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

It would take a really big hawk to pick up the Stinkster, and he's have a real fun time tryin to fly from there...

I would guess that the occuurence is rare, as easier safer prey is readily available. Birds are wary of cats by nature, even big ones.

RH

Out here, it is not uncommon to lose cats or pups to eagles, but they are one helluva lot heavier than two pounds. Even so, we still lose a lot more cats to coyotes and wolves than to birds of any type.

eagles are monsters im just talking normal red tail hawks which are almost the size of a raven

Red-tailed hawks will eat any animal that is raccoon-sized or smaller, even pets.




source

Of course, that information is from the internet and you may want to further your research, but in my humble opinion, (while I never personally witnessed such an event) I believe a red tail could manage to kill a cat with relative ease and dine at its leisure.

God I wish I knew for sure. I just came on here after a horrible afternoon and evening searching for my twenty year old female cat "Miss Kitty."
She was just recovering from a vet visit earlier in the week. She was getting some sun in my city/suburb backyard. I heard her meow angrily but not painfully. My dogs never even barked and they're usually in that part of the yard. We have tall walls around the house and she will not go far anyway.
There are tall trees all around our property and even though we're in a city neighborhood we do see red tail hawk, possum, maybe strays dogs but I can't believe any of those other animals would jump the wall.
Somebody even suggested human interference but all I can figure is she was walking across our fenced-in courtyard when something like a UFO or a predator bird just attacked. But I mean why would a bird like that risk breaking a wing fighting a cat, even an old one?? Can possum take cats?

Please help, we are grief stricken, in confusion and shock

Frederick Drury
Reseda Ca

Sorry about your missing kitty, ok321. Hawks do not have the strength to carry off a full grown cat. Most outdoor cats are killed by cars, idiots who use them for target practice, weasel type animals such as fishers and, if the cat can't climb a tree fast enough they could get trapped by a coyote. Possums are scavengers, if your elderly cat died in the yard it is possible a possum dined on it, but I think you would find the remains. City rats have been known to kill small kittens and weak adult cats, but again I think you would find hair and bone left behind as evidence. It may be your cat just crawled off into a little corner and expired. I would suggest looking in tight, hidden places around your yard or a close neighbors.

Thank you so much Green Witch. We have determined it was a foraging female possum that must have taken Miss Kitty. They would have seen her alone in one of the rare times the dogs were not in the yard too and attacked her in broad daylight. I've checked with neighbors and they informed me of these creatures occassional activity. I talked to some Possum folk who defended them like they were as harmless as goldfish but added "unless they're hungry".
Anyway, our holidays have been turned into a deeply painful time. Devils took our old friend-girl. Miss Mew, bye bye..

Stop the press for a moment please, I just had a wildlife expert/official tell me that diseased raccoons as well as hungry possum will attack a cat in daylight hours.
I had no idea my city neighborhood was in reality a Juraisic Park for my little ones to contend with. I intend to post warnings locally to other pet owners.

Yes sorry for the worries re your kitty cats here. I agree that a redtail hawk would have a difficult time taking more than a very young kitten but, should that happen, one should not despise the hawk for hunting for its supper. It has no understanding of the affection you feel for your cat or even that the cat has any use than be food for the hawk. Hawks can lift about 1/3 of their own weight and the redtail hawk weighs about four pounds. Their prey, therefore, consists of mostly very small mammals (mice, young squirrels) and other birds.

Most cats around here succumb to unrestrained dogs, foxes or coyotes. A small cat or kitten could easily be taken by a golden eagle or large owl, however, and many are here.

When we lived on the mountain just east of Albuquerque, I remember one pristine winter morning following a heavy snow. We had shoveled to the end of the driveway. No vehicles had passed on the road as yet, but there were tracks of some small animal--not a rabbit--stretching into the distance. In front of our house the tracks stopped and there was an area of disturbance in the snow. From that point on we could see only the impression of wing tips of a large bird hitting the snow several times before it finally gained altitude.

Thank you for your concern Foxfyre and of course I would hold no resentment toward any species for it's nature. Hawks are specially protected in all states as any licensed hunter can tell you they are not to be shot or trapped, unless you don't mind a year in prison with a hefty fine. If however a diseased Racoon or city trapped Possum is a threat it would be prudent to call the authorities as well as defend your family and pets from attack in any way possible.

