I CAN HAS KITTEH?
Posted on 07/08/2009 8:52:47 PM PDT by Chet 99
Thursday, July 02, 2009 By LORI STABILE lstabile@repub.com
BELCHERTOWN - Ellen M. Majka was inside her home on Prescott Hill when she saw a bald eagle swoop down into her neighbor's yard.
It was the first time she saw a bald eagle in the neighborhood.
But even more surprising was what she saw in its talons when it flew back up - a black cat.
"I've never seen anything like that in my life. I was shocked. I said, 'Oh my God,'" Majka said.
The incident happened early, just after 6 am. on June 23.
According to eagle experts, a bald eagle capturing a cat is not impossible, but highly unusual.
"I believe it is within the realm of possibility and has been documented elsewhere. Bald eagles are capable of taking domestic cats," William J. Davis, district manager for Worcester County for the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said Wednesday.
While the main diet of bald eagles is fish, Davis said they are opportunistic and will eat squirrels, turtles, even Canada geese. They are also known to feast on animal carcasses, including deer.
Interestingly, when eaglets were brought to the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1980s from Nova Scotia, wildlife biologists there believed that the adult bald eagles were preying on feral and barn cats that lived near a lake, Davis said.
Ralph E. Taylor, district manager for the Connecticut Valley wildlife district for the state agency, agreed that a bald eagle taking a cat would be unusual.
(Excerpt) Read more at masslive.com ...
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That’s why you’re not supposed to let your cats go outside!!
Apologies to Peter Gabriel:
‘Wind was blowing, time stood still...
... eagle flew off with a cat’...
I’m glad my mini Jack Russell dog is pleasantly plump. We have a fence to keep out the coyotes and wolves, but the eagles and owls are another matter.
Kitty Ping
Bet the cat lived and now has 9 lives left.
JJ61
I CAN HAS KITTEH?
Talons cut the cats spinal cord. Sorry.
I heard the biggest killer of songbirds in the US is feral and domestic house cats.
Payback’s a bitch!
I meant to say 8 lives.
Good job, bald eagle!!
Had a Golden Eagle in Utah show up every time I walked my puppy.
If that cat was to jump on the eagle while it’s on the ground then I would probably put my money on the cat.
I keep my eagle on a leash.
And cats hold grudges
Yes. You'd have to raise the fence height to around eight feet and cover the entire yard with chicken wire. That would do the trick but the expense would be considerable.
You would lose your money, and your cat.
I’ve seen cats hunt and I’ve seen them take down big prey, especially birds of prey. I’ve seen domesticated cats take hawks and owls out of trees.
Lol!!
Wheeeee!!!!!
I’m sure the neighbors would love it too. LOL
Times in the Obummer economy are even hard in the Eagle’s lair ... when Eagle mom has to go shoppin for cats.
I have seen them with a fish or a snake, but a cat is a heavy animal for an eagle to get off the ground.
Great picture...where did you find it?
Especially my cat, Beaux. He’s 10 pounds and only 9 months old!! What a porker!!
Our cats go outside, and we have eagles living in a tall tree on the edge of our property. The cats seem to be aware and always stick to the cover of bushes and don't run in the open.
Sammy Davis Jr.?
The cat had little chance - I have seen a bald eagle dive, kill and take off with a large goldeneye duck. Also witnessed one knock a small halibut from an otter’s mouth and steal it - another time, near Chichagof Island in SE Alaska an octopus was trapped in a pool at low tide and about 25 eagles were tearing him to pieces. Turned him into an octoplegic, so to speak.
lol!
Eagle was going for the cheeseburger. Cat got in the way...
Um, how would one go about getting a eagle to..um..get rid of a cat?
Just, you know, theoretically. With illustrations would be help..um..ah..
Of course don’t miss understand me. I just want to make sure I don’t exactly do ..er ..have O’l Piss Floors have an accident.
I don't trust that people actually know what a bald eagle looks like....
most people call elk "moose" and wouldn't know the difference between a caribou and a elk....
eagles, contrary to the soft and fuzzy and noble image that the leftists and animal rights groups like to foster, are meat eaters as well as fish eaters...they'll go after carion just as aggressively as magpies or vultures.
I live in San Diego county and I see Golden Eagles from time to time. Large Owls, Hawks etc are common in the subdivision I use to live in. I was always concerned about letting my cat lounge outside on the upper deck for fear of being carted off by some flying critter.
John
I’v heard that cats kill 50% of the bird population each year....
No way. Eagles are 10-15 lbs of pure hell. Cat wouldn’t have a chance.
FWIW, since eagles are carrion eaters there were some reservations about it being the National Bird.
The choice was between a Turkey and an Eagle. Turkey was considered a more noble bird but Eagle won out.
John
Oh boy, I lived in a neighborhood in a desert. I had an Alaskan Malamute which had wolf in him. There was a St. Bernard next door and a German shepherd next door to that. Everyone knew to never leave a dog out in a fenced yard at night. A pack of coyotes jumped the fence and all that was left of the German shepherd was an ear.
It would suck for the 101st Airborne (!) to be wearing a screaming turkey on their shoulder.
The eagle may be discussed here, but for raptors my choice would be the Great Horned Owl. I have rehabbed both of them and the Great Horned Owl is pretty darn tough and I think a cat would be nothing but food for a Great Horned Owl.
Yup.
Even if the eagle failed to get it’s claws into poor little Sylvester, ONE SWIPE with the beak would slice through major arteries clean enough you would think a surgeon did it with a scalpel.
I just knew that I loved Bald Eagles for a reason!
Once my wife and stepdaughter who was about 10 at the time left town for a 2 day trip to Palm Springs.
We had a cat that was a threat to get outside. All she wanted to do was rolly polly around on the concrete but still, in coyote country you know not to let animals outside as a habit.
Last thing I asked Allie was if Chrissy was inside. She said yes.
Well when we get back Sunday nite, no Chrissy. Allie went to pieces thinking that the cat was outside and in the belly of some beast.
I looked for that cat for about 30 mins until finally it comes out of the bushes crying for me. I just knew that she was ok. Cats aren’t stupid. I bet she didn’t get more then 10 feet from where I found her the entire weekend.
Allie was the happiest little girl in the world when I brought the cat to her.
Nothing like the sound of a pack of coyote ripping a living animal to pieces.
Makes you wonder why nature has to be so cruel.
John
Coyotes are just looking for food. They've got to eat too. You don't need a pack for a cat. It only takes one for that.
Ft. Bragg has coyotes...my daughter lost her cat that way.
An Eagle is a Buzzard with good PR.
One of our neigbors lost 3 pugs to coyotes. One after the other. As a matter of fact, I was the last one to see the last pug she bought. He came running through my yard about and hour before dark with 2 other dogs. I thought then that that was the last of Buddy. Sho nuff, he was never seen again.
They have gotten to where they have no fear of man. I had walked outside early one morning about day break and this coyote comes prancing down my driveway. He gave me a causal look and just kept on going.
It was a place to live. I had a resident Hawk, and Owl, a family of Skunks, family of Quail, chipmunks, gophers, Rabbits you name it. I was saw a huge deer with a big rack jump the face down at the end of the fence. One neighbor said he saw a Cougar while riding his bike in the back.
I sold he house in 2004 and moved but looking back that was great place to live in. I love to see wildlife.
John
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