According to the theory espoused by Professor Sussman, early humans evolved not as hunters but as prey for animals such as wild dogs, cats, hyenas, eagles and crocodiles.
I can see how humans could be hunted by wild dogs, hyenas and crocodiles, but cats and eagles?? What could an eagle or a cat do to someone?
We saw this in Ice Age. Humans are part of the food chain.
The 'Taung' child (2Mya) might have been killed by a bird of prey. A triangular shaped hole in the skull is similar to what is produced by an eagle's talon. In addition there was som damage around the eye sockets indicating a bird attempting to get at the brain.
And by 'cats', I think they something larger than Garfield.
There were some BIG eagles back then. Something like three times the size of what we have now. And cats can include lions, leopards, pumas and so forth.
Remember, the folks we're talking about were about a meter tall full grown at the tallest. Fossil skulls of young australopithecines show predation by large birds of prey which could easily lift them and carry them away.
Not in defense of the study or the premise..just semantics...losely speaking, I believe that a Saber Tooth Tiger would be a "cat." As a Wolf would be a dog. Now an Eagle...