How to Keep a Fisher Cat Away
Remove any food sources., Protect your pets., Remove decaying organic materials from your yard., Buy a guard dog or rooster., Recognize a fisher cat’s attack.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Remove any food sources.
One of the best approaches to keeping fisher cats at bay is to remove food that will draw them to your property.
Fisher cats are predators that will be drawn by food sources if you leave them in your yard.Fisher cats will eat berries and fruit when it’s available, but they also like to eat dead fish.
They are carnivores for the most part, though, and feast on rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, mice, reptiles, insects, and dead and decaying animal flesh.
This means you should get rid of rats and mice infestations before fisher cats come running to target them.
Seal all garbage cans, and don’t put food out for animals.
Don’t leave out cat food, for example.
Although they favor meat, fisher cats might still be attracted to wild bird feeders, seed beneath the feeders, or water sources in your yard. -
Step 2: Protect your pets.
Fisher cats are vicious predators, so don't assume that small pets will be any match for them.
Protect them to ensure they are safe.
Fisher cats have been known to stalk and kill house pets.Occasionally, fisher cats go after and kill house cats, so if you’re having a fisher cat problem, keep the house cat inside, as well as any small dogs.
Larger dogs may actually keep fisher cats at bay.
If you're not sure, it's best to keep your pets inside the home until the fisher cat problem is solved.
There have been accounts of fisher cats attacking human children, but this is rare, as they usually go after very small mammals. , Fisher cats like to find places to nest.
Thus, they might be drawn to your lawn if it has a lot of decaying, organic material around it.
Get rid of the organic materials, and they will make a den somewhere else.
That means things like logs, stumps and brush.
Getting rid of such items and clearing the lawn will keep the fisher cat more at bay.Trim brushes and trees.
Mow the lawn regularly so that they have fewer hiding places.
Locate your coop away from woodlands.
If your chicken coop is situated right next to the fisher cats’ natural habitat, they will find it more easily.
Woodlands contain many predators that will target chickens, not just fisher cats. , One way to protect your yard from fisher cats is to have a large guard dog to keep them at bay.
Some larger dogs will scare off fisher cats, although make sure to get the right breed because fisher cats prey on smaller pets.A large farm dog will spot many predators, bark, and chase them off.
Make sure, though, that you don’t choose a dog that itself might attack the chickens instead of guarding them (terriers and greyhounds).
Good choices for guard dogs for chickens are Old English Sheepdogs, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Great Pyrenees.
Roosters are also aggressive and provide some protection.
They will sound alarm calls, and will even sacrifice their own lives for a flock of laying hens.
They won’t be a match for a fisher cat, but they do help sound alarm. , Fisher cats are not pleasant creatures.
They are vicious predators.
Chicken owners especially need to be very vigilant about fisher cats because chickens are probably the fisher cat's favorite food.
They will often raid chicken coops and are capable of killing many chickens at once.
They might try to drag them away.
The neck and head will be gone, and the breast might be open too.
They might reach through a fence, if they can, to grab a chicken.
There are many predators that can kill chickens.
Determine whether you live in an area where fisher cats exist before taking steps to prevent them.
The habitat of fisher cats is in North America, especially on the East Coast.
You won’t find them on other continents.
They usually operate within 10 square mile areas for females and 30 for males.
They are found in the United States as well as in Canada.
The males will usually move through their chosen area about once every two weeks.
They usually go in a straight line when traveling. -
Step 3: Remove decaying organic materials from your yard.
-
Step 4: Buy a guard dog or rooster.
-
Step 5: Recognize a fisher cat’s attack.
Detailed Guide
One of the best approaches to keeping fisher cats at bay is to remove food that will draw them to your property.
Fisher cats are predators that will be drawn by food sources if you leave them in your yard.Fisher cats will eat berries and fruit when it’s available, but they also like to eat dead fish.
They are carnivores for the most part, though, and feast on rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, mice, reptiles, insects, and dead and decaying animal flesh.
This means you should get rid of rats and mice infestations before fisher cats come running to target them.
Seal all garbage cans, and don’t put food out for animals.
Don’t leave out cat food, for example.
Although they favor meat, fisher cats might still be attracted to wild bird feeders, seed beneath the feeders, or water sources in your yard.
Fisher cats are vicious predators, so don't assume that small pets will be any match for them.
Protect them to ensure they are safe.
Fisher cats have been known to stalk and kill house pets.Occasionally, fisher cats go after and kill house cats, so if you’re having a fisher cat problem, keep the house cat inside, as well as any small dogs.
Larger dogs may actually keep fisher cats at bay.
If you're not sure, it's best to keep your pets inside the home until the fisher cat problem is solved.
There have been accounts of fisher cats attacking human children, but this is rare, as they usually go after very small mammals. , Fisher cats like to find places to nest.
Thus, they might be drawn to your lawn if it has a lot of decaying, organic material around it.
Get rid of the organic materials, and they will make a den somewhere else.
That means things like logs, stumps and brush.
Getting rid of such items and clearing the lawn will keep the fisher cat more at bay.Trim brushes and trees.
Mow the lawn regularly so that they have fewer hiding places.
Locate your coop away from woodlands.
If your chicken coop is situated right next to the fisher cats’ natural habitat, they will find it more easily.
Woodlands contain many predators that will target chickens, not just fisher cats. , One way to protect your yard from fisher cats is to have a large guard dog to keep them at bay.
Some larger dogs will scare off fisher cats, although make sure to get the right breed because fisher cats prey on smaller pets.A large farm dog will spot many predators, bark, and chase them off.
Make sure, though, that you don’t choose a dog that itself might attack the chickens instead of guarding them (terriers and greyhounds).
Good choices for guard dogs for chickens are Old English Sheepdogs, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Great Pyrenees.
Roosters are also aggressive and provide some protection.
They will sound alarm calls, and will even sacrifice their own lives for a flock of laying hens.
They won’t be a match for a fisher cat, but they do help sound alarm. , Fisher cats are not pleasant creatures.
They are vicious predators.
Chicken owners especially need to be very vigilant about fisher cats because chickens are probably the fisher cat's favorite food.
They will often raid chicken coops and are capable of killing many chickens at once.
They might try to drag them away.
The neck and head will be gone, and the breast might be open too.
They might reach through a fence, if they can, to grab a chicken.
There are many predators that can kill chickens.
Determine whether you live in an area where fisher cats exist before taking steps to prevent them.
The habitat of fisher cats is in North America, especially on the East Coast.
You won’t find them on other continents.
They usually operate within 10 square mile areas for females and 30 for males.
They are found in the United States as well as in Canada.
The males will usually move through their chosen area about once every two weeks.
They usually go in a straight line when traveling.
About the Author
Joshua Harvey
Brings years of experience writing about creative arts and related subjects.
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