[nanci2539]

We're renting a courtyard villa until home is ready in Sept. I let my cats out in the courtyard with supervision. They are too old to jump so I'm not concerned that they will but I still keep a diligent eye on them. I never let them out if I'm not here. They had their morning excursion and after an hour or so, they had to come in. They were in the lanai when something caught their attention. So, I went to look and perched on the courtyard fence was a small hawk. It flew off when it saw me; the wing span was a decent size.

My husband got very concerned saying that a hawk will attack a cat; maybe not picking up my 25lb Maine Coon but my seven pound calico would be in danger, especially if it were a big hawk.

Should I be concerned about this? Has anyone with cats ever heard of one being attacked by a hawk? My cats are indoor cats and when we move into our Lantana, they will be restricted to the lanai and bird cage but now I'm wondering whether hey should stay indpprs here? They really enjoy the courtyard and love to lounge around on the patio. Where I check on them often, I don't stand by the window constantly looking out for them. We've been here almost two months now with another two months to go and as I said, they really love it and there hasn't been any issues other then their not fast enough to catch a gecko.

Thoughts on this?

[redwitch]

Hawks are always a risk. I remember reading in the paper a few months ago about a hawk taking a small dog (think it was a yorkie or a peke) and flying off with it (this was in South Carolina). I've seen a few hawks in my neighborhood. The mockingbirds seem to love to chase them.

As you said, your big guy is safe but the smaller one could be at risk. I'd keep them in the lanai just to be on the safe side.

[benj]

I am a master falconer and volunteer for the Birds of Prey Foundation. I have shown raptors in public for years including Bald and Golden eagles at the G8 conference in Denver for all the world leaders. Thats just to establish my creds.
Any raptor even the largest can fly with about one third of their weight, thats in ideal conditions. The largest hawks in America weigh about 3 to 4 pounds,(mostly under 3 ). The bald eagles you have in FL are near 10 pounds give or take. That means there is not a raptor in FL that can fly away with anything larger than 1 pound for hawks and 3 pounds for eagles.No matter what people say, Hawks and eagles can attack and maybe even kill small animals, they could never fly away with them. Plus cats are more dangerous to birds than vise versa because of the bacteria in their bite. Please remember that for a momma raptor to feed their baby's they have to kill something.

[redwitch]

Ben, does this mean you'll be bringing a raptor or two down here with you? I hope so. I love falconry and watching those magnificent birds in action.

[benj]

Redwitch, No way!! It would take more red tape than drilling in Alaska. Benj

[nanci2539]

So what is it - Red read about a small dog being carried off; Ben who seems to be an expert says it's impossible!

But, are you in agreement that hawks can attack small animals which would put my Molly at risk? The hawk I saw this morning was not all that big but he sat there and stared at my cats sitting in the lanai. Does that mean he'll come back or do they have a short memory span Ben?

[benj]

nanc12539, Your cats are in greater danger from alligators trust me. The only danger your cats could possibly be in from a raptor in FL is the Bald eagle or maybe a great horned owl. Remember though that any predator will go for the easiest or most vulnerable prey and they don't fly through screens. If you want to verify my info the next time you go to Disney go to the raptor exhibit watch them fly and ask the same questions to the trainers.

[redwitch]

Here's the news story. Looks like they updated it a bit. When it originally aired, it was a definite dog snatched by bird.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pa...Y&pageId=3.2.1

[benj]

Red, This is not much on facts. The story says that it MAY of happened and no one ACTUALLY SAW it happen. If any raptor (and because of the weight of 3 pounds it would be a eagle) picked up this dog it would have 8 two to three inch deep holes a quarter inch round in the dog. This alone would be enough to kill the poor thing. Also raptors go for the face this dog still has his. These stories are common but check my facts and you'll see there is no way that this story holds up.
I have been footed by hawks many times and I swear the dog would be dead. Benj

[redwitch]

From what I understand of the story when it came out, the dog was long gone and supposedly the kennel worker saw the dog in the bird's talons. I think the pic was a pic of the dog before it was lost. I do know the dog was not found.

I agree it would be pretty rare and much more likely if the bird were a great horned owl than a hawk but to my mind almost anything is possible and a Papilion is a very small dog so a large hawk might be able to do it.

I just wouldn't take a risk with a small cat and hawks nearby. While they probably couldn't fly off with it, they could do a swoop and swipe and do some serious damage. Just not worth the risk to my way of thinking.

[benj]

Red, Ok I give it must be true, but I think the kennel worker has better drugs than I do. Also no predator plays for food its not worth the risks.

[nanci2539]

This reminds me of a story about Ben, my Maine Coon. Ben wasn't always 25lbs. At one time, when he was a kitten, he was 3 lbs, then 5lbs, then - well you get the picture. There was a large hawk in our area with a huge wing spread. One day, Ben was out with me in the garden. As I was busy planting, I lost track and when I turned around, Ben was gone. I searched high and low. My neighbors searched high and low.

I was convinced this big bad hawk took my Ben. Some hours later, Ben came limping home. I took him to the vet who examined Ben thoroughly. I told the vet about the hawk. The vet said there would be definite claw marks or bites, especially on the sides if a hawk came down and tried to lift Ben. There were no attack wounds of any kind. The vet also mentioned that he doubted very much if a hawk would go after a cat; they would be more interested in field mice or small baby bunnies.

So, that being said, I will make sure I supervise any courtyard excursions!

[benj]

nanc12539 Please tell me you cats name was really Ben I'm getting a complex. After all I was 6 pounds then 20 pounds then... you get it.

[benj]

ok two last things then I'm done. At least half of the hawks there are acipiters ( hawks that only hunt other birds) and look at it this way, More hawks less rats.

[redwitch]

Ben, quite honestly, I had doubts about the raptor story when I heard it. I'm more than willing to bet that someone got careless and lost the dog and didn't want to admit it. But, out of fairness, I felt the story needed to be mentioned.

As I said, I love raptors. They're actually the only birds I've ever liked. I love to hear them screech and to watch them catch a bird in flight is truly fascinating and a thing of beauty (even with the carnage). I know little about them, they're kind of like art to me -- I may not know much, but I know what I like.

I have no idea if a hawk would swoop down to claw (talon?) a cat, I just wouldn't want to take the chance. Since you do know about them, is this something they would normally do? Not to play with them but maybe out of curiosity or some other strange bird reason?

Oh, and bummer about not being to bring any here.