Could a buzzard take a cat?

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Discussion

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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hondafanatic said:
Obvious question but are we talking about an Africa buzzard or European?

getmecoat
<points long way up thread>

Japveesix

4,476 posts

167 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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TooMany2cvs said:
Kites are only carrion.
This isn't actually true. They hunt fairly regularly for anything from worms, small insects up to smaller mammals. You can see large groups following ploughing tractors sometimes as they flush out voles/mice etc in the fields and the kites pick them off.

I've never seen one take a cat though, chinchillas and chihuahuas yes, but not a cat.

Tango13

8,395 posts

175 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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Bloke I used to work with kept birds of prey including a buzzard, most evil looking motherfking animal I've ever met.

Most birds of prey kill by diving in on their prey and hitting them with their bunched talons hard enough to snap the preys' neck so I'd say the cat could well be a main course.

Equus

16,767 posts

100 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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hondafanatic said:
Obvious question but are we talking about an Africa buzzard or European?

getmecoat
Which would you guess, given that the OP tells us it's North Essex?

I have no doubt that a common buzzard could kill a cat (as has been said, sea eagles will take lambs, and the Arabs hunt gazelles using hawks - they kill by hitting the head), but I'm equally sure that they wouldn't. Buzzards are lazy birds - they seldom bother with rabbits or game birds, much less anything that might put up a fight.



HarryW

15,150 posts

268 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Having been there with previous cats I can only smile at the truth in that post, an angry cat is a frightening prospect for anything smaller than an Eagle.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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Japveesix said:
chihuahuas yes
Everything has an upside.

otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
quotequote all
Equus said:
hondafanatic said:
Obvious question but are we talking about an Africa buzzard or European?

getmecoat
Which would you guess, given that the OP tells us it's North Essex?


Boosted LS1

21,165 posts

259 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
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Tango13 said:
Bloke I used to work with kept birds of prey including a buzzard, most evil looking motherfking animal I've ever met.

Most birds of prey kill by diving in on their prey and hitting them with their bunched talons hard enough to snap the preys' neck so I'd say the cat could well be a main course.
Nope, that's falcons and long winged hawks etc. Birds that stoop on their prey in the air. Buzzards are ground hunters. You can't stoop on the ground, you have to seize and suppress the victim.

hondafanatic

4,969 posts

200 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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TooMany2cvs said:
hondafanatic said:
Obvious question but are we talking about an Africa buzzard or European?

getmecoat
<points long way up thread>
Bugger.

Quickmoose

4,482 posts

122 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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julian64 said:
Quickmoose said:
If the Buzzard was accurate and grabbed the cat by the scruff of it's neck, it'd think it was their mum grabbing them and go limp....
I'm gonna take a punt here and say you've never had a fight with a cat.
it was suggested in jest...
but I've had a few "fights with cats"
The first resulted in 3 stitches about 2mm below my eyeball....
The 2nd was a badly lacerated arm and back
The rest all resulted in them tapping out.
I've been the provider for 5 Siamese cats...1 Bengal and a Russian Blue.

monoloco

289 posts

191 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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slightly off topic but for things being eaten by wildlife, think yourself lucky you don't live in Indonesia......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39427458 . eek !!!!

As for buzzards (or kites) eating a live/healthy cat -no way! They're both carrion eaters -or the occasional earthworm/frog/mouse etc

Yipper

5,964 posts

89 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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I have seen a large buzzard take a small "teenager" crow from a high nest and fly off with it. Despite being mobbed by several adult crows, the buzzard still got away and had its feast. So, in theory, a big buzzard could perhaps take a very young kitten. But, in reality, it is extremely rare, possibly unheard of. Cats are feisty gits, with very sharp and usable claws. Cats are quite capable of batting off big dogs, so a buzzard should not be much of an issue to defend against.

Hugo a Gogo

23,378 posts

232 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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Yipper said:
I have seen a large buzzard take a small "teenager" crow from a high nest and fly off with it.
I read that as 'cow' at first

cats go missing all the time, hit by cars, they wander off somewhere to die

buzzards might eat them then, I suppose

geeks

9,119 posts

138 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Seems a bit rude of your neighbor to take advantage of your vulnerable state hehe

Reminds me of this:

How to give a cat a pill:

Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil, and blow down drinking straw.

Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door onto neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of Scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap.

Tie the little @!!@#@#$%'s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of steak filet. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
Consume remainder of Scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and remove pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

Arrange for RSPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How to give a dog a pill:

Wrap it in cheese.

menguin

3,762 posts

220 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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SpudLink

5,669 posts

191 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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menguin said:
How about cat vs. a pair of alligators...
https://youtu.be/5sAF8gMN9c0

Tango13

8,395 posts

175 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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Boosted LS1 said:
Tango13 said:
Bloke I used to work with kept birds of prey including a buzzard, most evil looking motherfking animal I've ever met.

Most birds of prey kill by diving in on their prey and hitting them with their bunched talons hard enough to snap the preys' neck so I'd say the cat could well be a main course.
Nope, that's falcons and long winged hawks etc. Birds that stoop on their prey in the air. Buzzards are ground hunters. You can't stoop on the ground, you have to seize and suppress the victim.
Somebody needs to tell this Buzzard then!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-36228...

Boosted LS1

21,165 posts

259 months

Wednesday 29th March 2017
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^ It's making a ground attack.

geeks

9,119 posts

138 months

Thursday 30th March 2017
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Tango13 said:
Boosted LS1 said:
Tango13 said:
Bloke I used to work with kept birds of prey including a buzzard, most evil looking motherfking animal I've ever met.

Most birds of prey kill by diving in on their prey and hitting them with their bunched talons hard enough to snap the preys' neck so I'd say the cat could well be a main course.
Nope, that's falcons and long winged hawks etc. Birds that stoop on their prey in the air. Buzzards are ground hunters. You can't stoop on the ground, you have to seize and suppress the victim.
Somebody needs to tell this Buzzard then!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-36228...
It dive bombed a few humans, very different to dive bombing a cat, which would already know the buzzard is incoming and be ready and most likely win, as the others have said!

Cats are superbly evolved predators, they will survive quite happily without human interaction, their hearing is significantly more sensitive along with their other senses, I really don't see a Buzzard getting the drop on one!

battered

4,088 posts

146 months

Thursday 30th March 2017
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Crows will mob a buzzard without having any hope of injuring it. The buzzard is just chasing away the human, they clearly have no intention of getting into a fight as they would invariably lose. The same applies with cats.

There is any amount of footage of birds swooping on cats and even big cats in the wild and chasing them away from nesting sites.