Conference misery::feline_v1

    "KEEP ALL ANIMAL'S INSIDE!!!"
    
    They are the most viscious animal we have here in the east.
    Call the game warden in your area and see if this is true,
    and are they on the increase. When we lived in North Conway we
    had a bob cat in our neighborhood and had to keep our cats in
    for two months, and walked our dog on the leash. We never went
    our at night around our garage, or near cars in the driveway.
    He finally moved on.  Spring came and the food supply became
    more abundant in the wild. You could hear him growling, and
    screaming at night. Raise you right out of a sound sleep.
    
    It was nice to go back to our usual schedule after he had gone,
    and we could let our animals out on their own. The were scared
    also. When that wildcat would growl and scream their ears would
    go back and they would come to us for that safe feeling.
    
    Let us know what you find out.
    
    Barbara

    Re .1 (Barbara):
    
    Bobcats can be mean -- but they're cats.  They can even interbreed
    with the domestic variety.  If raised from kitten... er, cubhood,
    there's an _even_ chance that they'll domesticate.  If they do,
    though, they're _very_ protective of what they consider theirs;
    people who raise them should have very brave friends.  The larger
    lynx is harder to domesticate.
    
    I once met what my vet in Huntsville, Alabama, told me was a domestic-
    bobcat cross.  His name was Archimedes, and he was a dignified old
    gentleman of some 14 years.
    
    Since I don't believe in letting kitties roam, though, I concur
    with your "Keep all animals inside" cautionary.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    The Fisher is a mustelid, and hence related to the weasel, martin,
    ets.  Range is normally from central VT & NH north, and from the
    East to West coasts.  Prized fur!  Almost black with white tipped
    hair that gives a frosty tinge to the coat.  Runs from 3 to 12 pounds,
    and gets to about two feet long.
    
    Gary
    
    P.S. Eats Porcupines!  One of the few animals that does.

    I live in Central MA and saw a fishercat two springs ago.  There was an
    exhibit at the Spencer Fair last summer of wild animals which confirmed
    what I saw.  I agree with .1 - they are vicious.  
    
    My grandmother had a domestic cat/bob cat kitten.  I don't remember his
    personality, but it was different seeing a cat with a Bob Cat's ears
    and tail.  I have never seen a wild Bob Cat though.

    
    
    	Fishercats are in N.H.  We live near the Milford/Mont Vernon
    area and our neighbor lost 4 ducks to them this past winter.  At
    night you can sometimes hear them, and they sound like a baby
    screaming.  It's a very disturbing sound to say the least.  All
    domestic small animals should be carefully monitored.  They usually
    come out around dusk and stay out all night.
    

    What is a mustelid?  Not in my dictionary -

    I have seen a fisher (once) on Mt. Wachusett in Central Mass.  Also,
    others have seen their tracks.  They look like an ENORMOUS weasel,
    and have sort of a 'bumpy' way of moving -- their long body sort
    of humps up.  They can move very quickly.  Some of the guys that
    spend a lot of time in the woods tell me that they're shy -- so
    if you had one around your house, probably it was because food was
    short, or the animal was injured (and unable to hunt 'wild' game).
    Probably thought a nice plump tabby would be a toothsome morsel
    especially when you consider that they (Fishers) normally eat
    porcupines.  Any animal that would eat a porky would probably eat
    a 2x4, if they got hungry enough (porkies eat mostly pine trees
    -- and their scat looks like sawdust!).  Anyway, be on the lookout.
    
    --Abbie, Clem, and Tyler's door-opener.

    A mustelid is a member of family Mustelidae.  This family includes
    skunks, weasels, martens and minks.
    
    Gary

    My cat clan and I live in Haverhill, Mass. which is right on the
    N.H. border near the coast. We have always had fishers here. In
    fact, the farmers in the area used to get great bounties on them,
    they used to be so heavily populated in the area. They got scarse
    for a while, but according to local wildlife experts all the
    developments in the area have really brought them out of the woods
    again. Their cry in the night is just horrid. There is nothing like
    it. It truly sounds like someone being murdered, or a baby screaming
    at the top of it's lungs. They certainly do kill any small animal,
    and viciously too. I don't let my guys out at night!