More on owl attacks on cats

Further to the worrying story about two Audlem cats that seem to have been the subject of attacks by large owls at the weekend, another contributor on chatbox came forward yesterday, suspecting his injured cat had also been attacked in this way, having suffered leg injuries last week.

My own cat meanwhile has had to be hospitalised in Nantwich due to the severity of her injuries, which, according to the veterinary surgeon who is treating her has suffered a "very unusual and ferocious attack" and has wounds consistent with talons of a large bird of prey.

He went on to say, however that Tawny or Barn owls were unlikely to have been responsible, as they are too small, but that it was more likely to have been caused by an Eagle owl, a powerful predator that also hunts just after dusk. These are known to attack any small mammal, more usually rabbits.

Also the way the cats were attacked (from behind, with only injuries on the animals hind quarters) is consistent with attack from a bird of prey trying to snatch the animal as food.

We have also found the spot where this attack occurred, on our own property (our cat doesn't stray away from our garden at all usually), where there is further astonishing evidence of talon strikes with some force upon concrete flags, a large rodent found just beside the spot (seemingly having been dropped – maybe in favour of a larger & tastier snack?).

There was no trace of any other animal's fur (apart from our poor Puss) and no sound made at the time of the incident as my wife was just 10 feet away on working in our utility room on the the other side of the back door (this is why owls are so effective as a predator as they silently dive onto their victims).

Additionally, a large owl was in fact witnessed to be flying around at the time of the first incident on Saturday.

I was also told by the RSPCA (at Stapeley) the same story (that a chatbox contributor mentioned) yesterday about several Eagle owls escaping into the wild and that they were feared to be breeding, allegedly near the Welsh border when one was last spotted.

As owls are a declining and protected species, one must be aware that these incidents may be indicative of them becoming more desperate for food, and our only safe defense against these attacks is to keep pussy cats, rabbits and very small dogs, indoors during the time of day when these predators are out hunting (dawn and dusk).

If any other pet owners have had their animals attacked in a similar way, it would be useful to hear from them?

I should have paid more attention the look of terror and wide-eyed fear when our injured cat stumbled indoors just after the attack, (we initially – incorrectly – assumed she had been fighting with a another cat or maybe even dog) – as she was incredibly frightened, but tellingly, was constantly checking behind and above herself. We didn't pick up on this at the time.

Owls are beautiful and majestic creatures – but make no mistake, they are predatory hunters and if Eagle owls are indeed active around Audlem, owners of small pets should be vigilant to protect them during the hours of darkness.

My own very poorly cat (currently hospitalised and connected to a drip) is physical evidence of a most unusual attack on a domestic pet.

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