I\'ve recently discovered that there is a fisher cat roaming the yard. My husband and I heard it last night for the first time (and boy, did that freak me out!). My dog was able to scare it away but does anyone know if they have a tendency to come back to the same area? My rabbit is outside in his hutch so I\'m concerned about him. Will a fisher cat try to get at him in his hutch? Thanks in advance!
For those who might read this and don\'t know what a \"fisher cat\" is...
The Fisher is a medium size member of the mustelid (weasel) family often compared to the American Marten, a slightly smaller mustelid, due to many shared habits and characteristics. The \"fisher-cat\" is neither much of a fish catcher nor is it a member of the cat family, though it does resemble a house cat in general body size and shape and has slightly retractable claws as does a cat, but the fisher has shorter legs and a longer, wedge-shaped snout. The fur on a fisher is dark brown to black, as an animal ages the hair tips may become ‘frosted’, especially around the head and shoulders. (I have attached a picture so you all can see what it looks like.)
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Many female Fishers, at this time of year, have a litter they are caring for. They are hungry. Unless there is ample food supply nearby (rabbits are a favorite food source) and your dog continues to be a good deturrent, the Fisher may very well return. Better to be safe than sorry. Make sure your rabbit\'s hutch is as impregnable as possible. If you have chicken wire for the sides of your hutch, replace with 1\" x 2\" welded wire, 14-16 gauge. Make sure the welded wire sides are fastened securely to the
outside (if you have a wooden frame) of the framework of your hutch. Hopefully, your dog will keep this intruder away.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Thanks - our hutch is about 4 feet off the ground so I\'m hoping they can\'t climb up into in anyway, but I do hear they are great climbers. The wire we have on the cage is stronger than chicken wire and it\'s secured to the outside of the hutch. The box for him to sleep in is very secure too as I use small luggage locks to latch it shut. I usually don\'t latch the front door but I think I will from now on. I, too, am hoping the dog can keep it away. She\'s a doberman so she\'s very vocal and fears nothing.
Thanks for the advice (as usual)!
And with the noise those fisher cats make, I would hope that would be enough to scare my little Baxter right back into his shelter box! Man, is that creepy!
Very interesting reading! I\'ve never heard of a fisher cat, but I wondered if it was related to a weasel, and now with Charlcie\'s help I see that it is! Where do they live and what sound do they make? I live in Ohio and have never seen a weasel, although I\'m sure we have them.
Fishers have a chilling scream very much like that of high-pitched child. Creepy...
Their range used to be a lot larger, but they are mostly found in the Pacific Northwest mountains (Oregon and Washington) and as far south as the southern Rocky Mountains. Probably won\'t see any in Ohio. They used to range throughout the Appalachias into North Carolina, but logging and trapping have radically reduced their numbers.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Charlcie Wrote:Fishers have a chilling scream very much like that of high-pitched child. Creepy...
Their range used to be a lot larger, but they are mostly found in the Pacific Northwest mountains (Oregon and Washington) and as far south as the southern Rocky Mountains. Probably won\'t see any in Ohio. They used to range throughout the Appalachias into North Carolina, but logging and trapping have radically reduced their numbers.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
I\'m in Southern NH so they\'re up here apparently. I\'ve been here all my life and never seen or heard one. Charlcie is right, it\'s a VERY chilling scream. I honestly thought someone was being attacked outside my house. I made sure my rabbit was safe and secure in his hutch and I checked on him again this morning like I always do and he seemed to be calm as usual. Thanks again for your help!
I\'ve never heard of them refered to as a \"fisher cat\"...we just call them fishers around here (NW Montana). They\'re also very elusive here (maybe because there\'s plenty of room away from humans) and are rarely seen (or heard). I totally understand your concern for your rabbit, and as usual, Charlcie has great advice about the hutch. We live where bears (both black and grizzly), coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, and foxes roam. I love living where such things are part of the equation, but I do admit, there are times that I stress a little and hope that our double fencing scheme is secure. Good luck.
I\'ve wondered how they\'ve become known as fisher \"cats\" here in NH - must be a New England thing. Actually, Fisher Cats is the name of our AA baseball team, oddly enough.
Anyway, we also live in a wooded area with lots of wildlife but I\'ve never know my rabbit to be threatened by anything out there. We mostly have coyotes but bears have been known to walk through the yard - they usually go for the bird feeders. Luckily, my rabbit seems to be in a good spot where he\'s kind of protected from being out in the open. I always check on him regularly when I get up in the morning and twice when I come home from work.