hunting was put in limits back in the 1930′s, since then the fishers have been coming back. Maybe the fact that they were hunted for their fur is what has given them the bad attitude?
Fisher cats normally shy away from humans but, if cornered they will get nasty. I’d avoid getting to close to one as they can carry rabies.
Now that you know a little about this animal that is not really a cat but rather a part of the weasel family…you can go over to House cats, be warned: Fishers are back on prowl to read the full story about the sighting and what is going on in Mass with these animals.
Even though they stress to keep your cats inside, I would watch out for your dogs also. If you have a small dog it could be killed. A large dog may not be thinking and corner one of these animals and could end up in an emergency room.
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Tues, May 31, 2011:
This morning a young fisher cat (all gray) attacked my cats on my deck. I rescued them all, and the fisher cat ran next door briefly. I live in West Acton, on Billings street.