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Original poster

To ask what is the best thing to do if you hit a cat with your car?

140 replies

wasonthelist · 06/06/2016 15:53

Prompted by a pitchforks and torches posting on a local FB group. It made me (honestly) wonder. If I hit a cat and killed it (or didn't) what to do. There are a few things - I haven't had any pets for more than 30 years, so I have no idea where the vets are - I could Google of course, but can you just take any random cat to the nearest vet?

In the olden days I heard tales of people putting injured animals "out of their misery" with a wheelbrace or something, but aside from being too squeamish, I'd worry that the cat could have been saved and that I'd be arrested.

I guess checking the cat for some ID tag would make sense, but not sure I'd fancy taking the body to an owner - judging by the FB posting I could see it going badly.

Can/should you phone Police (I know it's not required) - or would they just say not interested?

I started off thinking it was heartless to run a cat over and just drive off, but then thought I am not sure what I would do.

OP posts:
LurcioAgain · 06/06/2016 17:32

I'm massively grateful to the passers-by who took my old cat's body up the road to the vets so they could ID him from his microchip. It was terribly sad but at least we knew what had happened to him - the thought of DS (who was 6 at the time) and me spending weeks putting up notices on lamp-posts and searching the streets would have been heartbreaking.

Agree that if they're injured, they'll often scarper. My first cat got hit by a car - she came home on three legs (4th badly broken and tucked up in a bloody mess - I almost passed out).

Of course there are circumstances where you can't stop safely, e.g. a busy dual carriageway, but if you can, and can drop it on the doorstep of the nearest vets', most owners will be very, very grateful (nasty thug owner described up thread aside).

lavenderdoilly · 06/06/2016 17:34

If you are genuinely in a rush and can't delegate whatever ypur errand is, surely put it to the side of the road and call a vet. Most vets have an emergency number recorded on their voice mail if out of hours. Knock on the nearest door to get help. Or tbe next. Give them your number and promise to pay vets bill.

BeckyMcDonald · 06/06/2016 17:38

Honestly, there's no way I'd be scraping someone's dead cat off the road. I'd probably stop to check what it was I'd hit and if it was still alive I'd maybe knock on the nearest door. But if it was dead I'd just leave it.

HermioneJeanGranger · 06/06/2016 17:38

Thing is, if it was a dog, you have a legal responsibility to stop and if someone caught you running over a dog and driving off (and had your numberplate) you'd find yourself in trouble.

I know cats are different under the law but I would rather be late for work than leave an animal dying on the side of the road, especially someone's pet.

lljkk · 06/06/2016 17:43

Have a look, then Drive off after cat stopped spasming (was obviously a no hoper set of injuries, to be fair). Not me, that's what the car did after they hit a cat (I witnessed). I ran around telling neighbours, Finally found the owners who were grateful that I made the effort.

I don't know what I'd do if I were driving. Probably wait 5 minutes to decide.

StarkintheSouth · 06/06/2016 17:50

As a pet lover and a nervous driver this is a nightmare of mine (second only to hitting a person/crashing)
However if it wasn't safe to stop, I wouldn't do so. It'd be horrible but obviously the safety of me/passengers/road users is more important.
If it was safe to stop or there was somewhere nearby I could pull over to check, I would. Even if the cat/dog/lizard was dead I'd take it to a vet as chances are it would be chipped and could be traced. I've had friends on FB desperately searching for missing pets and when they've been hit by a car and subsequently handed in, their grief has been tempered by someone doing the best they can for an animal in need. God knows if my cat was hit by a car I'd hope someone would do the same, for both my cat's sake and mine.

ApostrophesMatter · 06/06/2016 18:22

Give them your number and promise to pay vets bill.

Er, no. I'm not paying any bills for someone else's cat.

runningincircles12 · 06/06/2016 18:32

This thread makes me feel sad

LurcioAgain · 06/06/2016 18:51

I don't think any of the cat owners on this thread (barring the second-hand reference to mad thug cat owner above) is saying pay vets bills - just that if it's safe to do so, and you can, it would be really, massively appreciated if you did. Just knowing what happened to a cat is better than wondering for weeks whether they'll turn up.

Accidents happen - cats are dim, they rush out into the road unpredictably, we know this. But we're fond of the little blighters and would like to know, if at all possible. If it's not possible to stop, fair enough.

lavenderdoilly · 06/06/2016 18:58

To be fair I said pay because that's what I'd offer to do. Not dreadful if you don't. Pet owners would just want to know where there lost pet was.

KnackeredDumpling · 06/06/2016 18:59

I hit a cat recently. It was horrible. The cat was still alive but in a terrible state. I had my dog in the car and three small children in the car. I thought I was usually quite good in emergencies but I completely froze.

Some very kind women stopped to help me, we found the owner and one of them drove her and the cat to the vet but it died en-route.

I took the owner flowers the next day and explained how it had happened and apologised - she was so upset but didn't blame me - the cat just ran out from the hedge and hit my back wheel.

