Webcam captures bald eagle feeding a cat to its young

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It was inevitable, from the moment video cameras went up over Pittsburgh bald eagle nests, that viewers would eventually see something disturbing.

On Tuesday, eagles at the Hays nest site brought a young cat into the nest to feed their two eaglets.

“After reviewing the footage, we believe the cat was dead when it was brought to the nest,” said Rachel Handel, spokeswoman for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. “We don’t know if it was a pet or feral. It’s impossible to know if the cat was killed by the eagle or was a roadkill, but eagles are opportunists and just as apt to take something that’s already dead as something that’s alive to feed their young.”

On regional eagle chat boards, some were squeamish or disturbed that the scene was live-streamed on a popular viewing site. Others speculated about the meal’s identity until Ms. Handel turned the event into a learning moment.

“While many may cringe at this, the eagles bring squirrels, rabbits, fish (and other animals) into the nest to eat multiple times each day,” she said, via Facebook. “To people, the cat represents a pet, but to the eagles and to other raptors, the cat is a way to sustain the eaglets and help them to grow.”

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