do hawks really prey on adult domestic cats? Tired of this!

Super grateful to have come upon this site. May have saved my 1 year old cat from an attack, or worse today. I live in BROOKLYN and let my 12 pound domestic tabby enjoy the sun, sitting next to me in the small cement yard. A large black hawk was going from fire escape to telephone pole to rooftop perch, seeking closer and closer vantage point to my cat, it seemed. He was crowing loudly and repeatedly...CAAW CAAAW. My cat was watching him and in a defensive stance. Tail straight out, crouched and low to the ground with head looking right at crow. Made me nervous and did not want to take any chances and found myself here. Thank goodness! My cat is now happily inside on the couch with me. The sun can wait. THANK YOU ALL
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Locking a cat inside all the time is like locking you kid in his room until he's 18. It's a very ignorant mis-informed person who thinks a cat should be treated that way. There are millions more birds than cats. Birds fly. Advantage bird. No compassion for the billions of insects, lizards, butterflies , etc eaten by birds? What do you have against the turkey, beef, fish, etc in cat food? They don't count? A dumb ass bird that gets caught by a cat is evolution in progress just like dumb ass people doing stupid things. Ever hear of nature or do you stay inside looking out at birds all day? Any objection to birds like hawks and owls that eat more birds in a week than my cats will get in a lifetime?

Why did you have to be rude? No one is gonna have any sympathy for a jerk.

You didn't have to be a jerk.

Can you really be certain of that? Unless you know every cat and bunny and survail the hawks all day, I think it's better safe than sorry.

Why the need to be rude?

a hawk (like all birds ) has hollow bones and would break his legs picking one up.

Well, believe me we kill over 400 cats and kittens a month in our parish each month at the pound along with about that number for pups and dogs...so you are absolutely are getting your wish ten fold. Which is about normal for all animal "shelters" control/pounds in counties and parishes. It is an abomination!!!!!!!

The irony behind you is that your vocabulary is so awful and yet you are accusing us of being dumb and uneducated. It is hypocrites like you that proclaim yourselves as knowledgeable yet you are the ones with the most faults.

They don't usually attack small cats, but they will if they are very hungry. Have you ever seen the size of their talons and just how sharp they are? They don't land and attack prey this size, they come diving from above talons out and they pierce the lungs and spine of their of their prey and often pierce other organs as well. They are a fearsome predator and like owls, they often attack animals bigger that weigh more than they do. For example Great horned owls often attack and eat skunks and raccoons and they are much larger and more powerful than the owl. The difference is is the long sharp talons that the owls use. They don't land on their prey, they dive into it at high velocity, talons out first.

A small hawk attacked my cat this morning here in Palm Springs! My cat is about 8-9 pounds. My cat saw the shadow and dove for a bush thwarting the hawk. Hawk got pissed and sat on the roof of the next door building scolding it for 2 minutes! My cat is cautious, but part Bobcat/African Jungle cat/domestic mix. All muscle!!! I would hope that had she been caught of guard she'd have kicked butt! But I witnessed an attack so anyone who says it doesn't happen is full of crap. I always am outside with her for this reason and coyotes. The wilderness is only a few feet away in all directions here in the desert. Posted 06/06/2015

I don't doubt that this happened, though it's not very common for it to happen from wild birds of prey. For example, my close friend, who lives within 5 miles of Boston MA, lost his domestic cat to some sort wild coyote at the back doorstep of his house early one morning.

He was shocked one night when he heard a ruckus at 3 am at his backdoor. When he investigated, he got there in time to see a wild coyote (team) running off with his cat, which, mercifully, was already dead. This was and is a densely populated neighborhood with regular urban traffic and normal street lighting.

