My cat nearly got picked up by a seagull tonight...?

[LanguidLobster]

We were walking and she was trotting along behind then we turned around and saw this huge white thing swooping down with claws outstretched to grab her and screamed our heads off so it left her alone and swooped off.

I didn't realise seagulls were so bolshy though, that's scary

bloody hell I thought cats attacked birds not the other way around. I hope he's and indeed you are okay.
Could she have had babies that she was projecting.

Awwww nooo gosh that sounds terrible hope ur ok and obviously your cat aw i would have been so frightened xx

Seagulls are arses. Try not to worry, cats are very good at defending themselves (ever tried to give a cat a tablet?!).

I thought gulls had big flappy feet. Was it using its beak?

Seagulls are definitely bolshy and aggressive especially when nesting and the babies hatch. We have a lot round here and they swoop the dog when he goes in the garden. Luckily the dog just ignores them as he preambles round.

Yes sea gulls have webbed feet?

It was probably protecting its nest. Seagulls can't pick up with their feet.

They're buggers though, if there's a nest nearby, everybuggers going to get picked on.

You sure it was a seagull?

Seagulls can be very aggressive when they have chicks. Also in areas where people feed them or provide a good source ( I live near a beach, gulls will snatch chips and ice creams from the unwary).
Their beaks can do a lot of damage, my Dad's friend ended up with stitches in his scalp after a gull attack - one was nesting on the roof of his shop and got him while he was locking up!

Those feet do have claws!

I remember when a sparrow attacked my neighbour's very elderly cat. Poor love - he was so humiliated.

Praps I should have said feet outstretched.

It gave me a terrible fright though and happened so quickly. Cat always streams out behind me and for some reason I turned around to check on her and there was a tiny black cat trotting along and a huge white bird swooping down wings outstretched from behind her, she was oblivious. It was very visual.

Cue screaming head off. She's fine though.

Oh god Weeds, ouch

It just happened again - I needed to buy catfood and she followed so I turned around to make sure she was out of the way of a car driving along then this huge bird swooped at her and she ran in opposite direction so I screamed and ran after her.

Then the bastard thing left her and went for me and I had to swing my handbag at it.

I really, really don't like them. They're complete thugs

they are utter gits!

Locally one went for a woman and a guide dog puppy a few years back...the local rag was full of it!

MsHomeSlice did it hurt them? I'm starting to get scared of them now, my only previous experience was that they snatch sandwiches!

It was on the news a while back that a seagull killed a Yorkshire terrier.

They’re probably nesting nearby and see the cat as a potential threat to chicks. We don’t just get herring gulls here we also get greater black backed gulls. A few years ago they were nesting on a neighbours roof and one kept swooping on Ddog who is a very big working Labrador. They’re fearless.

they were just dive bombed and startled

our town has a terrible problem with them nesting on rooftops and making huge nuisances of themselves!

Not a seagul, so thankfully not likely to have done him any harm but one of the funniest things I’ve seen was my cat being chased into the house by an angry blackbird. I think there was a nest near by and he was out in the garden shouting at birds in the trees as he likes to do ( he’s not the most subtle of cats but is still a surprisingly good hunter 😬) I had the patio doors open and all of a sudden catface came charging into the house hair stood on end being chased by a very fast, low flying and very angry blackbird 😂😂😂 I presume she was protecting her chicks and good on her! I haven’t seen my cat move so fast before or since and it took him a good few hours to venture outside again. Serves him right 😂

Agree that seagulls are bastards though, I grew up near the coast and they were a real nuisance back then, and even worse now!

Are you in Bristol? Those fuckers run this place and are massive and scary! This wouldn't surprise me in the slightest 😬

No on the coast. The feisty sparrows and blackbirds made me laugh :)

I'm afraid to say that really startled me, I've been researching deterrents and apparently they dislike brightly coloured pictures of owls, I could make one to cover myself to scurry down the road, mini one for the cat's back, and poster ones for outside the house (not sure how land lord would react). Or water pistols, or hiring a falconer. Wearing a metal helmet. Putting tins into my handbag so I have a better swing in times of battle.

Great, I'm living opposite a mad huge white bird until it finishes with its nesting :(

My cat actually got airborne when she had a stand off with a raven, pounced on it, and the raven flew off. It was very impressive. She fell off once she was about 2 feet in the air.

DCat is a Burmese, so very petite.

We have a squad of bird sentries who squawk their heads off every time the cat goes outside. I'm actually impressed, because there is multi-species co-operation in this endeavour. Cat came running in at breakneck speed this morning looking very sheepish, so I suspect there was an aerial attack.

Your poor cat. I used to quite like seagulls, then I moved nearer to the sea can't stand the damn things now as they are awful around here (people feed them) I'm pretty certain that they are descended from Raptors.

Not a bird attack, but my cat was merrily chasing a squirrel down the garden, until it turned around and chased her at full speed back to the safety of the house.

Similarly she was chasing a very small moth the other day, until it landed on her and she ran off in terror.

It's difficult for a cat to retain it's dignity in such circumstances.

Jeremy vine did a story about a dog killed by a seagull
They are becoming more aggressive.