Cats versus birds… one of the oldest rivalries in the book.
I’m not sure what this cat in Port Orchard, Washington was thinking. Well, I say that… I guess we all do. The small feline was thinking that it had what it takes to bring down America’s national bird. It quickly found out that the tall task it set out to accomplish was not going to end well.
A neighbor by the name Amanda Wiles was outside looking across a pond when she spotted a cat stalking a bald eagle. As one does nowadays, she got her camera out and started recording. In the process, she also provided some commentary… which is probably close to what we are all thinking watching the footage:
“I think this cat has a death wish. Does he actually think he’s going to hunt this eagle? It’s a standoff. Oh my gosh, he’s actually stalking him.”
Simply put, bald eagles are nothing to mess with. There are documented examples of baldies swooping down to pick up house cats and similarly sized yappy dogs. Their sharp talons alone can do plenty damage, and paired with their power, a bald eagle could make short work out of a kitty cat.
This feline is lucky that this particular bald eagle wasn’t in the mood for a hunt on land. It was sitting next to the water, likely scoping out the water for a potential fish dinner when the cat came down and started giving it trouble. The house cat immediately changed its tune when the bald eagle charged at it in defense, and it was all caught on camera.
ABC7 Chicago described the encounter like this:
“A house cat in Port Orchard, Washington, got a taste of its own medicine after its attempt to hunt a bald eagle led to the bird chasing the cat right back. Footage from Amanda Wiles shows the moment a brazen house cat, which she described as having a ‘death wish,’ stalked towards the eagle. As the cat got closer, the eagle suddenly spread its wings and ran at the feisty feline, sending it running away to reassess its life choices.”
As I’ve said before, there’s no animal more confident than the domesticated house cat.
The confidence of cats that spend all of their time inside is through the roof. Even outside cats that have a little more knowledgeable on how the real world works don’t seem to care about potential danger. They just feed off their natural instincts, which leads them to be a little naive when it comes to facing off against bigger animals.
When a house cat tries to go after a bald eagle, it also leads people on social media to say things like this:
“That cat is lucky that eagle wasn’t hungry.”
“Freedom chicken for the win.”
“I wouldn’t call that a smart kitty.”
“That cat wanted more than it could chew.”
“Looked like the eagle was wanting some fish, but I’m sure it would have settled for some cat food.”
And not the cat food you are thinking of…
