My mom sent me this link of a cat and owl playing together:
Too cool 
It is a cool video.
But people should be warned it has a really LOUD song on it.
I think “playing” might be an exaggeration. More likely, each has the other on the dinner menu.
Ooo, sorry about that. I had my volume kind of low and my window AC unit on - I didn’t realize how loud it might be.
Double post!
Did you watch it? There were lots of dinner opportunities for both animals, though the owl is quite smaller than the cat.
Joe
I don’t know birds, but that cat is most definitely playing. Looks to me like they were raised together.
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I know cats, and I’ve seen cats try to catch birds exactly like that (and fail). And the owl looks like it is trying to swoop down and grab a mouse or a rabbit on the fly, but this one is a little big and a little touchy. That’s exactly the behavior they use to catch food.
And animals are known for “playing” with their food before, during and after a catch. Ever see a cat “playing” with a mouse just before it’s head is bitten off? It’s not as recreational as your playing with a friend on the playground.
The first part, where they are close together on the wall, may be a bit puzzling, because they appear to be nuzzling, but remember that they are approximately the same size, and tackling your supper is no fun if it can fight back. Better to wait until you have the advantage.
Birds and felines are not natural friends, but they are natural foods.
The owl has jesses on its legs, it’s a tame owl. They were definitely raised together.
Most play is pretend attack behavior. No way are those two trying to prey on each other for real.
Neither are dogs and cats yet they play together all the time. Clearly the cat is playing with the bird as it would another cat. And you will note the Owl is domesticated (the leather strap on it’s leg) so they are linked by human contact.
There’s absolutely no question it’s play. The owl hangs out casually near the cat in many scenes, instead of flying away, and the cat headbutts the owl and rubs affectionately against the bird.
Is that what that was? I saw something hanging down, but wasn’t sure if it was tail feathers or something in its talons.
Just noticed a typo in my thread title. That should read “…history OF the Internets” :smack:
Kitten siblings play together as they learn, but when they get older and are around other, smaller animals, the play turns to predatory behavior. From my experience with animals, there’s no way you can convince me these are fast friends. If the cat had caught the owl on the wing, I think the behavior would be quite different.
“Friends” may be too strong a word (barn owls are solitary creatures and are not wired for social behavior) but there’s no aggression going on in this video. You’d know if the owl was scared – they have a very distinctive behavior when they’re threatened. Also, the cat would be missing its face. Barn owls are * scary * predators. The cat is also not aggressive towards the owl – there are several scenes where it is head butting the owl.
adult cats stalk and pounce adult dogs twice their size all the time. (raised together) that doesn’t mean they view each other as *food. * ultimately, predators and prey do not nuzzle or turn their backs on each other.
if you’re talking about killing instincts overcoming their friendship, that’s another tangent. imho however, the most i would worry from the cat is rough play.
i love cats dearly but i would never allow mine to do that with a bird - even if they were all raised together.
cats is cats. they are natural predators, as are owls. it’s what they do - or would do if they didn’t live with humans. maggie will cuddle up with me and be the sweetest, lovey little tabby in the world. then she gets down and go to stalk the chipmunks in the back yard (through the sliding door glass, i hastily add. the superkitties are strictly indoors-only).
based on what i see of her behavior, she is deadly serious about it, too. i don’t imagine said chipmunk would last two seconds if she could get to it.
in addition, the divemaster lost his first giant macaw to a cat bite. apparently the giant macaw is deathly allergic to cat bites. dunno if owls are, but through hard-won experience (it was my turk as a kitten that bit the bird) i say better safe than sorry.