to think if you've hit and killed someone's cat in your car, you should stop and check for owner ID and contact them?

[Greensleeves]

My ds2 and his friends found a very recently killed cat at the side of the road yesterday. They contacted the owner and waited until she came to collect it. She was obviously very upset.

One of our cats was also killed on the road a few weeks ago. A pedestrian found him and took him to a vet, who contacted us (he was microchipped) but unfortunately he'd died by the time we got to him.

In neither case did the motorist involved stop and attempt to contact the owner of the cat they'd killed. I understand that cats running out into the road isn't necessarily the driver's fault, but if you've killed an animal, even if you don't think it's your fault, shouldn't you stop?

but is it moral if you live in an area with a lot of traffic?

Well, you're changing the goalposts now, as before you appeared to be against all cats anywhere being allowed out - no mention of local traffic.
But as you have, I'd agree with you. All pet owners have to make a judgement about the suitability of their domestic situation for any pets they'd like, as you did with your tortoises, and make a responsible, informed decision as to whether they can or should have particular pet. Busy road? No cat.

Doesn't mean all cats should be kept inside, though.

Of course, but not everyone is equally skilled in managing the complexities of such a difficult thing.

We live on a lane and only our neighbours generally pass by. My dh left the cat for five minutes (his pride and joy) to pick up the kids and when he came back he was lying at our gate, as if he was enjoying the sunshine. Someone who knew us ( and saw us walk him every evening) just drove off and left him for our dcs to find. And left him like that. He was still warm when my dh found him.
I am crying as I write this and it happened eighteen months ago.

It was bloody lucky you didn't run a kid over while driving whilst your eyes were swelling up Wittsendargh.

I ran over a farm cat once, on a national speed limit road. It can't have run in front of me but must have run under the car, I heard a bump and looked in the mirror and saw it trying to get up on the road behind me. I went back and picked it up in a towel I had in the boot, it had no collar so I took it to the only nearby building, a farm, but the farmer just shrugged and put it on the ground at the side of the yard. There were several cats about.

I don't think you can ever 'cat proof' your garden to be honest. Cats are adept at climbing almost vertical surfaces if their claws are sharp/long enough, they can jump incredible heights without injury, and scramble through the tiniest of holes/gaps between fences etc. You would literally have to watch them EVERY minute they were out to ensure they did not escape.
It's not irresponsible to allow your cat out, though you do have to acknowledge that there is some risk in the outdoor cats lifestyle, including RTAs and other injuries.
It is also a well know fact that some cats territory extends for MILES (there was a TV programme a couple of years ago that used a radio locating collar to track the whereabouts of some cats, and it was found their roaming took them 4-5 miles away from their houses in some cases). People would be surprised if they knew how much a cat will actually travel from home, and this probably necessarily involves the crossing of major roads.
Indoor cats can also be happy and stimulated but this is on a case by case basis and usually they will have been indoor cats since early kittenhood.
Just to clarify, cats ARE wild animals in the eyes of the law (realistically we know they are domestic pets) but they are not as domesticated as dogs in the sense that they are far more independent and able to hunt/look after themselves on the whole.

I say all this as veterinary nurse. I can see the arguments for keeping cats inside but I have no problem with people who let them out, I certainly wouldn't call it irresponsible as some posters have.

It’s very interesting to see the difference in opinion between here, where the majority of posters are from the uk, and the chat on the catcams I watch, where the posters are mainly from Canada and the US. Over there, the general opinion is that it’s cruel to allow cats to roam because of danger from cars and in many areas predators such as coyotes, and that cats can be perfectly happy indoors.

Unlike the uk, where shelters usually require adopted cats have access to the outside, the cats adopted from the catcams I watch are required to be indoor-only pets. Many of them have Facebook pages, and I have to say they all seem perfectly content inside, even those born feral and socialised as adults.

Looby -
Just to clarify, cats ARE wild animals in the eyes of the law

Can you tell us where you got this information from?
I'm not necessarily disputing it, butit seems contradictory given that in the eyes of the law, cats are "protected animals", defined as "companion animals" (i.e. pets) and are their owner's property. Also, their owners have a duty and obligation to meet their cats' needs.

That doesn't quite tie in with regarding them as wild animals, so I'm wondering if the law is a bit vague.

I always understood if you knocked over a cat and took it to a vet, you get given the bill which could run into thousands?

Plus cats are wild at heart, we don't own them, they own us!!!!

TabbyMumz no, that doesn’t happen. If a vet even suggested it then you would just walk away. They can’t bill you for bringing a cat in that isn’t yours.

