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A driver in North Carolina told a dispatcher that a cat carcass crashed into her windshield along a highway after the feline was dropped from the sky by a bald eagle.
The woman called 911 on Wednesday morning to report the incident, saying that a bald eagle dropped the cat into the passenger side of her front windshield on U.S. Route 74 in Swain County, near Bryson City, which is located about 65 miles southwest of Asheville.
It is unclear if the cat slipped from the eagle’s talons or was dropped intentionally.
“You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield,” the driver said on the 911 call. “It absolutely shattered my windshield.”
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The dispatcher calmly responded, “Okay. I do believe you, honestly,” before laughing.
The driver said another person also observed the cat dropping from the sky.
“He’s like, ‘That is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.’ I’m like, ‘Really?'” the driver said.
The dispatcher replied, “Oh my goodness. Let’s see. I’ve heard crazier.”
“Well, that’s terrifying,” the caller responded, prompting more nervous laughter from the dispatcher.
After receiving the driver’s location, the dispatcher said she would send the Highway Patrol to conduct a report.
“Another question. Is the cat still alive?” the dispatcher asked.
The cat was not alive, and the caller said the cat was on the side of the road rather than inside her vehicle.
“Okay, I have to ask just to make sure,” the dispatcher said.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s Kendrick Weeks said the cat could have been roadkill grabbed by the eagle.
“But they can take animals the size of a cat,” he said. “It is much harder for them to take a live cat than a dead cat. They usually don’t prey on something they don’t find palatable. And, scavenging is a common behavior in bald eagles.”
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Weeks said eagles and other raptors can drop prey for several reasons, including due to a poor grip or if the prey is biting or otherwise struggling and the birds are wanting to prevent injury to themselves.
Prey can also be dropped if a raptor is being harassed by another bird or if the prey becomes too heavy to carry.
Some raptors may also drop prey to kill it, but that tactic is uncommon for bald eagles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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