Will turkey vultures harm cats at all?

Unlikely.

No. They are primarily carrion and poop eaters.

Here’s their carte du jour.

“The turkey vulture, contrary to popular belief, does not feed strictly on carrion (though carrion forms the bulk of its calories). This species has been recorded eating a wide variety of food, including wild and domestic carrion, stranded mussels, shrimp, grasshoppers, mayflies washed onto shore, rotten pumpkins, palm fruit, grapes, juniper berries, and feces of coyote and sea lion. ”

Thanks!

My parents and (late) grandmother live in a neighborhood that gets a lot of turkey vultures, and they all have outdoor cats that have never been bothered by the birds. Beastly birds, though, every time I catch one in the yard or out of the corner of my eye it startles me half to death. I think they like the gardens more than anything else.

@DigitalBlue Free food! Whats not to like about a garden?

Turkey vultures are fairly mellow. Owls are a whole different matter.

Nope.

@gailcalled: “Feces of coyote and sea lion?!” Gross!

No!
They are carrion scavengers only, not predatory raptors like eagles and hawks.
I have gazillions of TV’s over here and they are natures garabage disposals, very beneficial birds.
Fascinating TV facts. They vomit to discourage predators and defecate on their legs as a cooling system. I LOVE vultures, they form complex family systems and for years I had a family roosting in a giant Ponderosa pine on my property. Fear not, and admire them for their very unique place in the ecosystem.

@bkcunningham thanks for the link, now I know more about turkey vultures than I ever thought necessary. I like the part where their poop is an an antibiotic. The next time I get a cut, I’ll dig up some turkey vulture poop!

@jca: It’s called efficient composting…eliminating the middle man.