[arel]

Are cats at risk only at night? Are cats safe during the day?

My cats are indoor only.

I live in town, but when one cat ran out of the house one night, I was practically in a panic until I got her back inside. I was thinking of fisher cats, although I have been told they are not a problem in town.

I am thinking of buying property in a more rural part of Brattleboro, but one thing I worry about - a lot - is cat safety. I am looking for a place with a foyer, so I can close one door before I open the other. But I have a foyer here in town and a cat still got out. The outside door was not properly latched and I think it opened spontaneously. She hasn't tried to get out since, though.

I also want to have a screen door for the front door, but right now I am in a rental and what I can do is limited.

Indoor cats on window sills have been known to be taken by fishers. Probably the window was open. I wonder if screened porches are safe. Can fishers (or other wildlife) tear thorugh screens? In Brooklyn, I was able to get pet-proof mesh screens, but I wonder if they are available up here.

I would guess that if housecats can claw thorugh regular screens, then fishers can, too.

I never even heard of fisher cats until about 2-3 years ago.

[GypsySoul22]

My neighbors cats are outside all the time. I wonder if she knows about fisher cats..

Are they in 'populated areas' too?

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

My neighbors cats are outside all the time. I wonder if she knows about fisher cats..

Are they in 'populated areas' too?

Yes! Rutland City kitties have been preyed on by fishers and other animals. I can't imagine not knowing if my cats would be coming home. I lost a cat that way 20 years ago and I'm still horrified. Did she suffer? Die quickly? I'll never know. And I'll never let my cats roam again :-(

[Tupperpatr]

30 years in Vermont and I have never heard of a fisher tearing screens to get at a cat. Our neighbor has a beautiful screen porch where her cats spend the day and have never had a problem.

[Jo Anne Meginnes]

We now live on the Olympic Peninsula but lived in Vermont for 32 years. The last town we lived in was Brookfield and it is definitely true -- there are fisher cats there. They make a horrible eerie scream when they have killed something and we were unlucky enough to have one living near our home for many months. Fortunately our cats and dogs survived but we made sure to keep them in at night. They were first brought to Vermont to deal with the porcupine population that got out of control. Well now there is a fisher problem too. The only way you can deal with them is to have pole traps, we were told, and if you have a cat around you don't want that. Forget shooting them too. The good news is that they eventually move on.
Funny thing though is that about 3 years ago the wildlife department out here decided that they should reintroduce fishers to the Olympic National Park. Great idea (I'm being sarcastic of course). Little do they know what is in store for them after about 10 years when they start wandering down to the towns on the coast. Maybe the coyotes here can fight it out with them when that happens.