Fisher Cats on the Rise and Prowl

If you've heard strange noises in the yard that sound like screeching, or maybe even a child screaming, chances are you have a fisher cat nearby.

And if you have a house cat that roams outside, take precautions. Fisher cats are skilled predators. The only known predator of porcupine, Fisher cats will turn to other small mammals for an easier meal.

"They love cats," said Milford's animal control officer, Rochelle Thomson.

In recent weeks, as have calls about The creature — a cousin of the weasel — is located throughout Milford, according to Thomson. Complaints about them have increased in the past five years, she said.

Because they live high up in trees, and shy away from humans, many people don't even know they're living around them, Thomson said.

The animals have a reputation for being fierce, but will not generally attack people. They are, however, aggressive hunters of rodents and mammals. Two fisher cats, hunting together, "took down a deer" in a yard, Thomson said.

And housecats don't have much protection against them. The animals will climb up trees after their prey. According to information from Mass Wildlife, fisher cats have sharp, retractible claws and can weigh up to 16 pounds. Males are larger than females, and can reach up to 3 feet in length, from tip of the tail to head.

According to Mass Wildlife, a state agency, the fisher cat was eliminated from the state in the 1800s due to lost habitat, but beginning in the 1960s, they started making a comeback. They are now abundant in the suburbs of Boston, where trees provide nesting areas and squirrels and other small mammals are plentiful.

Although residents call animal control with concerns about the creatures, the officer does not have any authority to remove them unless they are rabid, Thomson said. "Unless they're rabid, we can't touch wildlife like that."

Mass Wildlife authorities advise residents to take precautions, including keeping rabbit hutches secured and keeping cats inside at dusk and dawn, when the animals are more likely to be hunting for prey.