This is one of the many reasons why you shouldn’t let your cats outside unsupervised.

If you’re a cat owner, you know that cats would be apex predators if evolution had taken them on a slightly different path. Turns out they enjoy relaxing in a nice sunbeam more than hunting, but if they had to, they could and would hunt. Despite being lazy and adorable, cats are actually incredible hunters, with some of the fastest reflexes in the whole animal kingdom. In case you’re curious how fast, a cat can react anywhere from 0 to 70 milliseconds after something happens (that’s 0- 0.07 s). For reference, it takes you 0.1 seconds to blink.

However, just because cats are excellently equipped hunters doesn’t mean that they’re safe from being hunted themselves. Cats have many natural predators in the wild. Large canines (wolves, coyotes), bigger cat species (cougars, bobcats, mountain lions, etc.), and birds of prey all think that your feline would make a purrfect meal for them. This is why we say it’s not safe for your cats to roam around outside unsupervised, among many other reasons.

You may think to yourself, “Well, that would certainly never happen to my cat/kitten,” but think again! It happened to the stray kitten below, and if not for their neighbor’s daughter intervening, that kitten would be a hawk’s breakfast instead of looking for their furrever home.

It all occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, where Lucy, the neighbor’s daughter, thought she was witnessing a hawk swoop in on a squirrel for their morning meal, but realized it was actually a smol grey kitten. She was able to save the kitten and take him to the vet, then to Woof Ave Rescue so he could get adopted. 

Cats may be stereotypically lucky with 9 or so lives, and they may be pawsitively ameowzing hunters, but they’re still better off living in your comfy homes and hunting your hair ties or fake mice.