A Startled Owl Puffs Up To Look Much Larger In Order To Intimidate An Equally Defensive Family Cat

Jul 05, 2020 by apost team

This Belgian house cat had an exciting experience right in their own backyard. The owners caught the encounter on video, which is why you get to see the impressive sight of an owl puffed up to full size. Both the owl and the cat try to make themselves look bigger; the result is a standoff worthy of being in a nursery rhyme.

This owl was obviously startled, causing him to puff up in defense. This is a posturing technique commonly used by various animals, making them look much larger than they actually are. The owl does a particularly good job of ruffling his feathers and doubling or even tripling his original size.

The owl's goal is to intimidate a domestic cat who lives in the backyard where this recorded standoff takes place. The cat is obviously upset at the sight of the owl. As the bird takes a few steps forward, our cat protagonist raises their hackles and does their own puff-up in response.

apost.com

The owner of the cat, a resident of Belgium, was startled to see the standoff in their backyard. As put in their own words:

"We looked outside and saw our cat in our garden in front of the owl. It was so amazing that I recorded this scene. When I decided to go outside to have a better look, the owl flew away."

You've probably noticed that the video clip is only a few seconds long. These encounters can last for barely a moment, but that's still plenty of time for the two animals to communicate with body language.

Both animals in this video are startled and upset. The owl has clearly wandered into the wrong backyard, while the cat is wondering what this strange creature is doing in their home. The puffed exteriors and angry noises can't be helping either of them calm down. Luckily, the owl flies away as soon as the owner steps in.

What would you do if you looked out of your back window to see a sight like this? Have you ever seen an owl do this before? Let us know your stories in the comments, and if you liked this article, show it to at least one of your animal-loving friends.