To have cycled into a cat

[Rhododendron]

Background: I'm new to cycling and not very good at it yet.

I was cycling along, fairly slowly, when a cat ran into the road ahead of me. Since it would be so much more manoeuvrable than me, I carried on, assuming it would avoid me. But it ran straight under my front wheel!

I don't think it was (hope not, anyway!) particularly hurt since it carried on running and disappeared through a gate. (I stopped.)

Was I BU? Should I have tried to avoid it?

Bit confused since I thought cats were rather more sensible than that? DH (experienced cyclist) says he's never needed to avoid a cat.

So can I come and cycle over one of your children if I then claim I thought they were more sensible than that?
Can't believe you made no attempt to avoid a creature far smaller than yourself. Of course you'll have hurt it. You don't seem particularly concerned for it's welfare either, judging both by your tone here and the fact that you didn't stop to check.
Shame on you.

People riding bicycles are supposed to be considerably more sensible than cats.

You would have thought so but obviously not!

Assuming this isn't a joke, of course ywbu. Regardless of whether the cat ran off of course it could be injured and you sound like you don't have much common sense.

YABU Cycling over any small creature is cruel and unnecessary - stay off your bike.

I'd trade your bike in for some good walking shoes. How did your instincts not tell you to break!

What if a young child had been in your path?

If you can't cycle well enough to avoid running over something - or at least make a very good effort to avoid it - then you shouldn't be cycling

If you saw a person ahead would also make the same assumption? Please tell me you don't also drive a car?

Yeah, my first thought was to swerve, but then I worried if I did that then the cat would swerve the same way and we'd end up hitting each other. So then I tried to second guess what it would do, and then I wasn't sure what to do, and then I ended up not doing anything and the next thing I knew there it was!

(And obv if it had been a child I would have fallen off backwards or something, thank you very much.)

I don't usually go cycling on my own, think I need more practice before I do again!

And you didn't even think to check it was okay? Cats are tiny, much smaller than children.
If I'd accidentally hit a cat cycling, I'd be bloody beside myself with guilt and remorse.

scary how little control you seem to have over a bike

When I learnt to drive my instructor told me not to stop or swerve for animals. Pretty sure the same goes for bikes. I know someone who was horribly injured because someone swerved into their path to avoid a rabbit.

Why didn't you actually just brake until it was safely out of the way, if you weren't going quickly anyway?

Graciescotland, if you can safely stop or drive past the animal of course you do, don't be daft. What he meant was don't endanger yourself or other road users, by eg swerving at speed into oncoming traffic or something. Don't just randomly mow stuff down that you could otherwise avoid!
Also, a bike is a totally different scenario. Hit a large dog and you'll be sailing merrily over the handle-bars.

I dislike cats...but I dislike cyclists more. If you are inexperienced in cycling (so you can't use handle bar brakes?) then you shouldn't be on the road. Practise in your garden and then let yourself loose on our roads. Next time you'll be second guessing a car and it will all be the driver's fault . And although I'm not fond of cats, I hope it was ok. Poor thing.

You need to brake when you are near children and animals because they are unpredictable. If that had been a dog, you would have been over the handlebars. Squeeze your brakes gently on and off, control your speed and expect the unexpected.

Of course you should have tried to avoid it. Common sense I would have thought. Why would you not?

YANBU.

Cats, like dogs and children should be under the control of their owners, not wandering around unaccompanied waiting to cause road traffic accidents.

Never swerve for an animal, you don't always know what you could swerve into and your life is worth more than the cat's.

Oh FFS! I don't cycle. However, I swerved to avoid a squirrel and hit someone in the oncoming lane. Luckily there was damage only to the cars, not to any people.

Given my time again, I'd avoid that automatic response and run it over.

You should have knocked on the door of the houses to ask if its their cat and tried to find the owner so they could assess the cat before its too late to get vet assistance. Somebody loves that cat.

"Bit confused since I thought cats were rather more sensible than that?"

My cat's a complete numpty.

I wouldn't blame you if you bumped him slightly under these circumstances, because knowing him it would probably be his fault, though it might have been an idea to shout or brake or something.

there is simply no comparison between idiotic car drivers swerving into oncoming traffic and a cyclist slowing down by applying brakes. noone is suggesting she instead throws herself under the wheels of oncoming vehicles

unless, op, you were going at 30 in the middle of the road with traffic right behind you, at the time??

no? thought not

The op says nothing of other traffic, so I read it was just the cat and the bike.

During such times that swerving or emergency stop is required is a different story. Then it a risk assessment of the situation is necessary.

She didn't have to swerve. She was apparently "cycling along, fairly slowly", so gently applying the brakes until she stopped was all she needed to do. But she cycled over a cat going along slowly. ...that's just stupid and cruel.

Given my time again, I'd avoid that automatic response and run it over.

I know I shouldn't laugh at that, but ...