Can a bird of prey kill a small dog and other small pets? What is the best way to protect them?
Absolutely.I volunteer at a Humane Society working with cats. One time, there was a gentleman that came in looking for a kitten, which he shamelessly told us was going to be a barn cat. He lived in a pretty rural area, and admitted to having lost three or four kittens already that year. (don’t worry, we didn’t let him have any of the cats) But he couldn’t imagine why they all went missing, and why his barn cats always vanished whenever they (rarely) survived to adulthood.My mom used to live on a farm that had barn cats. They’d have to go buy a new one every six months.Both places were “haunted” by red tailed hawks and foxes— both of which will GLADLY take a cat if they can catch it. larger Owls will ALSO hunt cats, and will shamelessly pounce on them while they are sleeping, as the young man found out. Turns out he had a barn owl living in his barn, with chicks to boot— gee, wonder what happened to all the kittens with a large predator like that hanging around?As for my mom’s cats, several adults would get pounced on by a hawk every year. Bobcats also love to kill housecats, which are perceived as competition.I had a teacher in high school lose his small dog to a Golden Eagle. It was scavenging for afterbirth from his ewes, which were all lambing, and happened upon the dog by chance. Live, whole prey was a better, more nutritious option, so it took the dog.Chickens and ducks are frequently victims of predation, but any small animal will suit a larger predator that is desperate or happens upon them opportunistically.Birds of prey aren’t the only birds that will opportunistically snack on a kitten either. Ravens have been known maul (stab and flail them) kittens to death, then eat them, should it catch one alone. Of course, they do the same with just about any baby animal, including raccoons and the chicks of other birds, so it isn’t really a personal thing — though it should be noted that they don’t usually do this to domestic pets unless truly hungry.Point is, there’s plenty of animals that will gladly eat a small dog or cat, if afforded the right time, place, necessity and means. Rabbits kept outdoors is a VERY risky business, as just about any predator will eat a rabbit it can catch, provided it is large enough.My advice? Keep your domestics indoors unless you either have a very good reason to keep them outside, or you don’t mind replacing your cat every few months.