A driver in western North Carolina narrowly avoided injury after a cat carcass smashed into the passenger side of her car's windscreen. The bizarre incident occurred on a highway near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The unidentified driver, travelling on U.S. Route 74 in Swain County, informed a 911 dispatcher that a bald eagle had dropped the feline. “You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield,” she said on the recorded call. “It absolutely shattered my windshield.” The dispatcher responded calmly: “OK. I do believe you, honestly.”
The driver noted that another person also witnessed the incident, commenting, “That is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” When asked whether the cat was still alive, the caller confirmed it was not and that the cat was on the side of the road.
Kendrick Weeks, Western Wildlife Diversity Program supervisor for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said the cat could have been roadkill scavenged by the eagle. “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.” Weeks added that eagles may drop prey if they have a poor grip, if the prey struggles, or if they are harassed by another raptor.
Bald eagles are native to North Carolina, with more than 200 nesting pairs in the state. They can weigh up to 13.5 pounds (6.3 kilograms) and have wingspans of up to 7 feet (2.1 metres).
