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

For your information last night my cat was attacked by a hawk or owl. We heard a noise, got out of bed to discover my cat was being attacked by a hawk or a owl couldn't tell it was dark. We seen the hawk peaking chunks of hair out of my Siamese. What's really ironic is my cat has never been out side( like it should be for all cats) my cat was sleeping in front of a sliding screen door exposed to the fresh air like always and the hawk punctured through the screen and pulled my 11 year old cat out and proceeded to try to eat him. We finally got to the mess and the hawk or owl took off like nothing happened. I believe the hawk was not injured. My cat is seriously hurt. he will make it but it will be a slow recovery. So you dumb uneducated people need to do more research.

Hawks do not hunt at night. It could have been a large owl like a Bard.

I have lived near three hawks for several years now. We also have feral kittens that come around that we sometimes catch and adopt out. Having the hawks in a tree above our yard, observing them in all conditions, I can tell you they never take cats, any size. They don't even go after the considerable bunny population here, just rodents and occasionally a bird such as a dove.
We did find out the hard way however that keeping our cats walled in from Coyotes was not effective protection from Raccoons. These devils will come around your cats for months like they're one of the gang.
After they've sized the situation up they will kill and partially devour a full grown cat as well as kittens. City animal control and police will not respond to any Raccoon report unless a human is being threatened and trappers charge hundreds to thousands of dollars to catch them, assuming they can.
After losing three cats we finally discovered these masked devils were responsible and made the only mature and humane decision, to kill them before they did any more harm.
Frederick Drury
LA CA

Yeah well, as for Opposums, I only suspected them at first because of the bite marks I was finding on my dead cats. Apparently the Possums would try and finish off what the Raccoons didn't want .
Now I know better; that Raccoons will cohabitate and share food with cats until there is none and then will kill even a full grown cat to eat! In my case we're talking about a huge, 45 pound Raccoon(now an ex Raccoon) and two smaller ones(also former Raccoons). I had a neighbor go on about how cute they are and that they're endangered, ha! They are in fact, like the Coyote, an out of control species that requires a major reduction in numbers.

The only thing that needs reduction is outdoor cats. They are as much a problem as habitat lose when it comes to the decline of song birds. Keep you stinkin' cats inside and your problem and the bird problem is solved.

I say there is a weight ratio thing going on. Like in Monty Python
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHFXG3r_0B8

I can testify that hawks will prey on cats. I have had hawks take two of my cats, one was 5 pounds and the other was about 12 pounds. They just swoop down and take them away, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Okay guys, I appreciate your kind words about my lost cat. I just didn't know that Raccoons were so viscious and that they commonly prey on cats, leaving them partially eaten. I just knew it wasn't a coyote because my walls are too high and assumed it was some tree dwelling creature. At the time, a large opposum was seen right after my cat(cats) had been scurried away. It was likely trying get left overs of my pet after the Raccoon was done eating but at the time I didn't know how these animals operated.
Also having lived right under three red tail hawks all year, I have noted they never attacked even one of the stray/feral kittens that live in a lot next door.
So, now I know...Opposums, no problem, Hawks, never a problem, Raccoons; Shoot or beat to death with shovel on sight.

Hi Everyone.
Thank you for your input. I had a hawk sitting in the tree watching my cat and I freaked out and found the info helpful. By the way...want to keep your cats 99.9 percent safe from anything? Purchase a cat fence. Ijust bought one after losing one cat to the road and another seriously injured by a car 4 weeks later that has cost me a small fortune to help him. I love love this fence and my cats love the outside time. Here is the link.
Edit [Moderator]: Link removed .
Peggy, Cheeto, Teddy, Dewey

Hi.
Where do you live? What kind of hawk took your cats?
I am sorry for your loss. That is horrible.
Peggy

I have a 5 1/2 lb. Maltese, she looks like she weighs more because all of her hair, anyway, I saw a hawk in my backyard today, my dog was not out there thank goodness, so I imagine the hawk was looking for a small bird to consume, but there is so much controversy it seems over whether or not a hawk can pick up an animal that size, that I am scared to let my small doggie be out in the yard without me being right by her side. Am I being too paranoid???
Linda from San Diego CA

All of these anecdotal postings are interesting, but don't really provide solid information regarding the risk of hawks to domestic cats. Hopefully the following information from http://www.hawksaloft.org/faq.html will:

"Can a raptor carry away/eat my pet?

Raptors hunt a variety of prey, including rodents, birds, rabbits, snakes, and insects. And yes, large raptors, such as Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls, can indeed kill a small pet. We have received dozens of inquiries about 6-pound dogs, 10 pound dogs, 10½ pound dogs, etc., all the way up to a 60 pound dog. There is no specific cut-off weight at which your pet’s safety is guaranteed. If the size of your dog or cat is similar to or not much larger than naturally occurring raptor prey, there is a risk.

If you are concerned about your dog or cat, the best advice we can give you is to keep your pet indoors or supervise them closely outdoors. There are several good reasons to keep cats indoors. Outdoor cats face considerable danger from vehicle traffic, as well as harassment from larger animals, such as dogs and coyotes. We think these threats are responsible for a much greater share of mortality than raptors. In addition, outdoor cats are responsible for killing millions of wild birds every year. Turnabout may not seem fair play when it comes to a raptor threatening our beloved cat, but by allowing our cats to roam free, we are exposing them to this uncommon danger.

When it comes to dogs, we know it is often necessary to keep them outdoors. If you live in an area with a substantial population of large hawks and owls, perhaps you can protect your dog by providing an outdoor shelter or covered run.

