Driving is a dangerous activity. Road rage, bad drivers, inclement weather. Those are all legitimate concerns on the road daily. But one North Carolina driver did not expect to be hit by a cat carried by a bald eagle. Stay on this page for all the details and to watch the shocking video.
North Carolina Driver Hit By Cat Carried By Bald Eagle
A woman in North Carolina is going to have quite the car insurance claim. Luckily, she has proof of the wildest tail (er, tale) the agent has ever heard. While driving along Route 74 near Bryson City, North Carolina, the woman was blindsided not by another vehicle, but by a bald eagle carrying a cat.
In a scene that sounds straight out of a cartoon, the bald eagle lost its grip on the cat while flying over traffic. An identified driver called 911 to report that a cat had fallen through their window.
“You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield,” the driver told the emergency operator. The 911 operator assured the driver that they did believe them. In fact, they said they’d heard of crazier things.
Bald eagles are the symbol of freedom. But for many pet owners, seeing them hovering in the sky can be terrifying. The animals can easily swoop down and catch small dogs and cats with their talons, taking them away as a tasty snack.
According to Wag!, dogs and cats weighing under 10 pounds are at the most risk of getting attacked by an eagle. Many pet companies now offer special vests with spikes to prevent attacks by eagles, coyotes, and other wild animals.
Shocking Incident Caught On Video
The North Carolina resident told the 911 operator that the car’s windshield was shattered by the falling cat. Sadly, she revealed that the cat was dead on the side of the road after the bald eagle dropped it.
The incident happened on Wednesday, November 19, around 8:15 in the morning. The driver wasn’t injured in the crash. Photos and videos of the wrecked car windshield went viral days after the incident.
A driver called 911 in North Carolina, claiming a bald eagle dropped a cat through their windshield on US-74 early Wednesday morning, shattering the glass.
The driver told the dispatcher that a witness called it “the craziest thing” they had ever seen. pic.twitter.com/0IfKwRJ0Q3
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) November 21, 2025
The internet, of course, reacted to the wild news story with jokes.
- “I literally just moved to this state & it’s already raining cats & dogs.”
- “Looks like he came to his 9th life”
- “But didn’t fall on his feet!!! Maybe he was testing that saying”
- “Raining cats, possibly dogs!”
The North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene but didn’t share any new information. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s Kendrick Weeks told Fox News that the cat could have already been dead when the bald eagle picked it up.
“They can take animals the size of a cat,” they said. However, “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.”
The woman’s car insurance could cover the cost of a new windshield, depending on the policy. Tell us your wildest car accident in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
