Do Hawks eat Cats?

We saw an eagle grab and fly off with a small dog who was right beside his owner, so a large hawk wouldn't have much trouble with a cat.

Hawks can and do kill cats.  I just had a very tough 16 lb feral cat that adopted me in Florida be killed by my home in the mountains of N. Carolina.  If you think they aren't that strong, you are sadly mistaken.  KEEP YOUR CATS INSIDE!  This young man was strong, ferocious and fast!  He still lost (    And, I lost the best cat I have ever been adopted by.

Last Sunday afternoon, DH and I were arriving at our church and I saw a huge bird in the grassy quad area. I think it had a ground squirrel in it's talons. It flew low and then right into one of the windows of the sanctuary! It made a loud boom and was stunned a few seconds, then flew off with its prey. I think it saw its reflection in the window and thought another bird was after its meal! Thank God the window did not break!

One of our friends think it might have been an eagle. Not a bald eagle but a different one. It was HUGE!!!!

A couple of years ago I saw a hawk grab a squirrel right off a tree <<<shudder>>>.  So I'm sure they will take a cat.  I have a feral that has never been bothered by the hawks or owls around here but there are plenty of mice etc. for them to eat so maybe it's a supply and demand thing.  I've even heard of small dogs being taken by some of the bigger birds. 
 

I know this thread is old, but it still has good information. Hawks, owls, eagles and falcons WILL take cats and small dogs.  I live in a small clearing in tall trees and I have seen red-tailed hawks that could take a possum or raccoon.  Even if they don't succeed in carrying the pet off, the talons will leave huge wounds.

Please, keep your cats indoors.

Yes, unfortunately. That and coyotes are always threats when it comes to working cats on farms and such--but even with modern technology, there's nothing that can equal a good mouser for pest control.

When Willow was a kitten, she was playing in the front yard with my mom watching her. A crow swooped down and tried to carry her off. Willow was a bit too heavy for it and when mom went running after them, it ditched Willow and flew off. Surprised the stuffing out of us all. Then two years later, when Buffy was a kitten, another crow tried the same thing, and again was chased off. Mom emphasized both times that the bird actually had the kitten in the air before dropping her. So if something looks like food, predators will at least consider it.

Thank you for sharing your stories and sorry for those who lost their cats!  I have a big ragdoll who I occasionally take out on a leash.  Recently we have had a couple of red tailed hawks hanging out in the back.  - all the squirrels are now hiding!  When I asked my family about this, they laughed.  But one flew down a little too close for comfort, do despite my cat's dismay, I immediately brought him inside.  So thank you for making me feel that I did the right thing and not overreacting!

Yes, in my area, I know two people who have outdoor cats.

Neighbor 1:
Cat lost, probably due to coyote
2 cats died of urinary problems -- possibly unrelated to being outdoors.
1 cat left out of 4.


Aunt:
1 cat eaten by owl
1 cat accidentally drowned in neighbor's swimming pool
1 cat run over by car
1 cat fell down stairs -- obviously an indoor issue, not an outdoor one.
They keep replacing their cats, though, so I think they still have around 4, although it might be more like 3.

These anecdotes are the main reason my mom and I have insisted on keeping our cats indoors -- although I AM looking into harness training. My mom doesn't think it will work.

Edit: I forgot to add the br tags, so it was all one long paragraph.

LLHH said:

Hawks can and do kill cats.  I just had a very tough 16 lb feral cat that adopted me in Florida be killed by my home in the mountains of N. Carolina.  If you think they aren't that strong, you are sadly mistaken.  KEEP YOUR CATS INSIDE!  This young man was strong, ferocious and fast!  He still lost (    And, I lost the best cat I have ever been adopted by.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I live in the mountains of NC too..Which area are you located in?

These stories are so sad!  I live in NY and recently there has been a few red tailed hawks that have made their nests in my neighborhood.  I noticed that the squirrels have been hiding but I was hoping that my Armando would be safe -- he is about 20 pounds.  The day I joined the group there was two of them that landed a little close to my liking so I had to scoop up Armando and bring him in.  So I guess I was not acting abit paranoid or over protective.  Thank you for your stories and warnings.  Again,  I am so sorry for the losses.    thinking about it gave me a couple of bad nights of sleeping!  Thank you again = Kim

I would never criticize anyone for being over protective of their cat, after all they're vulnerable and need our protection. You've got to do what you feel most comfortable with. I take my cats out on a leash everyday, and I doubt a hawk would come close with a human standing there. However, we have been chased by dogs a couple of times and had a few misadventures, so it's still a bit of a gamble I guess.

Yes, sadly they do. When I was about five, we took in a kitten named donut. My dad wouldn't allow her inside so she became and outdoor kitten. One day, we saw her on the driveway. At that moment, she was picked up by a hawk. She was tough and fought with it in the sky. But her little claws were nothing compared to his talons. It dropped her, and she landed really hard. Within minutes there was a pool of blood around her, and we knew that she was dead. Now my family learned the lesson to never have kittens outside. Only let them out when you think they're big enough and strong enough.

Welcome to TCS, hazzy123. We have bald eagles that nest close to me. I have seen some gliding over the house, looking for prey. These had wingspans of about 6 feet, and would probably have no problem carrying off an adult cat.  The best place for cats is inside, or out in a totally enclosed porch or pen.

If you will notice, the thread started 7 years ago and nothing has changed. Eagles, hawks, owls and such are going to take cats if they can.

I invite you to introduce your self and your cat(s) in New Cats on the Block.  Be sure to post some pictures of your furkids.

Hello, HyenaFlight.  You'll notice this post is several years old and hasn't been posted in for at least a couple of years.  

Please feel to introduce yourself and your cats in our New Cats on the Block forum.  

I live in a suburban area of Kansas City, Missouri.  Have been here almost 50 years.  We have cycles of high rabbit population followed by foxes.  A few years ago I had a fox run across the road at sunset with a 10 month old cat in it's mouth.  We also have large hawks, owls, raccoons and possums in the area.  I just lost my outdoor Maine Coon Cat who was 22 years old.  Did not see what got her but neighbor earlier in the same week swore he saw a large hawk with a small cat.  Despite her age she was in good health, spry, and critter savvy.  Seems to have disappeared between breakfast and supper..  She never much left our doorstep but fox, hawks, and raccoons in the area and we think it was one of those.