Gulls (Larus species) are intelligent, highly opportunistic birds found in coastal and inland environments. They have successfully adapted to human-altered landscapes, sometimes leading to sensationalized reports. The question of whether these birds pose a threat to domestic animals like cats requires distinguishing between genuine predatory behavior and the scavenging actions that define their foraging strategy.
Predation vs. Scavenging: Addressing the Cat Question
Gulls do not actively hunt, kill, or consume healthy adult cats as prey. This behavior is outside the scope of their natural predatory repertoire and physical ability, as gulls are primarily scavengers and opportunistic foragers. Predation involves the active pursuit and killing of a living, resisting animal, which a gull is not equipped to do against a creature the size and agility of a cat. If a large gull, such as a Great Black-backed Gull, feeds on a cat, it is virtually always scavenging an already deceased, severely injured, or incapacitated individual.
The True Omnivore: Typical Gull Diet and Feeding Habits
Gulls are highly adaptable omnivores, meaning their diet includes nearly anything they can ingest. Their natural diet encompasses a wide variety of marine and terrestrial items, often dictated by seasonal availability and proximity to resources. Coastal gulls regularly consume small fish, marine invertebrates, crustaceans, and mollusks, which they often drop onto hard surfaces to crack open.
Inland populations and those near human activity rely heavily on terrestrial sources like insects, earthworms, and small rodents. Gulls also frequently consume the eggs and chicks of other bird species, including those within their own colonies. Their incredible success is largely due to their reliance on human waste, readily consuming refuse from landfills, fishing vessels, and urban areas.
Foraging techniques are varied, involving walking, swimming, and dipping down to snatch items from the water or land surface. Many species exhibit “kleptoparasitism,” stealing food from other birds, illustrating their resourcefulness in obtaining a meal. The American Herring Gull, for example, alters its diet seasonally, shifting from natural food sources during breeding to human-related waste when natural food becomes scarce.
Physical Constraints and Prey Limitations
The anatomical structure of a gull imposes limits on the size of prey they can successfully hunt and consume. Gulls lack the specialized predatory talons or grasping feet found on raptors, which are necessary to hold down large, struggling mammals. Their feet are webbed, designed for swimming and walking, not for seizing and killing substantial prey.
The gull’s bill is stout and hooked, suited for tearing flesh from carrion or swallowing small items whole, but not for delivering the sustained killing blow required to subdue a healthy cat. While large species like the Great Black-backed Gull can weigh up to 1.75 kilograms (about 3.8 pounds), an adult house cat typically weighs between 4 and 6 kilograms (about 9 to 13 pounds). This physical mismatch in size means that an active, healthy cat is simply too large and capable of defense to be considered a viable target for a gull.