Boston missing pets - citizens believe fisher cats are to blame

In Boston, Mass., precious family animals are vanishing left and right and turning up deceased at a rising rate. Numerous residents are pointing the finger at fisher cats in the area. The wild, sharp-toothed, weasel-looking fisher cat has been seen in residential neighborhoods, and people are recommended to be cautious.

Possible fisher cat assaults reported in Boston

Residents within the Boston area say fisher cat assaults are the reason many animals are vanishing. Reports of missing animals continue to increase, and families are warned to take precautionary measures to protect their animals and small children. Numerous residents say that fisher cats have been spotted in people’s back yards, in fences and on back porches — right out in broad daylight. According to reports, a man from Andover was even able to record a video clip of a fisher cat spotted in a tree.

Linda Ribeiro, a Dover resident who has lost two cats and a dog, said she saw a fisher cat two weeks ago that was as big as a coffee table. “Almost looked like a sea serpent or something,” she said. “The head was up and then it came down to short front legs and then the back goes up and arches and then this long tail that’s stuck up in the air.”

What is a fisher cat?

Fisher cats are from the very same family as mink, otter, weasels and skunks. These medium-sized fisher cats are thin, long and low to the ground, and they will eat almost anything they can find. Fisher cats, according to Wikipedia, are among a few predators that will really try to find and kill porcupines. They are active throughout the year and are quite possibly most lively in dawn and dusk hours.

What to do

Missing posters across the region are turning up as troubled pet owners attempt to locate their animals that have vanished without a trace. According to wildlife officials, the fisher cat was nearly extinct not too long ago, but it seems the species has bounced back within the Boston area. For pet owners and families will small kids, the best thing to do is to remove or secure anything around the home that may attract the fisher cats. Get rid of garbage and compost and keep pet rabbits and birds also as their food secure, as the fisher cats “view domestic cats and rabbits as food and will prey on them when hunting.”