To have cried when I ran over a squirrel today?

[Sleepglorioussleep]

I am still a bit nauseous about it. But I eat meat and wear leather so why?

Because squirrels are lovely, cute little things.

YOU MURDERER

No answer to the second question as I do neither and can't understand why people do.

As for the first, YANBU and I too would have been distraught to have killed an animal, albeit accidentally.

If it was a grey squirrel just think of it as helping out the red squirrels.

I am not a vegetarian, but I would still feel bad if I ran something over no matter what it was, but there is nothing you could have done, as squirrels dont have much road sense at all..

Oh I would have cried as well, and yes I do eat meat and wear leather.
But they are cute!!!

Was it a black squirrel?

I ran over a rabbit once I was very upset. YANBU.

Was a grey squirrel. Saw it very late and prob just as well as there was someone close behind me and an emergency stop might have caused three or four creatures, me and dd included to be hurt. But horrible nonetheless.

I would be upset too. I love squirrels ! They are aggressive little creatures, but I think that's what makes me like them more, the way they stick up for themselves, but are cute at the same time.

However, it was an accident so don't beat yourself up about it.

Grey squirrels are classed as a pest aren't they? If so, just think of it as running over a pigeon and you'll be less upset.

I'd cry too. I cried when I hit a bird (or rather, it hit me!). I'm an omnivore but hate waste, so on that level, its such a bloody pointless waste of a creature isn't it? [sadface]

I cried once when I ran over a duck (mainly because I made the mistake of returning to the scene to find another duck mourning it :().

I feel differently now I've had children, though - whereas I used to swerve to avoid them, in wouldn't put others at risk because of an animal now. Sorry.

Accidents happen. yanbu to be upset.

I ran over a pheasant on the motorway, it went BANG. Like a blown up paper bag. vom

YANBU.

You are doing the reds a favour, better the squirrel than you and your family.

YANBU.

The first occasion I ran over something, it was a rabbit... and about 200 yards later a duck. Neither avoidable. Fortunately I was nearly home as I was in bits... incoherent for a while, poor DH thought someone in my family must have died.

Then nothing till earlier this year a cat ran into my car. I was in floods again, moving poor thing out of road and trying to find someone to ask who it belonged to - owner showed up and was very nice.

Odd thing is I'm not a big weeper - but theres something viscerally upsetting about accidentally killing a furry. (or feathery)

YANBU - but if it makes you feel any better, grey squirrels are considered vermin like rats, (if you catch one, you're supposed to kill them, it's illegal to release them) I'm sure you'd not feel bad about killing a rat now would you?

Honestly, it was just a fluffy rat.

Oh I would be gutted, I blubbed like a 2 year old when I hit a pheasant, Brainless thing just stepped out in front of me.

I think a squirrel would be worse.

I had a panic attack when my springer killed a pigeon when we were on a walk. I rang my DP screaming down the phone. He had to cone home from work to calm me down

In fairness though I was heavily pregnant at the time, and I have a massive phobia of dead animals ( yes, I am a bit strange, why can't I be scared of spiders )

So no yanbu

Nah, they're just rats with a good stylist.

I once hit a dog with my car (accidentally, and it was off the lead in a residential area, I am not a dog killer)

I cried for days

Squirrels? Cute? You've obviously never been on the receiving end of a squirrel attack. They are not cute, they're vicious little bastards mostly riddled with fleas and ticks.

Not our lovely native red ones though, they're cute. It's just those bastard grey ones!

I once hit a cat and killed it. It was lying down at the side of the road, I'd seen it but as I approached it ran out in front of me - don't know why. I was doing 38mph and that was that.

I was distraught. I moved it and laid it at the side of the road. I couldn't bear the thought of it just lying there being repeatedly run over.

I was really shaken up and cried for days too. The thought that someone would be wondering where that cat was that night really haunted me. I just hoped that if they found it and realised it had been moved, they'd understand how sorry I was.

It still upsets me now.

i love squirrels, but don't worry twas only an accident.

"ColdSancerre Thu 06-Oct-11 13:18:15
Was it a black squirrel?@

:o I was just about to ask the same question!

Tenant - yes, thats like what happened to me. After milling around for some time hoping for someone to appear (it was before 8am) I actually wrote a note to leave next to the poor cat where I'd laid it to explain what had happened (and in particular that it was instant) - but then someone came out of a house so I asked and it was the owner. She was very understanding - but I still cried a lot after. I think it has something to do with seeing something so very much alive - and then suddenly its just a dead thing . I suppose we're very much shielded from this in modern life so its a shock.