I'm not sure what I would have done if no one had helped. Stood by the side of the road I suppose trying to calm the cat and then gone on knocked on doors.

I think if you are in a massive rush for an aeroplane or an important meeting I can see you might not be able to stop but otherwise I think you should take it to the vet. The thing is I had three children and a dog in the car - no box to put the cat in - so I don't know how practical might be.

ghostyslovesheep · 06/06/2016 19:02

I came across a cat recently that had just been hit - he died in my arms - I knocked on a few doors but no one knew him so I took him to my bets who scanned him and let his owner know

I have 5 cats I'd hate for them to be left

HunterHearstHelmsley · 06/06/2016 19:03

Take them to the vet. One of mine was hit years ago and just left in the road. Awful.

specialsubject · 06/06/2016 19:05

Two cats buried in my garden, both belonging to others - hit on the road outside and found here dead the next day having crawled in to die.

Not nice for me to find a dead cat, and less so for the owners that I had to contact. If you do know you've hit a cat, stop and do something - vet or coup de grace. It is only people that have to die slowly, don't inflict it on animals

Vinorosso74 · 06/06/2016 19:09

Stop and get out car! Check for ID, however lots of people (me included) don't put collars on their cats but they are microchipped. Take cat dead or alive to vet using Google to find nearest vet and they will scan for chip and contact owner.
A friend of mine's cat was run over. Driver slowed down, realised what they'd hit and sped off. Luckily someone saw what happened and took cat to a vet who called my friend.
I think it's pretty cold hearted not to stop however much of a hurry you're in. What if you hit a child but were in a hurry to catch a flight you'do have to stop then.

Oldraver · 06/06/2016 19:11

At the very least if its dead, move it off the road and phone the council who should come out. If you leave it in the road it risks being squished too much.

I would probably take it to a vet whatever state its in. Though I realise that after having a cat run over and not finding out about it until a day later when the council called me, I'm swayed.

Taking it to a vet wil hopefully mean the owners find it sooner rather than later

fuctifino · 06/06/2016 19:18

I drove past a cat that had been moved to the pavement, it was being toed by a young girl on the way to school with her dad.
I doubled back and bundled him into a bag, he was still warm Sad, and took him to a vet on the way to work.
I rang back after work to see if they'd tracked down the owner and she'd just been to fetch him.

I couldn't leave the cat there, knowing he could be there all day until the owner got home.

limitedperiodonly · 06/06/2016 19:24

Someone in front of me hit a cat. It was dark and I don't think he knew. I stopped but it was dead so I laid it on the pavement so it wouldn't get squashed. Someone had a go at me for killing it. I tried to explain I hadn't. But even if I did it would have been an accident but they were getting really hysterical so I left. I imagine they took my numberplate so I went home a different way for a couple of weeks.

Crispbutty · 06/06/2016 19:27

"If you hit a fox, what woudl you do? Its the same deal baically."

Not really. A fox is generally not a loved pet that someone owns and would be worrying about.

And I dont mean I would advocate leaving a fox in pain, but it isnt the same deal IMO.

MaliceInWonderland78 · 06/06/2016 19:28

This is going to out me, but here it goes............

Some time ago I was standing outside a relative's house when a cat was hit by a car. The poor thing was in agony and was breathing it's last breaths. I sent my male relative in to get a shovel so that I could despatch the poor cat.

Said relative comes back with a spade, which position on the (now practically dead) cat's neck. Not wanting to make the poor thing suffer any more, and without realising my own strength, or the effectiveness of a sharpened Spear and Jackson spade, I thrust the spade down with the intention of breaking the poor things neck.

It worked........very well........too well.

I buried (deeply) both bits of the cat in the nature reserve next door. Blush

Crispbutty · 06/06/2016 19:30

oh god... Shock

Zwellers · 06/06/2016 19:34

Vinrosso really no really!

Booboostwo · 06/06/2016 19:36

My one year old cat was hit by a driver who didn't stop. Luckily my neighbour saw what happened, didn't know who she belonged to but took her to the vets. The vets checked her microchip and contacted me, she had to have an operation and long recovery but she pulled through and lived another 18 happy years. I am so grateful to my neighbours - the driver I still can't forgive for not stopping. He left her with a smashed in face, suffering on the side of the road (quiet, village road, no danger in stopping the car).

AliensInUnderpants12 · 06/06/2016 19:42

This actually happened to DH he swerved to avoid the cat but it ran back into the road in a panic and was hit. I probably didn't help the situation by balling my eyes out (cat lover). Luckily an older man had seen the accident and came over to help. The cat passed away but the older man knocked on the owners door and told her about the accident and DH and I stayed to apologise to the poor cat owner. It was just awful and unavoidable Sad

cowssheephens · 06/06/2016 19:48

My DH keeps a stack of towels in the boot ready for these situations! He drives 100-150 miles daily on country roads and sees a dead animal on a monthly basis. He pulls in, wraps it in a towel and takes it to the vet. He hasn't run over the dog/cat but can't leave it there to be destroyed by cars. Bless him.