I have personally watched an Osprey (of all the odd ones to hunt on land) take a swipe at my 5-lb chihuahua. I've also seen an eagle try to grab a 20-lb northern pike out of the lake only to do a faceplant in the water. Its not whether or not they can actually do it, its whether or not they try. One good hit with some talons digging in is more than it takes to permanently damage (or instantly kill) a cat.

OK321 - raccoons sound much more likely than eagles, who don't generally frequent urban locations. We had one beauty fly over Central Park a while ago >

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,239472,00.html
> taking an Atlantic bass to his family up the Hudson, but I never heard of them landing in back yards. I also doubt that hawks could lift anything heavier than a mouse. Sorry about your kitty, at least she didn't suffer - sounds like it all went very fast.....

I've just spent the last six months after losing my cats and moving from the city to the high desert mountains. A neighbor has stray cats crossing his property as well as kittens and the three, large, red tail Hawks that live in a big tree above the property NEVER take anything larger than mice. Not even small rabbits. I even helped one that got hit off the highway and it was as light as it was large.
So, the whole hawk hunts cat thing is complete bunk. Raccoons are the problem in the city and the city won't do anything like trapping them. They actually advise hiring trsppers! If you love your pets and family, be responsible where raccons are concerned and shoot them...

I was reading my previous post and noted I omitted a phrase re the weight of the red tail hawk. I should have said the largest red tail would go no more than four pounds. The average weight would be 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. With the redtail lifting no more than 1/3 of its own weight, any critter close to a pound would not likely be in danger from a redtail. In truth though, any hawk would take a baby rabbit or small kitten if it was readily accessible and the hawk was hungry or had babies to feed. Up on the mountain it was the eagles, coyotes, and owls that plagued the cats and it took a very smart cat to survive. Those who did knew how to keep themselves out of trouble, however.

As for the raccoons, yes, a raccoon will aggressively and competently defend itself if attacked or threatened by a cat and of course will defend its babies if the cat should threaten them, but it has been my experience that raccoons and cats pretty well ignore each other and keep out of each others' way. My daughters's cats and the resident raccoons have always co-existed quite peacefully in California. I think it would be pretty unusual for a Raccoon to hunt or attack a cat that was minding its own business. Raccoons do like catfood but there is no reason to go randomly shooting raccoons.

(Once tired of raccoons coming in through the pet door and raiding her kitchen, daughter installed an electronic pet door activated by a special collar on the cats. It was effective though one of the less adaptable cats never quite got the hang of it and had to be let in and out manually ever after.)

wow what a joke cats being taken by opossems? God some of you are so gullable if any if you really looked into it u would realize that cats INDEED prey on opossems

I Think a lot of you are confusing domestic cats for rabbits a rabbit is a prey species that is taken by many animals a domestic cat is a medium sized predator

Some of u are just so silly its really shocking that an adult human would come to such a stupid conclusion maybe u should get ur heads checked lol

I would add that i have raised many possems that needed to be fostered NO WAY IN HELL COULD ONE take a cat out EVER ! They are less predatory than cats even

raccoons do not eat cats either in ottawa at the parliment u will see at least 20 wild racoons sharing their food and living space with about 50 cats not once has anything ever happend

Also someone said rats will take a cat? LOL what next mice take a cat?

THe only DNA proof of any wild animal they know for sure takes cats in this area is coyotes according to 30 inspected cat left overs each one was killed by a coyote and nothing else!

Opossoms are gentle creatures - I asked a wildlife specialist because one was coming into my yard. My cats were curious, but they left each other alone.
A hawk however was after my boy cat last summer - she was protecting her nest and apparently he may have threatened a baby. It was horrible - she would swoop down at him. finally I had to keep him inside until the fledgings left.
Now a year later another hawk has come back - she is very big - bigger than a red tail cooper hawk.
Does anyone know if (fingers crossed, Blackie doesn't piss this one off) if a LARGE hawk can take a cat? Pumpkin is smaller (10lbs) and she may get caught in the cross fire.
but i doubt it was a opossom who took your cat (I'm sorry!). They are gentle and misunderstood critters.