Dead cat in the road, leave it or move it?

[PrammyMammy]

What do you do when you see a dead cat in the street? I've never owned a cat, I don't know cat rules, I know we have loads in the street. I'm guessing they are in and out as they please, or do they just go out at night?

Anyway, I seen something in the street and went to investigate. It was a poor cat, must have been hit by a car. I stroked it and it was worm, but wet and still so I moved it to the pavement and called my vets emergency line. It wasn't wounded. The vet asked me to bring it in, so I wrapped a towel round him and drove to the clinic.
The emergency vet confirmed that he was dead and told me he was male and asked me to put a notice in our shop. They were going to scan for a chip.

I only have dog's but couldn't imagine how devastated I'd be if someone left one of them in the road in that rain.

Since then I've been told that cats are supposed to be left in the road, you don't need to lift them, and even laughed at for taking it to the vets. What's the vet going to do for a dead cat? Unbelievable.

So basically i'm now in bed, shaken up, looking for cat owners to tell me that's what you would do.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I'm a vet and a cat owner. You did the right thing. Hopefully the cat had a chip and the vet can break the sad news, but the owner will know what happened. If there is no chip we record the details in our book (ours is black) we then store the body so if someone phones looking for their beloved cat we can tell them what happened.
I always thank people like you for having the compassion to bring us the cat. If left in the road the council just clear them and know one keeps a record.

[PrammyMammy]

He was warm not worm. Sorry .

Thanks for the reply, it's good to hear that from a vet.

The vet was actually lovely. She was openly sad. She told me about keeping him for 2 weeks for the owners to come forward.

We are a small town, there are two vets close by, so hopefully they will find him.

[mamalovebird]

You did a good thing. My cat was hit by a car and a lovely group of kids took him to the vet where he died. The vet then contacted me as he was chipped. I never found out who the kids were but I was thankful they did that even though he died. The thought of him splattered all over the road if he'd just been left is horrible. It was a main road.

I was once driving on a country road and stopped when I saw a cat in road, it was obviously dead so I just moved it to the grass verge in case it's owners came looking for it.

[timtam23]

If that was my cat I'd have been so grateful to you for doing that for the poor creature, so that he could be treated with dignity. You definitely did the right thing.

Some years ago, friends of mine lost one of their cats and were out searching for him, by chance they found out from the council refuse collector that he'd picked up their dead cat and disposed of it - the cat had been hit by a car & killed but no one had stopped or tried to find out who the cat belonged to. So my friends got closure of a sort because they did find out what had happened, but they were absolutely devastated that their beloved pet had been "thrown away". I think there is nothing in law obliging anyone to report the road death of a cat, although it is different for dogs as if they were killed by a car it would have to be reported?

[morethanpotatoprints]

Why is it different for a dog?
I called council when there was a dead cat on our road, busy main road.
They came and removed it.
I couldn't have touched it myself, but we don't have pets and whilst I would never wish any animal harm am not an animal lover.
If it happens again I will call a vet, or try to get a neighbour to take it. I guess its hard to know what to do.

[timtam23]

Potatoprints I think there is some law about having to report an accident involving a dog but because cats are "free to roam" they are not included

[timtam23]

It's the Road Traffic Act

Certain animals included in this where an accident involving them must be reported - dogs are in that list but not cats

[Lucylouby]

As a at owner I think you did the right thing. Our cat just didn't come home in the summer. He was old and we assume nature took its own course, but we have no idea. It was so hard telling the children that we assumed he had died as we didn't really know. Even now we look out the window just in case we can see him. I think it may have been easier to know the bin men had picked him up (ours keep a record of any cats apparently) as then we would have closure.

[lookatmybutt]

I'm with Lucy as the same thing happened to me. Spooks was 15ish, but had only just had a vet check up who declared him hale and hearty.

My dear Gargantumog Mr Spooky was chipped but noone picked him up and I never found him. If someone like you did, at least I'd know what happened. It was really nice of you to do that.

[HarpyFishwifeTwat]

We lost our boy last year, from what we've been told he was knocked down then a fox took his body away. I would give anything for someone to have found him and taken him to vet/police/council so we could have said goodbye.

You did a very good thing by taking the poor cat to the vet, even though it wasn't my boy I'm grateful on behalf of his owner.

