Sorry, I didn't see that someone else had posted about vultures until I submitted my question.

Yellowbell, are you sure it was a vulture?

Sounds like it could have been a hawk. I have seen them kill full grown rabbits in our yard.

I looked up pictures of hawks, and all the ones I saw looked brown. The bird in the air looked black, and it was really ugly looking too. I noticed that there has been a stray cat missing for a couple weeks now that used to hang around next door. Maybe it died nearby and the vulture was looking for it??

I'm not sure where you're located. I'm in central Indiana. The way I tell if it's a turkey vulture and it's far up, is if it's black with white markings on it. Was it's head naked? Do you have some binoculars? I'd be lost without mine. I know vultures only eat dead animals, but it is still scary to have them around your pets!
Coopers hawks are dark, but I wouldn't say they were ugly. Maybe you could do an internet search for some better pictures?

Well, I know that buzzards will attack live animals (from what I hear...luckily I haven't witnessed it). Apparently, they'll attack just-born baby calves.

I don't know what the difference between a buzzard and the other types of birds discussed is though.

Is a buzzard the same thing as a vulture? I can't really tell you what its head looked like because I was so surprised and startled, and then freaked out to really take a good look. ha ha! It seemed like it was looking at me, and then it moved closer to my cat. Even if I had binoculars, I wouldn't be able to get a good look at it again unless it flies over our house, which is rare. It has a buddy that it hangs out with in the field.

I have many Turkey vultures by me, they usually only eat old roadkill. They circle and sniff the air currents, never saw one huver.

An eagle would eat a cat in a heart beat, if hungry. They are black as adults.

Found what I think is red tail hawk feathers, something ate it. Never left a bone just a large area full of feathers. Thought it might of got ambushed while eating by a fox of coyote.

A vulture's claws aren't strong enough to grasp and kill.

Depends on whether it is a black vulture or a turkey vulture, as I understand it now. The TV's are pretty peaceful, but the BV's can be quite aggressive.

Here in VA, Black Vultures have been known to attack & kill newborn lambs & calves. There's been more than one stir by farmers to allow killing them, but they haven't succeeded yet.

You're right - in fact, there's even an article on the internet about them doing that in Texas too.

Here's an article about vultures that mentions that sort of thing. It only talks about black vultures being that aggressive. Thank God I've only got turkey vultures around here where I live. As far as I know, they haven't shown any interest in my pets. And as far as I can remember, I haven't ever had one land in the trees in or next to the fenced-in yard. They seem to avoid close contact with people, unless there's a dead animal for them to eat.

Here is a link that might be useful: vultures

You ran into the house and left your kitty to fend for itself? Aaaww

I am here to tell you that black vultures do attach and kill cats. Chickens as well. I just found my young kitty dead on the lawn with a vulture picking at its guts. The kittin had come to me starving and I was trying to tame it. I am heartsick:(

Was it a black eagle?

Maybe the cat died since it was starving (maybe it was sick after all) and the vulture was just eating it since it was dead. I think vultures are too lazy to chase down a chicken as well.

I have turkey vultures around my farm and once in a while, I'll throw out a raw hunk of chicken for them in the pasture near my kitchen windows. I've seen my small 6 lb.

cat stalk the vultures and even chase them away. The vultures just look at her like,

HUH??? what's that little thing trying to get us? The vultures have never shown any

aggressiveness to the little feline. It's funny to watch.

There's a new black vulture...well new to my area I mean, that will kill defenseless newborn calves by pecking them...ewwww.... so if the animal is able to move they are pretty safe, I'd say.