As pet-owners ourselves, we at Hawks Aloft share your concern for the safety of your pet. But while keeping your pets secure, we encourage you to take an extra moment and appreciate the remarkable wildlife that also shares your space. Like our faithful dogs and cuddly cats, backyard birds and wildlife can greatly enrich our lives. "

my little bichon was found dead, and these large birds had been eating him nothing left but his head and tail, and the next day that was gone too!
do you think the birds actually killed, or do think he was hit by a car first and then eaten. I was walking my other bichons and all black birds surrounded us.
what do you think???

All black birds sounds like crows/ravens to me.
Crows are highly intelligent and very opportunistic feeders. They will make use of roadkill at any opportunity.

"Will a raptor attack my dog or cat?

Raptors are wild animals and need to hunt their own food in order to survive. Even though they are predators, typically they will not hunt something that is larger than they are. They target what is most abundant and easiest to catch. Most raptors can carry only two thirds of their body weight. The average red-tailed hawk or great horned owl only weighs 2-3 pounds. However, there are isolated instances when a raptor cannot find enough food within its territory or is a young inexperienced hunter. In these cases, it would not be unheard of for a larger raptor like a red-tailed hawk or great horned owl to turn to small, domestic animals if the opportunity arises. However, cats and dogs will bite and claw to defend themselves, and are therefore more difficult to safely catch. Most raptors after the first attempt will leave them alone, making attacks uncommon."

http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/qa.php

cateyes there would be no battle involved. It the hawk is hungry and no other food is about, the death of the cat occurs on impact. The hawk, traveling at over 120 mph will snap the cat's spine, end of encounter. The hawk can only carry half it weight so it will dine on the cat right now and there. You'll see the evidence. Your cats are only safe because the hawks have more and better choices than your cats.

Here's the thing....hawks may not be able to carry away a cat or small dog. BUT THEY CAN STILL KILL IT and eat them on the spot. They can travel at speeds of up to 128 miles per hour and slam your pet to the ground so hard that it can, snap it's spine or squeeze hard with their talons. They are most likely to attack animals that are brown coated or have similar colors to that of a rabbit. It's not a myth, it does happen.

it is unlikely.

birds of prey usually go after safer meals- smaller birds, smaller mammals, etc.

a cat, as a predator, even smaller cats of less than 10 lbs, have significant weaponry, agility, and flexibility to overpower a bird of prey. i don't know if we're allowed to post links here, but there is a video- just google it- of a small cat that was being carried off by a large owl. over 30 ft in the air, the cat counter-attacked as both went plummeting to the ground. once on the ground, the cat tore off one of the owl's wings and began to feed on the owl.

this cat seemed to be a feral (this matters- feral cats are, understandably, more ferocious than a domestic cat) juvenile female- less than 10 pounds- and the owl was a eurasian eagle owl- which can be up to 5-7 lb. a smaller, 2 lb hawk would have a very difficult time preying on a larger, stronger, more armed predator.

i would worry more about local coyotes. there was a coyote in my neighborhood that was picking off indoor-outdoor domestic cats and smaller dogs. in this case, a 10 lb cat has no chance to ward off a 30-40 lb coyote. we had to adopt a doberman to oversee the yard that our two cats like to roam about in.

The best thing to do that reassures domestic cat safety is to keep them indoors and make a cat aviary outside that they can walk into from your home, through a pet door. You can build them quite large, put in trees, ponds and other vegetation. I know people who built a transfer tube as well, which ensures they will not get out otherwise.
Eagles, and large hawks are some of the planets best predators. So, I would not take a chance, unless the cat was 20 lbs!

There are a couple of things that i have noticed a lot of people never really touched on. First let me state that I am a certified behavioral expert on domesticated house pets. I have spent a lot of time and effort researching the reasons behind pets dissapearing, and possible reasons for "unknown" injuries caused to house pets when left unattended outside. First off, whether or not a redtailed hawk is able to pick up a domesticated house cat is not really the question. I have witnessed redtailed hawks swooping in and attacking dogs as large as german shepherds. In and area that has low food sources an animal will resort to attacking something it wouldnt normall attack. Simply because numerous hawks have lived in your yard for years with no incident does not mean that they will never be desperate enough to try and attack. The german shepherd that I witnessed be attacked ended up rushed to an emergency vet, needed 47 sutures for puncture wounds caused from the talons alone. Hawks are very quick, and wont always try to carry off prey. The shepherd almost died from that attack, and he was a perfectly healthy dog at only 4 years old.

Though I find the situation extreme I will say that in my professional opinion I do believe that YES a red tailed hawk may indeed prey on domesticated pets. It is all dependent on situation. Though it sounds to me as though your cat was assaulted by something on ground level, it is highly possible that a quick assault from a red tailed hawk was simply too much for your poor girl to handle. My cat recently suffered an attack from a hawk that I had the misfortune of witnessing myself. My cat weighs 10.6 lbs and is a 1.5 year old male domesticated short hair. I watched as the hawk swooped down out of the sky and tried to snatch my cat right out of my yard. A quick hollar and the bird left, but my cat suffered four large puncture wounds on his right hip, and until he fully recovers must be monitored very close. Please, keep a very close eye on ALL pets when they are outside. Wild animals are wild for a reason, and are always at risk to change from their "normal" hunting or defending patterns. Though rare, things do happen I advise all pets be watched while outside, and never left unattended because as I have seen, anything can happen in an instant.