[TheNunsOfGavarone]

PrammyMammy you did absolutely the right thing and I can't believe that anyone would laugh at you for it. Losing a cat is always sad but I think it must be terrible not to have any closure, just for a cat never to come home, and never to know what happened. You did all you could here and I do hope the cat's family is able to be traced.

[Sparklingbrook]

You did the right thing. If the cat is chipped the owner will find out what happened to their pet.

I have done this three times in the last year, and the owners although very very upset were grateful.
Hate the 'it's only a cat' attitude, it's most likely somebody's much loved pet and part of the family.

[PinkPepper]

We took a cat we found on road into the vet, they scanned it and told us it was chipped and they'd contact owner. Obviously didn't hear anymore but I'm sure if it was me I'd rather know, they could have been waiting ages. The vets seemed thankful.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I found one on Friday and took it to the vets, I've got to ring tm to find out if it was chipped.

They acted like it was the most normal thing in the world to bring a dead cat in.

[Noodles123]

You absolutely did the right thing, and hopefully this way even if cat wasn't chipped the owners will ring vets and find out what happenned, much better than never knowing where their cat went.

[Hoppinggreen]

I picked up a dead cat recently and knocked on doors ( with help) to find its owners.
I had a very poorly cat that vanished and I was frantic looking girl her knowing she would be suffering very badly without her medication.
A local vet phoned me after her body was brought in and they traced me via microchip.
I was upset but at least I no longer had to worry about her.

[Charlie01234]

That was a lovely thing you did. I lost my boy a few years ago - hit by a car and a neighbour found him and wrapped him up in a blanket and took him to the vets. I was always grateful that she took time to care for him and that he didn't die alone at the side of the road.

[Iworrymyselftosleep]

You did the right thing.

Compassion and empathy are good attributes OP. don't let those lacking in them judge you. Hoick your judgey pants up and judge them right back. You were kind. To the owners who would conceivably be very sad. And to a creature that didn't deserve to have its innards driven over all night.

[Bluestocking]

That was a lovely kind thing you did, OP. "Only a cat"? As a lifelong cat person, I can tell you that there's no such thing as "only a cat". The poor kitty's family would have been so grateful to you for treating their beloved pet with respect.

[INeedSomeHelp]

You absolutely did the right thing. I saw a cat on the road a few weeks ago but couldn't stop because of the volume of traffic.
I posted on my facebook page and also that of the local radio station. The next day it had gone so I like to think the owners found it and were able to lay it to rest somewhere lovely.
if something ever happens to my cat I would hope someone would take care of him.

[mrbreezeet1]

I have had my calico, Cleopatra going on 9 years, come August 2017.
She is all I really have. We have been through a lot, she even turned on me a few times, and I thought I'd have to get rid of her, but took her to the vet, the vet didn't say much, put her on canned food (fancy feast) only,.
She said dry food was too many carbohydrates.
She most diffinelty has more energy now. So I stuck it out with her, and she was really crying on the way to the vet.
(i think she thought I was getting rid 0 her.i brought her home, and thought she would be hissing and howling and hiding, but she came home and was "chilling the most". She was hanging out with me, real nice, I think it instilled trust in her when I brought her back home. She has been a real nice cat ever since.
The point is Cleopatra is not allowed out. She is forbidden to go out side.
My last cat, bubinga, (beautiful white cat) smart too, was forbidden to go out too, but she used to jump out the bathroom window .it was a mobile home, and had one of those wind open windows.
I called it her "escape hatch"..... Lol
But I thing someone fed her coolant, more than one time, she passed away at the vets office.
Needless to say I was heartbroken.
So, IMO cats should not be allowed out, to reduce the risk of loosing them.

[Fluffycloudland77]

That's awful, I hope you reported it to the police & the RSPCA, it might not be the only one.

I'm so sorry.

[lottieandmia]

I think it's definitely the right thing to do to move a cat. Most cats are chipped these days.

Our cats aren't allowed outside. I agree there are so many hazards for cats. Outside dd3's school a guy had to do an emergency stop because a cat ran into the road. He /she was lucky not to be hit.

[ElizaDontlittle]

Zombie thread!!!

[mrbreezeet1]

Thank you.She was a sweet cat.
No, I never really thought of it.
The vet said most likely coolant,
It's hard to say.