Eddie, the fat white cat, was carried by a hawk for 50 feet, before the hawk could carry no more.
Posted on 07/17/2011 3:19:05 PM PDT by JoeProBono
NEW YORK, - A New York woman says she had nearly given up hope her pet cat, Eddie, was still alive after the feline was carried off by a red-tailed hawk.
But Eddie, who weighs in at a hefty 15 pounds, was found stunned and disheveled but still kicking in the back yard of an apartment building after the estimated 4-pound bird apparently couldn't hang on and dropped it.
Eddie plummeted an estimated five stories but was no worse for wear, the New York Daily News said Saturday. "He checked out fine, other than some minor cuts, scrapes and bruises," said Eddie's owner, who did not want to be identified. "The vet says he's an amazing cat."
The woman admitted she wasn't so fine after hearing a ruckus outside her Upper West Side apartment and finding "fur, broken nails and feathers" when she went out to investigate.
"I walked for hours all over the neighborhood and up Riverside Drive, sobbing, looking for his body," she said. "I went to all the hawks' nests. I put up signs with Eddie's photo."
Animal experts said hawks generally don't consider household pets to be on their menu; however, they did recall a 2003 incident in Bryant Park when a hawk swooped down on an unsuspecting Chihuahua.
Eddie, the fat white cat, was carried by a hawk for 50 feet, before the hawk could carry no more.
I know....That counts as 7 lives...Right???
That’s an industrious bird! 4lbs. picking up ~15lbs? Impressive.
You really don’t expect your cat to get carried off by a hawk in New York City. Just out of curiosity, how did the woman happen to know where all the hawks’ nests were? That’s not something a city dweller usually keeps track of.
I read in an article recently about a tree that had succumbed to the wind and fell over - it had a huge Golden Eagle nest in it. When they looked through the nest they found a bunch of kitty collars. Kittehs beware!
“I went to all the hawks’ nests. I put up signs with Eddie’s photo.”
In case one of the hawks recognized Eddie.
Glad for this cat, see, dieting isn’t always the best move for your health.
He looks like a marshmallow!
Glad to hear that kitty is OK.
No kidding!
LOL Joe. I really like these kinds of good news stories. I have a hard time believing a red tailed hawk (and I live in a rural area with lots of predators) could pick up a 15 pound cat and carry it even 5 feet up into the air.
Cats are never docile animals when startled or scared. They can become vicious fighters meaning all claws and teeth. I still have scars on my leg from the stupid time I picked up one of our outdoor cats intending to take him for a ride on my tractor. When I started it I quickly learned he doesn’t like to go for rides on diesel tractors.
I doubt if any cat would tolerate a red tail getting near him let alone attempting to pick him up. Predators are opportunists and they will not take a chance overstepping on prey and being injured which can be life threatening. Red tails take out small birds and small rodents, not 15 pound cats. Just an opinion.
I agree. This story is hard to believe.
I watched a hawk pick up and squirrel in my back yard. The squirrel wiggled and squirmed and at about 30 off the ground he got free. He was stunned for a minute but soon made his way to a tree and climbed up. Never saw that before.
LOL. Looks like that hawk is ready to snag someone from the cab.
Where’s a Viking Kitty when you REALLY need one????
According to my wife, Cookie was apparently carried off by an owl before I met her.
And Cookie took matters into his own hands by biting the bejabbers out of that owl's leg to where that owl apparently dropped him instead of making him dinner - he had blood and feathers around his mouth when she found him later.
Cookie recovered from injuries including a punctuered lung.
Ornerly little varmit - he also survived misapplication of dog flea medicine and two bouts with crystals (those three episodes cost me a pretty penny, but I'm not complaining).
Beautiful photo! I love that they have repopulated NYC.
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