Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've encountered a good half dozen fishers (at least 4 I know to be different animals) since my first post here...and they have all run off when approached.
Granted they look like scary buggers...and sound like scary buggers...but Coyote are a MUCH bigger worry up here.
I'd also watch out for your cats- stray dogs, coyote, even some raptors will injure/kill a cat that's alone outdoors.
Fishers aren't vicious...they need to eat. You provided them lunch. You're on their turf, not the other way around. If you're now supervising your cats and dogs when you let them out you shouldn't have any problems....no need to shoot or hate them.
Actually, I don't like the anthropomorphism implicit in the idea that we're on their turf. They don't own any turf. We have the "turf" ownership concept. Even thinking about turf intersection is meaningless. What they see, they want or avoid for reasons of their own. Taking an ownership perspective on their behavior is misleading & fraught with human policy problems. The way I see it, a self-defense perspective is the way to go. If they're not bothering you, leave them alone. If you fear trouble -- whether immediate or impending -- defend yourself, your loved ones, and your property.
This is a most informative thread! It gives me lots of ideas & information about aspects in prep for my move to NH that I wouldn't have otherwise thought about. Thanks, gang!
Actually, I don't like the anthropomorphism implicit in the idea that we're on their turf. They don't own any turf. We have the "turf" ownership concept. Even thinking about turf intersection is meaningless. What they see, they want or avoid for reasons of their own. Taking an ownership perspective on their behavior is misleading & fraught with human policy problems. The way I see it, a self-defense perspective is the way to go. If they're not bothering you, leave them alone. If you fear trouble -- whether immediate or impending -- defend yourself, your loved ones, and your property.
I think you're getting a little too literal and focusing on semantics.
How bout this?.....When you move into a habit occupied by certain animals, don't be surprised when you see said animals.
It's not what you want to hear, but as a previous vet tech who has seen too many pets get sick, injured or worse from outdoor dangers, every pet owner is responsible to keep their pets safe. There is danger ourdoors--wildlife attacks, hit-by-car tragedies and even parked cars ("fanbelt kitties") are the most obvious. There is also danger in parasites like ticks (lyme disease), mosquitos (heartworm) and giaradia (in water)... We can't prevent the cars from driving down the street any more than we can eliminate every possible predator, even from our own backyards or porches. Instead, we keep our dogs on leashes and our cats inside. It means supervising them if we chose to take them outside, ESPECIALLY at night, when nocturnal hunters like fisher cats and coyotes are out doing what they do. Attack can come from above as well--larger owls or hawks may snatch a smaller cat or dog (didn't that happen to some starlet's small pocket-size dog a couple of months ago??) Choosing to live in a rural area will expose our pets to danger that they may not be able to handle... Remember that hunters will usually target the slowest, smallest, youngest or sickly prey, which makes a housepet easier for the taking. Our domesticated pets lose many of the instincts that keep wild prey alive for another day... .
Even more importantly, when a domestic pet is attacked by wildlife, you should be taking extreme precaution not to expose yourself or others to the rabies virus. Being present in both blood and saliva, rabies can be transmitted even through the smallest wound. Wearing rubber gloves to clean your pet is a must, and a rabies booster is in order, even if your pet is up to date. Once an animal shows signs of rabies, it's too late--rabies is fatal 100% of the time
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiger4lunch
About 1 month ago, around 8 p.m. I heard some noise on my deck. I went outside and was met by a large fisher cat. <snip>About 2 weeks later, one of my cats was outside, and it was around 7:30 pm. <snip> He had bit away several clumps of fur from his head and back, but there was no blood. After about 1/2 an hour, the cat amazingly started coming back to life, and luckily was o.k. All of his front claws were broken off except for the ones that go up by the wrist portion of his paws. He put up a tremendous fight, but if I wasn't home, he was dinner.<snip>
Now we only let our cats and dog out for a few minutes with supervision.
These fisher cats are vicious and I think look at our house as a "Hometown Buffet" for cats. We've live here for over 12 years, and our cats have always gone outside during the day. The oldest are 8 years old and we've never had a problem before. <snip>I'm hoping they will move on after awhile, but until then, we have to be extremely careful with our pets. Don't
believe that they won't go after your pets, I've seen them up close, and they will. Also, they don't seem very intimidated by humans, and I would be very worried about small children around them.
OK, so wildlife doesn't 'own' any turf. They can't understand our laws or why our pets are any different from any other prey. It comes down to taking responsibility for our pets. We wouldn't let our 3 year olds play unsupervised in a city playground, or on the street, nor should we let our pets roam unsupervised and unprotected against threats that can come from so many directions. If we as their owners & guardians cannot live with this responsibility, then we should either not be pet owners, or seriously consider the level of threat in a particular area...
Quote:
Originally Posted by lreznick
Actually, I don't like the anthropomorphism implicit in the idea that we're on their turf. They don't own any turf. We have the "turf" ownership concept. Even thinking about turf intersection is meaningless. What they see, they want or avoid for reasons of their own. Taking an ownership perspective on their behavior is misleading & fraught with human policy problems. The way I see it, a self-defense perspective is the way to go. If they're not bothering you, leave them alone. If you fear trouble -- whether immediate or impending -- defend yourself, your loved ones, and your property.
This is a most informative thread! It gives me lots of ideas & information about aspects in prep for my move to NH that I wouldn't have otherwise thought about. Thanks, gang!
When we first moved to the Lebanon area in 2001, our vet and neighbors told us to keep our cats in at night - found many people who lost cats to fishers. Coming from PA as we did, fishers were new to us and had an interesting story, at least in the Leb area: in the 1950s, there was a porcupine problem, veggie and flowers beds and lawns torn up by the porkies. Fishers were brought in to curb the problem as they could flip the porkies over to kill them. Well, they did a good job, porcupines eradicated and the fishers flourished! Now the Upper Valley is overrun with them.
OK, so wildlife doesn't 'own' any turf. They can't understand our laws or why our pets are any different from any other prey. It comes down to taking responsibility for our pets. We wouldn't let our 3 year olds play unsupervised in a city playground, or on the street, nor should we let our pets roam unsupervised and unprotected against threats that can come from so many directions. If we as their owners & guardians cannot live with this responsibility, then we should either not be pet owners, or seriously consider the level of threat in a particular area...
I agree. That's why the "It's their turf" argument is mistaken and misdirects attention away from the important aspect: defending yourself, your loved ones, and your property. Everything you wrote identifies reasonable defensive behavior: supervision & protection against threats.
I agree. That's why the "It's their turf" argument is mistaken and misdirects attention away from the important aspect: defending yourself, your loved ones, and your property. Everything you wrote identifies reasonable defensive behavior: supervision & protection against threats.
Well said. It's nice to be one with nature and all that, but when extended members of our "family" are being attacked, we do what we need to to protect them, especially when the "attack" is taking place within our dwelling. We are the "people" the most important ones.
I have a butload of fisher cat pelts in the garage if anyone has a use for them?
Do you have enough to make a full length coat for my wife? She is about 5'6" and extra skinny, and is always cold. Her birthday is coming up......
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
lloking for pelts?
