Hoot Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 At 4:30 am I was awakened from a dead sleep on the enclosed back porch to something making an awful noise. At first I thought it was a woman, but within a few minutes I realized that it was an animal. I couldn't get a recording of it (I was too sleep dazed to think about it), but it sounded like a person yelling "HEEEEEEEEE." All of my cats came running to the screen, but i don't think any of them could see it because they didn't growl. I live in new the Mid-Atlantic states in a suburban neighborhood if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SproutMamaK Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Did it sound like terrified screaming? If so, it might have been a fox. (two different variants of the possible call at 0:40 and 1:03). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Peacocks or bobcats can often be mistaken for human screams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Fox! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Did it sound like terrified screaming? If so, it might have been a fox. (two different variants of the possible call at 0:40 and 1:03). Oh, my, some of those would have freaked me out IRL. Good to know foxes were so vocal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 I used to volunteer at a zoo so I've heard bobcats, foxes, peacocks, and cougars. I had a fox hanging out in the backyard for awhile, too. This wasn't quite like any of those. It was kind of like a cross between a woman, and an owl yelling HEEEEE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieMarie Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 There is an owl that did the same thing to me once. It sounded like screaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 A bunny can make that noise, but won't unless it is dying or in very deep distress. My cat has made a bunny make that sound. :( But if ALL your cats ran up to you, it probably wasn't that, since a cat wouldn't leave prey in that situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Screech owl? Elk thinking about breeding really early (doubtful if you're in suburbia)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 A bunny can make that noise, but won't unless it is dying or in very deep distress. My cat has made a bunny make that sound. :( But if ALL your cats ran up to you, it probably wasn't that, since a cat wouldn't leave prey in that situation. We were inside of a screened porch. They couldn't have gotten to whatever was out there even if they had wanted to. They came running from inside the house out to the porch where I was sleeping. I hadn't thought of a bunny though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Could it have been barred owls caterwauling? Here's a link. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barred_owl/sounds Listen to the second clip, pair caterwauling, and see if that sounds familiar. My guess is that what you heard was some sort of owl, if not the barred owl, especially since your cats came running in. Barred owls, however, are common in the mi-Atlantic states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Bobcat or another domestic cat? Cats can make sounds eerily resembling the screaming or crying of children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Another vote for it having been a fox. Foxes are adorable, but they make some hideous noises! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Nope. Definitely not a bobcat, coyote, fox, or cougar. We had those at the zoo and they all sound like variations of whining, yipping, screeching, screaming, crying, or barking. It also didn't sound like any of the barred owl sounds. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a house cat or dog of any kind. I sleep outside all the time and have never heard this sound before. This was just a single sustained note - HEEE. It sounded like a person, not necessarily a woman, yelling but not screaming. It never changed in pitch or direction and did not include any type of warble at all, but it did vary in length. There were about 5 - 6 HEEE sounds over the course of an hour with a very distinctive H sound at the beginning, not just EEEE, but HEEE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 A bunny can make that noise, but won't unless it is dying or in very deep distress. My cat has made a bunny make that sound. :( But if ALL your cats ran up to you, it probably wasn't that, since a cat wouldn't leave prey in that situation. I used to live on the edge of a golf course. You would have thought there was a murder out on the fairway every other night. It was owls picking off rabbits. The bunny death scream is quite alarming. This web site might help you figure it out: http://waterandwoods.net/2008/09/wild-animal-sound-bytes/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 I used to live on the edge of a golf course. You would have thought there was a murder out on the fairway every other night. It was owls picking off rabbits. The bunny death scream is quite alarming. This web site might help you figure it out: http://waterandwoods.net/2008/09/wild-animal-sound-bytes/ Oh wow. That's a lot of sound bytes. I'm going to go listen to all of them. :) This is driving me nuts. I almost can't wait to go to sleep tonight to see if it happens again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleL_55 Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 Did you ever find out what it was? I just heard the same thing. Low human-like “HEEEE” with nothing else. I was just trying to find out myself and came across this stream. It sounds too low to be a fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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