Jeannie in NJ Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) on Sunday, 4 of our cats were in our backyard. Our yard is unfenced and behind us as far as you can see are meadows and wetlands. That is where our cats go or else they just hang out in our backyard. Well, we were sitting in the sun room and we saw 3 huge hawks, I mean huge, come swooping into our back yard almost to ground level, maybe a ft. from the ground(we have no trees or fence or anything but bushes to stop a hawks flight). My dd saw one fly off with a large black object. Our smallest cat in weight and size is black so dd freaked out. We ran outside and found 3 of our cats shaking under bushes. We got them in and I started calling Blackie's name. I finally heard him crying way out in the meadows. I kept calling him hoping he was not hurt , but just scared. Finally he came running to me. Needless to say, we have not let any cats outside since then but today is beautiful and they are crying to go out but my dc are afraid for them. The county has put up ospry nests in the meadows behind our house and so we have osprys but also these really large brown hawks. We have even seen eagles before. When we left the house this morning for community college, we saw a hawk swooping a yard a few houses down. Edited February 28, 2012 by Jeannie in NJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I don't understand why people let their cats out here. We have Great Horned Owls, Cooper Hawks, and Coyotes in the neighborhood. Anyone of those would love to eat kitty. My cat is inside and safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 We regularly see red-shouldered hawks carry squirrels off. I would be afraid to have an outdoor cat around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 oh man We've heard a hawk around our area recently (in the city) and hubby says we better watch Tinkie when we take her out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Osprey will leave your cats alone because they prefer fish. But cats are fair game to hawks and owls. As a volunteer with a bird rehabber, I must tell you that cats create havoc during nesting season. I loved the year we had a Great Horned Owl's Nest on the street. The squirrel population was greatly diminished. Owlets and baby hawks eat an amazing amount of food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Wow--scary! I wouldn't have even thought of hawks trying to catch my cat. Here it's not likely (the hawks tend to hunt a bit away from here), but when we lived in the country we had a hawk and an owl in our "yard" regularly and they didn't bother the cat. Maybe we had too many other critters that were easier prey. When we lived in AR our cat was frequently attacked by a mockingbird that nested in the tree in front of the house. She stopped going out so much after that and pretty much stuck to the porch where she was safer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 we usually have rabbits and squirrels in our yard (our cats leave them alone) but are not seeing any now, maybe they are still hibernating, same with mice in the fields. Strange there are so many hawks around now but maybe all their prey are still wintering so thet is why they are going after the cats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 we usually have rabbits and squirrels in our yard (our cats leave them alone) but are not seeing any now, maybe they are still hibernating, same with mice in the fields. Strange there are so many hawks around now but maybe all their prey are still wintering so thet is why they are going after the cats? It may be the start of mating season. The males often present females with tasty tidbits as a courtship ritual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 don't want to think of my cats as a mating/courtship gift. Think they will have to amuse themselves inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 It's been a really BAD year for hawks here this year. We lost 70 chickens to them this summer/fall! We only have 4 left and are constantly running out in the yard to chase them away. We also have 2 cats (about 1 year old) that live outside most of the time. I hadn't thought of the hawks taking off with them...hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) I'm glad your cats are okay, Jeannie. We have hawks and great-horned owls here. When Aidan was little (7.5 lbs), I used to flap my arms around when I took him outside at night so no owls would get him. I figured that, with my glasses, I looked like a super-sized owl. Sure enough, it worked. I wonder if that is where the squirrels have gone. We live in the middle of a perfect squirrel habitat, yet I have only seen 3 in nearly 3 years. I thought that people shot them, since we hear gunfire regularly, but now I think it's probably the birds getting them. Edited February 29, 2012 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunrose Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 We live in a neighborhood and have a small flock of chickens. For about a month and a half around Christmas, I found hawks in my hard several times. They never got one of my girls, but they watched them closely. I saw one about 1 foot above my blind chicken...just perched there looking at her. I was able to scare it off. I ended up just leaving my chickens in the coop and not let them free range at all for a few weeks. the hawks seemed to have moved on because I haven't seen any at all lately. Maybe keep your cats picked up for a few weeks? I have heard that if they don't see them for a while, they will move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamagirl Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 It happens here too! My SIL and niece witnessed their cat being taken off by a hawk a couple of years ago. Just recently my next door neighbor has had two kittens mysteriously disappear and that's what the vet told her most likely happened. We see a hawk circling every afternoon..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCityMom Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 After seeing a neighborhood cat being carried off in the talons of a haw, I was a wreck when I was outside with my kids in the yard and my youngest was a newborn. I would not simply let her lie on the blanket, but held her at all times -- I kept thinking, "she's about the size of a cat . . ." I know, crazy, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 We had a litter of feral kittens in back of our yard and about the same time noticed a huge hawk hanging around. We managed to catch the kittens and kept the smallest one. To this day he is scared to death of birds flying overhead. We have an enclosed lanai and the cats sun out there but any overhead birds will send the little guy streaking into the house. I suspect he had a bad encounter with that hawk. The hawk disappeared once the kittens were no longer around. We never let the cats outside. There are too many predators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 We had a hawk snatch a dove off our deck where we have bird feeders. Quite a sight. I like that they keep the mouse/squirrel/rabbit population down. I just don't want to see it happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 That is why we don't have a cat. I like cats just fine but sooner or later they manage to get out and then they disappear. I have seen hawks here and that is probably what happens to them. We have lost two chickens to them but the other two seem to be smart enough to stay out of sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 my dh wants to still let the cats out but he was not here to see the hawks. I will tell him some of the stories on here and highly insist that the cats stay in the house at least until we move and then we will re evulate depending on what the new area is like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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