Are fisher cats the same as fishing cats?

No, fisher cats are not even cats. The fishing cat is a small wild cat species that spends a lot of time near water courses and takes aquatic prey animals as well as non-aquatic prey animals.

Below are some details regarding these entirely different species with similar names 😊😎

Image: MikeB. I have presumed that the images are now in the public domain. Wrong? Tell me in a comment please.

Fisher cat

Here are 10 points about the fisher (Pekania pennanti):

Carnivorous Mammal:

• The fisher is a carnivorous mammal native to North America.
• It dwells in forested areas, covering much of the boreal forest in Canada and parts of the northern United States.

Not a Cat:

• Despite the name “fisher cat,” it is not a cat. It belongs to the mustelid family.
• The fisher is closely related to the American marten and Pacific marten.

Monospecific Genus:

• The fisher is the sole species in the genus Pekania.
• It is sometimes called a pekan or wejack in various Native American languages.

Predators and Fur Trade:

• Fishers have few natural predators besides humans.
• They were extensively trapped for their fur, leading to their extirpation from parts of the United States in the early 20th century.

Fur and Appearance:

• Male and female fishers look similar, but males are up to twice as large.
• Their fur varies seasonally, denser and glossier in winter, and more mottled during summer molting.

Hunting Behavior:

• Fishers prefer hunting in dense forests.
• They are agile climbers but spend most of their time on the forest floor.

Scavengers and Encroachment:

• While fishers usually avoid human contact, encroachment into forest habitats has led to conflicts.
• They may scavenge dead animals, especially when hungry.

Historical Decline and Recovery:

• High pelt prices in the 1920s led to unsuccessful attempts at fisher farming.
• Conservation efforts have allowed the species to rebound, but their range remains reduced from historical limits.

Barbed Tongue and Adaptability:

• Fishers are skilled climbers and excellent swimmers.
• Their barbed tongue aids in catching prey.

Resilient and Adaptable:

• The fisher is a resilient and adaptable species, capable of being both a nuisance and a pest controller in various ecosystems.

Fishing cat

Here are 10 points about the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus):

Medium-Sized Wild Cat:

• The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat native to South and Southeast Asia.
• It dwells in wetland areas, including rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, swamps, and mangroves.

Distinct Appearance:

• Fishing cats have deep yellowish-grey fur adorned with black lines and spots.
• They are about twice the size of domestic cats, with a stocky and muscular build.

Size and Weight:

• Adults have a head-to-body length ranging from 57 to 78 cm (22 to 31 inches).
• Their tails measure 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 11.8 inches).
• Males are larger, weighing 8 to 17 kg (18 to 37 lb), while females average 5 to 9 kg (11 to 20 lb).

Vulnerable Status:

• Since 2016, the fishing cat is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
• Populations have declined severely due to wetland destruction.

Nocturnal Behavior:

• Fishing cats are primarily nocturnal, active during the night.
• They are skilled swimmers and can cover long distances underwater.

Diet and Prey:

• Their main prey is fish, which they catch by diving into water.
• They also consume birds, insects, small rodents, mollusks, reptiles (including snakes), and carrion.

State Animal of West Bengal:

• In India, the fishing cat holds the honor of being the state animal of West Bengal.

Threats and Conservation:

• Destruction of wetlands poses a significant threat to fishing cat populations.
• Conservation efforts aim to protect their habitats and raise awareness.

Civet-Like Appearance:

• The scientific name Prionailurus viverrinus reflects its viverrine or civet-like appearance.

Unique Adaptations:

• Fishing cats are excellent swimmers, allowing them to thrive in their wetland habitats.
• Their specialized hunting skills make them fascinating and vital members of their ecosystem.

Remember, the fishing cat’s aquatic lifestyle sets it apart from other wild cats! 🐾🎣

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Social media tempts teenagers to skive and the family cat benefits!

High rates of school absence because of Internet addiction in teenagers leads to social media tempting teenagers to skive, stay at home, and as a consequence be company for the family cat. 💕😊 - if there is one.

If a person is prone to stay at home no matter whether they are a teenager at school or a worker at work, they will be with their cat more often and it would be an antidote to what I see is a major problem with domestic cats: separation anxiety as their owner is at work all day and the kids at school.

