Do Crows Attack Cats? Birds Advice

One of the largest birds, crows are quite aggressive and quarrelsome with other birds and even humans. These birds of prey can remember faces for up to 2 years and hold grudges. If you piss them off, they will attack you once they get an opportunity.

Now, a question might be lingering in your mind, “Do crows attack cats?†Crows may attack cats if the cats are threats to the crows, their nests, eggs, or broods. If the cats piss the crows off, they–the crows–can remember the cats and are likely to attack. Without any reason, crows might not attack adult cats.

In this article, we’re going to talk about why crows attack cats, whether or not crows pick up, kill, or eat cats, and how to keep your cats away from crow attacks. Once you’ve read the entire article, we would suggest taking a look at another article on crows and ravens.

Related Blog: Do Crows Attack Dogs? [Read now]

Why Do Crows Attack Cats?

In a breeding season, if crows are close to a crow nest, their fledglings, or eggs, or attempt to move it along, crows will simply exhibit their mobbing behavior. Once the cats are nearby, particularly in an open space, the crows will attack them.

In a non-breeding season (not from May to July), crows can mob other animals, particularly cats, for no reason, but just for fun. They actually find it interesting. Maybe, this attacking behavior is pretty common in their behavioral psyche.

When Are Crows Likely To Attack Cats?

Crows are likely to attack cats mostly in May, June, and July because this is their breeding season and they spend a lot of time and energy to take care of their young. During this period, crows build nests, lay, incubate, and hatch their eggs, and feed their babies.

Crows are protective. If your cat gets close to them during this season, they’re more likely to attack your cat. So, you should be extra careful of your cat in this particular part of the year. Always keep an eye on the cat. Don’t allow it to go outside.

Can Crows Catch And Pick Up Cats?

Crows are able to catch and pick up a small cat. But, this is unlikely. After catching the cat, the crow can move to somewhere else. Besides, red-tailed hawks, northern goshawks, and great horned owls can lash at small cats of under 20 pounds.

Can Crows Kill Cats?

Crows never look to kill a cat, even though they’re capable of doing so. This depends on the cat size, how well the cat can protect itself, and how many crows attack the cat at once. If your cat gets into a ruckus with a crow, many crows will soon be with the crow. Protect your cat!

Can Crows Eat Cats Or Kittens?

Crows don’t usually attack cats or kittens to eat them. However, crows are capable of doing so. It has already been happened and reported though. Besides, crows are scavengers, and therefore, can eat dead cats or roadkills (the cats died in accidents).

So, crows would eat cats or kittens once they get the opportunity. As a cat owner, you’ll need to be careful of allowing your kitten to go outside. During breeding seasons, keep your kitten inside your house. Don’t let it go before the age of 6 months.

Do Crows Instigate Cats To Fight?

Crows sometimes instigate cats to fight. These relatively large birds often attempt to pull the cats’ tails, and the cats attack back. This seems to be a displacement behavior. Once the cats get pissed off by crows, the cats chase the crows away.

For your information, cats can catch crows. Once fighting between them has been started, the cats can pick up the crows if gets the opportunity. Although crows are one of the large birds, the cats are not usually overwhelmed by the size of the crows.

How Do You Keep Your Cat Away From Crow Attack?

When your cat comes into contact with a crow, there might be a battle. If you want to prevent crows and other birds of prey from attacking your cat, there are some easy yet useful techniques you can follow. Here are the best ones for you.

1. Identify The Territory Of The Crows

As we already know, crows usually attack cats in backyards if they build nests around. That’s why you should identify the territory of the crows. Look for any trees or bushes where crows usually reside. Once you find one, avoid the area and keep your cat away from that.

2. Remove Crow-Friendly Feeders

If you have multiple bird feeders in your yard, remove the crow-friendly feeders that can entice crows to your yard or hang the feeders in places where your cat doesn’t usually go. Removing bird feeders may not be a good idea because other bird species will be deprived of them.

3. Use Owl Or Snake Decoys

In order to scare the crows away, use scarecrow owls or snake decoys in your yard. These things are excellent to keep crows away from your property. You can find these items on Amazon. We would recommend you take a look at the Hausse Fake Horned Owl Scarecrow Decoy.

4. Install Motion Activated Sprinklers

If you’re willing to keep your cat away from crows, you can install motion-activated sprinklers in your yard. Use them to make a buffer zone between the cat and the crows. In our opinion, the Orbit Motion-Activated Sprinkler from Amazon could be the best choice for you.

5. Wear Your Cat Small Bells

Another technique is you can wear your cat small bells around his/her collar, which will alert crows and other birds of prey to the presence of the cat. Therefore, crows are less likely to encounter the cat and take a different route.

6. Build An Enclosure

You can build a permanent enclosure in your backyard, which protects your cat from the attacks of crows and other birds. You can make one by yourself or purchase a pre-made one online. The Kittywalk Outdoor Net Cat Enclosure from Amazon is our recommendation.

7. Keep Your Cat Indoors

Most importantly, you should keep your cat indoors during breeding seasons. If your cat is a kitten, don’t let it go outside before the age of 6 months. Make indoors entertaining for it. Give your cat DIY cat shelves, scratching posts, food puzzles, and various toys (Available on Amazon).

Final Words

In a nutshell, crows are one of the threats to cats, particularly kittens. If crows get an opportunity, they can attack cats. Do you have a pet cat? Keep it away from crows and other birds of prey. Follow our above-mentioned techniques to protect your beloved cat.

However, we hope you have learned a lot about whether crows can attack, catch, pick up, kill, and eat cats or not. If you have experience in watching a battle between crows and cats, you can let us know below in the comment section.