Magpies terrorising cat

Two magpies terrorising a cat, the cat didn’t seem too bothered

[AnthonyMonaghan]

That cat is thinking..."this is not the way it's supposed to work"

[DrCranium]

Cat: exists
Magpies: "And we took that personally"

[ohreally]

Notice how the magpie turns sideways when getting really close to the cat so if the cat lurches the bird won't have to fly towards the cat. Smart bird!

[dvdvideo]

Magpie: I see a tail, I must poke it.

[nekoaurora]

We had magpies that did that to our old cat sometimes. He was old, so they'd sneak up behind him and pull his tail. I don't know if they were playing or protecting something, but they lived in our garden, but rarely bothered our cat. He was a roaming type of cat, maybe that's why.
They would also steal food from bird feeders meant for smaller birds. Their beaks were to big, so they would shake the container until seeds fell out. Clever and cute.

[vestibulate]

I had a big, long-haired ginger cat named Bob. One day he caught a mouse in the street and was forced to defend his prize against a pair of magpies. One would approach, chattering to gain his attention, while the other silently came up from behind. He'd wheel round while protecting his little captive with his body. The game would then resume with the magpies reversing roles. This went on for several minutes, until the birds tired of their sport. Bob was quite flustered by the encounter. I don't know how the mouse fared, as I went back in the house. Tame cats will sometimes allow their prey to escape after toying with it. But those magpies working in tandem to get that little creature away from Bob were bold little hunters.

[XMIRC]

Where I live, a cat got into the Magpie nest and killed the chicks. The cat was harassed for 2 weeks after that by adult Magpies; so bad that the cat was huddled at the owners door all the time. Someone found a dead cat a few weeks later close to the owners house. The noise went on for weeks.

[jonathanbecker]

Such extraordinary birds. Both clever and courageous.

[Tylerpierre]

My kitten ventured out to explore for the first gew times and encountered a magpie. He's terrified of them. They just sit in the trees or on the fence and shout at my kitty and he skulks away crouched down with his tail low and hurries away like a coward. 🤣

[Skaterbun]

I have one magpie in the garden who's been doing this to my tabby for days, kitty has given up trying to fight back, the magpie is noisy and aggravating and just doesn't give up trying to peck him. The bird seems to have something up in the tree but doesn't appear to have a mate, my poor kitty doesn't get any peace while that birds around.

[carl]

corvidae are one of if not the most intelligent of the bird families. They aren't really aggressive here. They're just entertaining themselves. That's right. These birds are intelligent enough to not only have the ability to use tools and demonstrate simple problem solving skills, they have a social structure based upon play. I've been researching and studying bird behavior for years and the corvids are quite ornery. Usually aggression is shown towards someone that has wronged them for they can remember faces that threaten or attack them. Some even hold grudges.

[laminak]

What's funny is that magpies are smart enough to remember which cat is a bird hunter. Around my house there are 2 magpies always attacking the same cat and not the others.

[FoXMaSteR]

I've heard a true story about a guy that complained the rear view mirror of his car was vandalized for the 3rd time in the same parking, police checked the video cameras and it was a magpie. For some reasons the bird was angry at this car, why exactly this car, nobody knows.

[iLikeTrains]

They are terrorizing an ORANGE cat. The audacity, the guts…

[peremeesz]

I think the magpies may be protecting their young by doing that. Distracting or/and trying to drive the kitty away. They do that especially when it's nesting season or when the chic(s) have left the nest. They see the cat as an enemy -- with good reason.

[Indiekiwi]

If they have a nest to protect they will see the cat as a potential threat.

[man-who-sold-the-world]

Just seen this behaviour today. 2 magpies kept on squawking at something under car. I looked there was a cat there. Cat seemed scared to come out under car, eventually when it did. I saw both magpies flying above them. Marvellous birds.

[hcrun]

Well, if the cat showed little sign of being bothered, it was hardly being terrorised, was it?
(Typical bird behaviour around a predator when the nesting season is on.)

[marypenebaker]

Magpies are proven to be one of the few species other than man that can be deceitful. They are mean as hell and they do not have to be protecting a nest. They're like vultures if you set a piece of meat out and it's terrifying to watch them. I have two house cats that had no fear except from a magpie.

[Evasapprentice]

It’s all about protecting their babies…