The story is about Internet addiction in teenagers concerns skiving and not going to school but for me this is as much a story about that as it is about keeping the cat at home company. 💕🙄

A study decided that teenagers skive as mentioned. It found that teenage girls seem to be more vulnerable to this than boys and more vulnerable to excessive use of the Internet. The more often a teenager uses the Internet the more likely it is that they are addicted to it.

The research took place in Finland. They took data from a national biennial survey. They asked children how much they neglected friends and family and failed to eat or sleep because of their time online. They asked how anxious they were when they weren't online.

Just over 2% of the more than 86,000 children in the school years eight and nine (aged 14 to 16) in Finland who participated were found to use the Internet excessively. Girls were 96% more likely than boys to fall into this category.

3 to 4% of the children reported high rates of absence from school. Those who spent excessive amounts of time on social media had a 38% higher risk of truancy. They also had a 24% higher risk of medical school absences.

The researchers decided that digital media may be tempting teens to stay at home and avoid school which affected their learning. The research is published in the British Medical Journal's Archives of Diseases in Childhood.

As you can see the study was based on self reporting from teenagers. They may have overestimated or underestimated the amount of time they spent on social media online.

Excessive Internet use is not the same as addiction. There is no agreed clinical definition of Internet addiction. It was suggested by another scientist that the research does not help understand the effects of Internet use in children.

But as mentioned above, I would suggest that there is one benefit if there is a family cat. They have some company and social media Internet addiction can remove the problem of separation anxiety for domestic cats.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Cats are taking over Hollywood. Great.

It seems to me that Hollywood producers have finally and conclusively switched on to the fact that having a cat in their film enhances its appeal. They have been in films before as we know but it appears that they are more often in Hollywood films nowadays than in the past. 

Film star ginger tabby cat at the Oscars 💕😊. This is a fictional individual!

Here are some examples and a possible reason why cats are taking over Hollywood at the moment. My personal reason is that the Internet has changed people's perceptions about the domestic cat a lot.

Domestic cats are featured in billions of videos and still images. There's a lot of discussion about the cat breeds and cat behaviour. People are far more aware and in tune with feline behaviour and feline attributes. The same goes for dogs but perhaps in a slightly lesser way.

Cats are currently having a big Hollywood meow-ment, with top creatives increasingly casting them in dramatic roles for live-action projects. Let's explore why cats are stepping into the spotlight:

Maine Coon in "Ripley": In Steven Zaillian’s acclaimed Netflix limited series "Ripley", a Maine Coon named Lucio plays a significant role and has been dubbed “a main character.” Lucio's majestic presence adds depth to the show.

Lupita Nyong'o and Her Tuxedo Cat in "A Quiet Place: Day One": In Paramount’s upcoming film "A Quiet Place: Day One", Lupita Nyong'o portrays a woman trying to escape an alien invasion alongside her tuxedo cat, Frodo. The feline companion adds tension and emotional connection to the story.

Ginger Cat in "The Marvels": Last fall, Disney’s "The Marvels" featured a deadly super-powered ginger cat named Goose. This unusual casting choice highlights the growing trend of giving cats more substantial roles in live-action films.

Scottish Fold in "Argylle": In Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy "Argylle", Bryce Dallas Howard's character is on the run from assassins, accompanied by her Scottish Fold cat, Alfie. Despite initial reservations about using a cat, Alfie became a central character in the movie's marketing campaign.

Why Cats, and Why Now?

Why? While there’s no single reason, several factors contribute to this trend: Zeitgeist: Cats are currently in the cultural zeitgeist, capturing attention across various media platforms. Taylor Swift's cat, Benjamin Button, even graced the cover of Time magazine as “Person of the Year” .

Internet Love: The internet's fascination with cats, from memes to viral videos, has elevated their status and made them endearing to audiences worldwide.

In summary, cats are no longer just props; they're taking center stage in Hollywood, proving that even notoriously independent and unpredictable animals can shine in the spotlight. 🐱🎬.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Academically gifted postgraduate university student with a history of abusing cats is REJECTED

NEWS AND OPINION: This is a another story from China and as it happens another story about a Chinese university student. I've just written about a Chinese university student who was expelled because of his alleged abuse of his pet cat in an horrific manner. In this instance, the student who is named Xu is reported to have a history of abusing cats and as a consequence he was rejected by two top Chinese universities. China Daily reports on this and is the source of this blog post.