Perhaps you recognize there's a difference between your location and the majority of others locations. However, the rarity of such an attack is not zero chance. You have my sympathy.

i just got back from the vet, a red tail hawk picked up my cat, blinded her in one eye, dropped her a long ways away, which broke her jaw. Her lip is also torn from her jaw. It happened in front of four of us, in broad daylight. We heard the flapping of the wings and the cat yowled..I never felt so helpless in my life...The cat went missing for five days, returned weighing just three pounds, and almost dead. Im just glad she is alive. My vet, said it happens more than you would think. I live in Saratoga Springs, NY, near the Adirondacks, but not in the mountains. I didn't let her out after dark...now she is an indoor cat. Feel free to verify with my vet, Dr Serfis, at Greenfield Veterinary Center, Greenfield Center, NY.

Welcome to A2K. I'm so sorry to read that. Pretty sad but at least your cat is alive and repaired as much as possible. There's no doubt that this happened, at least not from me. Jeez...Broad Daylight and in front you. Yikes!

I used to live in Clifton Park and I know how much wildlife is up there and up by Saratoga Springs, Milton, Ballston Spa. There's more woods than most people her can imagine. When you mention NY State to most people, they think of NYC; whereas that part of upstate NY is more like Maine and Vermont.

I had my cats there, too. Before I moved there, I lived in Westford Mass. After a few interactions there (with cars, skunks) they became indoor only. That part of upstate NY is pretty close to lots of Deep woods and wildlife and danger, even though there's lots of development and human noise. You have my sincere sympathies.

i was wondering my self because my girl friend came home from work and she told me that a doctor were she works said a hawk came by were he was on the porch with his cat and the hawk took it away. I said no way it must have been a bigger bird than a hawk is it possible it was a large owl. i am sure there are no eagles in rhode island.

it might be true but i would like to know why they dont go after the strays around my house because i have seen plenty of hawks do nothing to them for years.believe me i have been watching for this.

Actually,,,though you won't see them nr your house, there are some eagles in
RI. In fact, eagles have had a record yr in RI:
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150329/NEWS/150329197

I live in Annapolis, Maryland. We have wooded area that separates our community from about 5 others. However, development is expanding rapidly and the wildlife is squeezed into smaller and smaller areas. Deer regularly eat my plants, but I really don't care. I like seeing them romping around. We also have fairly large raptors that seem to continually circle over the trees and open areas. The biggest threat to outside cats around here are fox. The Fox can be seen during the daytime, sometimes they sit about 50 feet away and watch us. They will not let us approach, but they hunt cats at night and make a horrific noise when they try to corner a cat and can't get to it.

I've heard of small dogs being picked off by eagles or hawks but have never actually seen it happen. I did have an elderly Springer Spaniel named Chloe who was never the same after her companion died. I had her out in the back yard when suddenly a huge bird (possibly golden something or other) dove down right to my dogs back before he/she corrected and flew off. I think it was
obvious the dog was weak from the birds view, but when it realized how large
the dog really was (46 lbs) she/he knew he couldn't lift her, thankfully it didn't injure the poor thing.

One other thing, coyotes have been seen in the North part of my county as well as a few black bears. So far I haven't seen any, but it's just a matter of time.

I live in a suburb of Dallas, tx. I have just had the horrific and sad experience losing 2 large cats to a hawk in the last week! The first cat was discovered 1 street over in the neighbors yard. Horrible sight, every organ gone, the man that discovered the body said he had never seen such a thing!! Speculation was it was a coyote. I installed fencing to keep my other cats in the backyard...they like to lay in the sun on the back porch. 5 days later another one of my cats discovered in the same awful manner!! A hawk had been spotted in the area, and the animal control says a coyote would carry their kill off to eat, they say it was a bird of prey(hawk). For those who don't particularly like cats, I thought I was doing the responsible thing to make my own backyard a place they could go out and get some fresh air and lounge...no need to reply that we should keep our cats inside! And it is still very sad for any pet owner to lose a pet, but to be taken from their own backyard by a hawk is awful! I have learned my lesson about Hawks the hard way! So, yes they can take cats & dogs from your own backyard! Both instances happened between 3-6am, so I am trying to find out if early morning is their preferred hunting time or was it just a coincidence?? Both bodies were found 1 street over while neighbors were walking dogs 4-6 am.
I hope this is helpful...and to those who have lost sweet pets, my heart goes out to you.