Do they eat cats? Over the last year and half my neighbour has lost three cats. She has gotten them all from the animal shelter, all relatively small young cats and all of them have just disappeared.

I know cats are inclined to wander off but there are no other houses nearby (unless they’d wander for miles) and there are no busy roads where they’d get anonymously smushed.

I can’t help but think it’s too much of a coincidence that there’s a nesting pair of buzzards in the forest across the road. Have George, Cookie and Olaf fallen victim to airborne avian avarice?

A kitten perhaps but not a cat.

Even a small cat is probably at the upper end of live prey that a buzzard will take. Possible but not likely. Do you have foxes in the area?

Another possibility is a stray tom cat, they’ll kill young males.

and there are no busy roads where they’d get anonymously smushed.

a road doesn’t need to be busy

I am with whitestone.
Fox or similar is far more likely. Buzzards arent the greatest hunters around.
That or the cats are simply straying. How long is it before they disappear?

It’s a cat burglar.

whitestone

Do you have foxes in the area?

Yes. Although they seem to have declined for some reason, I haven’t seen one in a while and the rabbit population has gone a bit crazy.

maccruiskeen

a road doesn’t need to be busy

Yeah but they’d probably be found.

dissonance
That or the cats are simply straying. How long is it before they disappear?

Three or four months maybe.

Do you have foxes in the area?

Yes. Although they seem to have declined for some reason

I’d be more worried about what’s eating the foxes.

Cat Burglar

Well played 🙂

No chance for an adult cat, I reckon. Birds are lightweight things and less massive than they look.

Yeah but they’d probably be found.

Only if it was a clean kill when they got hit and they didn’t crawl off somewhere (or if a buzzard didn’t find them first)

Buzzard would take a dead cat for sure, but they’re not set up for live ones really

Well I guess they all could’ve had different fates, but it seems strange that they would all just dissappear without a trace.

Buzzard would take a dead cat for sure, but they’re not set up for live ones really

Unless they’ve taken to hunting cats for sport and mounting their severed heads above their nests to impress their fellow buzzards.

That would be a catastrophe.

Yes. Although they seem to have declined for some reason

Any shooting estates in the area?

any local takeaways?

dissonance

Any shooting estates in the area?

Not really. There’s one maybe 8-10 miles away.

jekkyl – Member

any local takeaways?

😆

That would be a catastrophe.

What you did there. I see it.

That would be a catastrophe.

Catasstrophy would make a handy tea towel holder.

Ta-Daa!!!

Buzzards are mostly carrion. They will take smaller animals, but unlikely to touch a cat, especially one which may fight back. Foxes, might, especially if an injured cat.

Or they may have got lost and are now being fed by a neighbour. Cats do wander for miles.

Birds are lightweight things and less massive than they look.

Loads of Buzzards round here, and having had one fly out ~1m in front of me on the bike, I can safely say that up close they are even bigger than they look.

Probably could take a very small cat, but seems unlikely.

fifeandy

Loads of Buzzards round here, and having had one fly out ~1m in front of me on the bike, I can safely say that up close they are even bigger than they look.

Yes very much so. One of the pair is considerably larger, and few miles away there’s one that dwarfs both of them. It’s really impressive, even from a distance.

I’m trying to contact the wildlife ranger for the area as I’m slightly concerned by the actions of a local famer re the buzzards. I’ll pick his brain as to whether they could take cats if I get talking to him.

Your neighbour must be feline quite sad about this, paw thing.

Maybe ask the local farmer about the cats too. Much more likely to be a human action I think.

Buzzards do probably like picking brains though.

No chance they’ll take a cat.

Buzzards are big buggers but they’re bloody useless at take off and landing.
I doubt very much they’d be able to catch a cat even if stationary. The cat would hear it coming from miles away. As for take off; I’ve seen one struggle with a dead squirrel…

Does bear Grylls live nearby?

Maybe it was the Pope?

He loves cats, can’t get enough of them.

Apparently he’s a Cataholic

Loads of Buzzards round here, and having had one fly out ~1m in front of me on the bike

There is a sunken lane I ride fairly regular which a buzzard occasionally lurks in. Having it drop out of the tree just above head height can be rather startling.

The lack of nearby houses would make little difference, I suspect. My partner’s dad has a cat that’s had it good for years out in the middle of nowhere – you can’t even see the nearest neighbour yet not so long ago in he wandered with two cat fangs embedded in his cheek and jaw and a week later lost one of his own.

you can’t even see the nearest neighbour yet not so long ago in he wandered with two cat fangs embedded in his cheek and jaw and a week later lost one of his own.

POSTED 2 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Proper cats! Not like these Norwegian Blues…

perchypanther – Member

Maybe it was the Pope?

He loves cats, can’t get enough of them.

I think you’re confusing cats with children.

Norwegian Blues…

Beautiful plumage.

She has gotten them all from the animal shelter

FTFY…. wasting letters. Are you American?

grumpy neighbour + antifreeze.

My money is on a her having a neighbour that enjoys feeding songbirds and owns a rifle of some sort.

Do you have foxes in the area?
Yes. Although they seem to have declined for some reason

Is it in an area where lots of bankers live?
Some Fat Cats may have eaten the foxes. 🙂

You’re more likely to see a buzzard in a field going after worms, or frogs at the right time of year. Ground nesting birds are also a target, but badgers and foxes are a bigger threat, as the Avocets on Springwatch proved…
Buzzards and kites are scavengers and carrion eaters, they’re basically too lazy to hunt active live prey, especially something that can fight back, like a cat.
I’d be looking at foxes, or someone with a dislike of cats putting down food laced with antifreeze, or even a yard where antifreeze has been used and spilt, it’s sweet and cats will lap at it.