Academically gifted postgraduate Chinese student. This is a fictional creation. Not a real person.

It is alleged that he was abusing cats in his dormitory at Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Like other cat abusers he posted videos of his miscreant behaviour online. This took place in February. In one clip he is shown putting a cat in a bucket of water and treading on the cat's head.

The videos were evidence against him. He was investigated and interviewed with his parents. He admitted wrongdoing and promised not to repeat it.

He is an engineering graduate. He was applying for a masters program at Nanjing University School of Physics late in 2023.

He had the highest total score among the applicants for the course but was nonetheless rejected because it his alleged cat abuse. It indicates that the University is taking a moral stance.

There appears to be no definitive statement from the University confirming that he was rejected because of his cat abuse but it is reported that "his abuse of cats may have affected their decision."

Chinese citizens commenting on the University's Sina Weibo blog urged the University to be cautious about enrolling Xu. The comment indicated that morality plays a role in selecting candidates. One commenter said: "Morality prevails over intelligence and academic performance".

The former editor-in-chief of Global Times wanted Xu to be given a chance. He said that posting the video of animal abuse was clearly a serious mistake but indicated he thought he had potential psychological problems. Notwithstanding that, he suggested that "society should provide the student with an opportunity for correction, allowing this young person to have prospects and hope."

Hu wanted the student to progress in life and be given the opportunity to do so. Comment: the big question here is whether Xu has the capacity to correct his behaviour because as Hu stated it appears that Xu has mental health problems. And therefore he needs treatment and he needs to be certified as being mentally well enough to participate in such a course before being allowed to do so.

Comment: The Chinese government needs to make that all important step of introducing general animal welfare laws to protect all animals. Laws can change opinions and attitudes as they gradually embue the citizens with a different attitude towards animal sentience and welfare. Animal welfare laws can indirectly set moral standards as is the case with the UK's Animal Welfare Act 2006

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Student expelled from Chinese university for badly abusing his pet cat

Guo Xiang kept a pet cat in the dormitory and allegedly abused the cat many times. The Facebook post says it all actually although the story is reported on the website of Global Times.

This image is from Facebook. I have cannot verify that this is the man involved.

The executive council of the university issued a document expelling Guo after following the relevant provisions of the Jiangxi Normal University Student Disciplinary Management Measures.

"According to the decision of the office meeting of the school, Guo, who kept a pet cat in the dormitory and engaged in multiple acts of animal abuse, which led to a major negative public opinion on the internet, causing a particularly bad impact on the school. At the same time, Guo also engaged in spreading obscene videos, skipping 12 classes, and other violations of school rules and regulations. According to the relevant provisions of the disciplinary measures, Guo has been expelled from the school."

From Jiangxi Normal University Academy of Fine Arts (Yaohu Campus):

"Completion opinion: Hello, citizen! Your message has been received. In view of the fact that student Guo Xiang kept a pet cat in the dormitory and abused the cat many times, and the cat abuse caused major negative public opinion on the Internet, which caused a particularly bad impact on the school, the school office decided to agree to expel student Guo Xiang according to the relevant provisions of the "Jiangxi Normal University Student Disciplinary Punishment Management Measures". If you have any objections, please call the Jiangxi Normal University Student Affairs Office: 0791-88120145 for consultation. Thank you for your support and understanding of Jiangxi's government service work."

Comment: I was surprised to read that Guo kept a pet cat in his dorm. He seems to have kept the cat as a recipient of abuse. Quite horrendous. The complaint from commenters is that he was not prosecuted for animal cruelty but that is completely unsurprising for me as there are no general animal welfare laws in China to protect pets under the circumstances described.

There was no chance of his being prosecuted for the crime of animal cruelty as the crime appears not to exist in China 🤢😢.

The Global Times reports:

On March 29, a netizen posted a video claiming that a male student at the campus had been abusing cats in the dormitory over an extended period. In the video, the male student punched and kicked the cat, and ruthlessly beat it with a hanger, causing the cat to cry out in pain when it was knocked against the door.

Guo was reported by a fellow student on March 29th, 2024. The university was very concerned (reported) and investigated. The concern was about the university's reputation which suffered harm. I hope they were also concerned about the cat.

There is no report on the state of health of the cat and/or what happened to him/her which is indicative of the anthropocentric nature of the reporting (human-centric nature of reporting meaning it all turns on human behaviour).

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.