[arel]

Originally posted by VT girl:

Fisher Cats do prey on House cats JUST HOUSE CATS not kids or dogs and a fisher cat has been knowen to go through a storm Window to get to a house cat and they make a hell of alot of noise at night, I have 4 cats 3 are indoor cats and 1 is indoor or outdoor and so far he has come home everyday and there are Fisher Cats in my area
05-11-2007 11:00 PM

When you say "go through a storm window", do you mean breaking through a screen? Or just coming in through an open window?

If a fisher cat can get through a normal screen, can one break through the new "pet-proof" or "pet mesh" screens? We have them here in NYC. Can you buy such screens in VT?

Do they ever sneak in through the door as you come in? I would imagine they would if you leave the door ajar.

In Brattleboro, I have been told, they not a threat in town. Only in West Brattleboro, which is near the forest.

I guess I would need to live in town, not in the rural areas. It terrifies me to think of a fisher cat harming or killing my cats, especially after I brought my cats there from a place that has always been safe for them.

[nhyrnut]

Originally Posted by arel

Originally posted by VT girl:



When you say "go through a storm window", do you mean breaking through a screen? Or just coming in through an open window?

If a fisher cat can get through a normal screen, can one break through the new "pet-proof" or "pet mesh" screens? We have them here in NYC. Can you buy such screens in VT?

Do they ever sneak in through the door as you come in? I would imagine they would if you leave the door ajar.

In Brattleboro, I have been told, they not a threat in town. Only in West Brattleboro, which is near the forest.

I guess I would need to live in town, not in the rural areas. It terrifies me to think of a fisher cat harming or killing my cats, especially after I brought my cats there from a place that has always been safe for them.

Yes they have been known to push or scratch open screen window and doors, enough to get through them. But it is very noisy and if you are home you will hear it.

[arel]

How do you protect against that? Are there special screens designed to keep fisher cats out? Or are there special techniques to protect windows from fisher cats just as we in large cities have to keep burglars out? There are lots of times when the cats are alone in the house, and if their people are sleeping they are almost alone.

Would a dog help, assuming the cats could tolerate one? A mid-size or larger dog, but preferably not one who would attack or kill the cats.

I have see Jack Hanna with a fisher cat on TV. The animal appeared squirmy and focused on trying to get out of Jack Hanna's arms, but he was held in his arms, not on a leash, etc.

I realize fisher cats are solitary and nobody's favorite animal, but has anyone tamed a fisher cat or made friends with one? They have a reputation of being viscious, but not towards people.

Maybe I could bribe the animal not to come into my house after my pet cats.

I suspect that, to a rural person, these are ignorant questions, but I am from Brooklyn, NY, where the primary dangers to cats are disease, cars, abusive people, negligent people and now poisoned cat food.

[nhyrnut]

I honestly have no Idea. I know a good riffle is a decent deterrent You want to be wary of rabies as well. If a fisher cat has them it will pass it on to your kitty, upon bitting it. If yours is lucky enough to get away. Anyway I have only known 3 or 4 people that have lost cats, due to fisher cats. So I wouldn't worry about it to much. I am over 30 and Have ALOT of country in my family. With only 4 cats gone I would say the chances are slim. Unless you have some barn Cats Best kind there is ya know. They fend for them selves and You don't do nothing but watch them.

[mcmartian]

screens in windows are really not that secure. my cats have chewed their way out, so I just don't keep the window fully open.

but you said you ahve 5 cats. I wouldn't worry too much then as long as you keep them indoors. I have 5 cats and when they are taken out of the house, they are such sissys. But in their own home they strut like tough stuff.

If something ate it's way through our windows screens, most of my cats would be on the other end of the house in a second. But my mother cat and the alpha male would be at that window ready to defend their territory. And I've seen the other 3 come back and help them form a circle. together they make a fierce pack. My mother cat is very aggressive towards groundhogs, and "non family member cats". The alpha male prefers to take on large dogs.

if your cats are anything like mine, they'll take care of their own pack in the home. just take minor percautions and keep them indoors.

[arel]

I have "pet mesh" screens in my big window, so that the cats can't (hopefully) chew or scratch their way out. Other windows are kept open only partially, so cats can't get out (and burglars, again hopefully, can't get in).

My friend in Brattleboro (in town) has an indoor-outdoor cat, and so far he is fine. My friend said that fisher cats are not a problem in town. An acquaintance in West Brattleboro, who first told me about fisher cats (I had not heard of them before) said a cat-sitter accidentally let a cat out and the cat has never been seen again. She suspects the cat was taken by a fisher cat.

Have you heard of pet mesh (pet-proof) screens? Can you get them in Vermont?

My cats are all indoor cats.

Thankfully, I have a foyer, so I can close the door behind me when I open the front door. This gives some peace of mind.

[Tupperpatr]

Fisher cats are a problem with domestic cats here in Jericho. We have personally lost 2 cats. You do not want to let your cat stay out all night or even in the early dawn hours in certain areas of Vermont. The second cat was attacked in the early dawn hours (I let him out around 5:30 a.m. on a summer morning). I personally in my 27 years in VT have ever heard of a fisher coming into a home after a domestic cat. Urban legion???

The best advice I have for you is talk to your local vet when you move to your new home. They will know of any localized problems with fishers.

Best of luck!

[vter]

I've lived in VT pretty much my whole life and have never heard of a fisher coming into peoples homes either!
We let our cat outdoors, during the daytime only. He's in the house whether he likes it or not by 7pm. We've seen bobcats on our property and don't want to risk it!

[arel]

I've heard of cats that were part bobcat. That would indicate that bobcats sometimes mate with domestic cats. True? Or urban legend (make that rural legend)?

Tupperpatr, I am so sorry you lost your pets to fishers. It must have been devastating to realize they had been attacked.

Here in Brooklyn, NY, sudden death for cats almost always comes from cars. Wildlife on wheels.

[West mountain]

I lost my entire flock of Chickens to a fisher this weekend. I live near the Great Sacandaga. The little bastard cut through my chicken wire ate through the door of the coop and tore the neck out of every one of my birds. I intend to trap and kill everything on 4 legs that wanders onto my property for the next year at least.