Bald Eagle Drops Cat Through Windshield — Driver Says Impact "Sounded Like a Bomb"

Melissa Schlarb, 28, was driving to work near Cherokee, North Carolina, when a seemingly impossible and grisly event occurred: a cat crashed through her windshield and landed inside her vehicle after a bald eagle passed overhead.

Schlarb said she had been admiring the majestic bird as she traveled along a highway that skirts Great Smoky Mountains National Park when she noticed the eagle was carrying something. "I realized it had something with it. Once I realized it was a cat that it had, it barely had a hold on it, it dropped it right on my windshield. It sounded like a bomb went off," she recalled.

The animal was already dead when it struck her car, Schlarb said. The impact shattered the windshield and scattered glass; she described seeing the cat on the passenger seat and finding blood on her clothing. A driver who had been following her stopped to help and guided her off U.S. Highway 74.

"You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield. It absolutely shattered my windshield," Schlarb told a 911 dispatcher, who responded, "OK. I do believe you, honestly. Oh my goodness. Let's see. I've heard crazier."

Kendrick Weeks, supervisor of the Western Wildlife Diversity Program for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said the eagle may have been scavenging roadkill rather than hunting a live cat. "They can take animals the size of a cat," Weeks explained. "It is much harder for them to take a live cat than a dead cat. They usually don't prey on something they don't find palatable. And scavenging is a common behavior in bald eagles."

Why raptors drop prey

Wildlife officials note several reasons a raptor might lose or release prey midflight: the bird may not have a secure grip; the animal might struggle violently and force the raptor to let go to avoid injury; another bird could harass or attempt to steal the catch; or the load may simply become too heavy to carry farther.

Bald eagles in North Carolina have rebounded in recent decades. According to state wildlife officials, there are now more than 200 nesting pairs in the state. The birds typically weigh between about 6.5 and 13.5 pounds and have wingspans roughly 6 to 7 feet across. As protected birds with recovering populations, interactions between eagles and people remain uncommon but notable when they occur.

Though shaken, Schlarb said she is grateful no one was seriously injured. "I just thank God that it wasn't a different scenario," she said. "Even a shift a little bit more in my direction, that could have landed in my face. It could have been a completely different story. I may not even be here at this point."