A North Park man believes he has solved the mystery of what happened to his beloved cat after security camera video appeared to show a hawk breaking through his patio screen and carrying the animal away. Andrew Vergohven said he returned home from work on Monday to find his 16-year-old cat, Slick , missing. After reviewing security camera footage, he believes a hawk struck the patio screen, grabbed the cat and flew away. Vergohven, a registered nurse at a local hospital, said Slick had been his companion through some of life’s most difficult moments, including the death of his partner. “I didn’t expect him to live much longer, but I didn’t expect him to die that way either,” Vergohven said. When Vergohven got home, he immediately noticed damage to the screen door. “I saw a hole in my screen — a slide screen, excuse me,” he clarified. Vergohven said Slick weighed about 6 pounds and had been sleeping on the floor near the patio screen door before the suspected attack. At normal speed, the security video appeared to show only a blur. But after slowing down the footage, Vergohven said he believes he could see the hawk strike before quickly carrying the cat away. “I was just so surprised how fast he got him out of here,” he said. According to the video’s timestamp, Vergohven said the attack happened at 11:32 a.m., just before noon. He said he has seen hawks in the neighborhood before, including one perched in a palm tree across from his patio about six months ago. A published opinion from Cornell University indicates adult cats are generally too heavy for hawks and that it would be very unlikely for one to fly away with a full-grown cat. Nina Thompson with the San Diego Humane Society said the encounter would be unusual, but conflicts between wildlife and pets are not. “During hot days especially, a lot of people are opening their doors and windows for ventilation. We do have to remember our pets may be able to get out, or vice versa — something may be able to get inside,” Thompson said. Vergohven searched the neighborhood in hopes that Slick had been dropped somewhere and also posted about the disappearance on the Nextdoor app. “I’ve seen hawks in our trees all the time. I didn’t really think I needed to protect my cat because he is an indoor cat,” he said. While grieving the loss of Slick, Vergohven said he has been encouraged by the support of neighbors. He also has a warning for other pet owners. “If it looks like the hawk is staying around a lot, he’s stalking your cat; please keep the window shut,” he said. No other similar attacks have been reported. North Park neighbors told NBC San Diego they often see hawks hunting in a nearby canyon. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less