A North Carolina woman experienced an unusual and terrifying incident on her morning commute when a cat, dropped by a bald eagle, crashed through her windshield. Melissa Schlarb, 28, was driving along US Route 74 near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park around 8 a.m. on a Wednesday when the unexpected event occurred.
Schlarb reported the incident to a 911 dispatcher, stating, “You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield,” she said. “It absolutely shattered my windshield.” The dispatcher, maintaining her composure, responded with understanding and a touch of humor.
Schlarb, who drives the same route every morning, noticed the bald eagle, a rare sight on her commute, soaring in the sky. As she watched in awe, she realized that the bird was carrying something in its talons. To her shock, the object turned out to be a cat, which the eagle dropped, sending it hurtling towards her vehicle.
The impact was severe, with the cat landing in the passenger seat and the windshield shattering. “I have guts all over me; there’s glass everywhere. It sounded like a bomb went off. Of course, at that moment, I just slam on my brakes,” Schlarb recounted.
After the incident, two other drivers directed Schlarb off the road, where she made the 911 call. The dispatcher, still maintaining a sense of humor, asked if the cat was still alive. Schlarb confirmed that it was not and had moved the cat from her car to the side of the road.
Following the shocking event, Schlarb stated that she would be keeping a closer eye on her own pet cat. It remains uncertain whether the cat was alive when it crashed through Schlarb’s windshield. However, a wildlife expert suggested that the cat may have been roadkill scavenged by the bald eagle.
Kendrick Weeks, Western Wildlife Diversity Program supervisor for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, explained that while bald eagles can carry animals the size of a cat, it is much harder for them to capture a live one. He added that bald eagles often scavenge and don’t usually prey on something they don’t find palatable.