I’ve been on both sides of this. Remote road, only fields either side, cat ran out, I braked but hit it, pulled over, looked everywhere for it. Had baby DS in car and no pram so no way could I even attempt to go in the direction it had run off in. I did phone the local cat rescues with a description so that if anyone phoned them they could maybe pinpoint where their cat might be.

And my own cat, hit at school commuting time so I know the traffic would be going at 20mph max. I did judge that driver, whoever they were, because they could have pulled over and followed him to the side of my house where he made it to before collapsing. A neighbour knocked on the door and told me. It was horrendous. But realistically, even if the driver had stopped, it wouldn’t have made any difference, he would still have died and I can certainly say they can’t have been speeding.

In principle, I think cat owners want it both ways - all the rights but none of the responsibility of owning a pet.

In practice, I wouldn’t want to leave an animal suffering.

Yep.
Legally they don’t have to, but anyone with a functioning moral compass should.
My beautiful, male cat was smooshed by a car a few years ago the lady who hit him was so upset! She walked around the entire estate next to the road trying to find the owner. My friend was home, and recognised my cat and she rang me to let me know. The lady couldn’t have been more apologetic and was about as upset as I was about it all!

I don't think you can argue that people who own cats have no responsibility of pet ownership.
This means feeding, grooming, providing a warm, dry living environment, regular flea and worm treatments and annual vaccinations to name but a few reponsibilities.

You don't just own a cat and provide them with nothing.

I've just remembered a lorry driver ran over my cat when I was at home alone revising for my GCSE's. To his credit he knocked at the door with her little body and offered to bury her for me when he saw I was just a kid. I loved that cat, she was only nine months old and slept under me in my bed.

Yes people should stop. It does help.

Hi
We were always told this in the veterinary world, I think it comes from the fact that the genome sequence of cats was found to be almost the exact same as wild cats, and as such, it was concluded that, despite being a companion pet with humans for over 10,000 years, they can only ever be described as 'semi-domesticated' animals. This is why they are not covered under the Road Traffic Act and why you do not have to stop for them. Also because they have the 'right to roam' unlike dogs.
I'm trying to find a legal description of this, but it seems the law has become a bit muddy regarding this matter over the years.

I'm going to go against the common thread here.

I wouldn't stop if I hit a bird, badger or any other wild animal, I probably wouldn't stop if I hit a cat.

I can understand 'owners' being upset, but I cant understand why if you cared that much about a pet, you'd let it run free to where it can come to harm.

We have rabbits, they're kept in a hutch and large run and seem happy enough, I had rabbits when I was a kid that hated their run and kept digging out, eventually we let them run free and they were very happy for a year or two until a fox (we think) got them. That was the trade-off we were prepared to make - freedom for risk.

Looby

This may be useful:

www.thecatgroup.org.uk/

There is a link on that page to a guide on cats and the law.
The laws around cats were made more clear by the Animal Welfare Act of 2006. 🙂

TabbyMumzno, that doesn’t happen. If a vet even suggested it then you would just walk away. They can’t bill you for bringing a cat in that isn’t yours.

But @saucery are you sure, because you are taking cat in for treatment. Surely vets won't take on the cost every time a cat gets run over and no chip in it?
I've also heard of a case where the owner asked the person who hit the cat to give them a lift to the vets, got details off them and gave them the bill.

I'm divided on this one. If I was on my own, I would stop and try and find it, yes. If I had my kids in the car, and it ran off, I probably wouldn't chase after it, no. If I killed it outright then I would probably move it and try and come back and take it to the vets later - I'm unlikely to be driving anywhere that I can easily take an hour out to divert to the nearest vets with a dead cat.

I agree that's the chance you take having a cat in a built up area. Also I know they can roam for miles so I wouldn't be knocking on any doors.

Yes, TabbyMumz, I’m sure. I wouldn’t want anyone to be put off taking an injured cat to the vets because of what you have stated, as it isn’t true.
You wouldn’t have a contract with a vet, it’s not your cat, you have no financial responsibility, just a moral and animal welfare one. Our vet regularly puts up social media posts about injured and dead cats brought to them. They don’t charge the person who takes them. A vet might not be happy about accepting an injured cat but that’s their problem and not one they could pass financially to the person who brought it in. Not that I personally know of, or have heard of, any vet refusing to accept a dead cat or treat an injured one.

Am I right in thinking if you knock over a dog you have to report it to the nearest police station?

But saucery arent you creating a contract by taking that cat in and asking for treatment? Would love to know if any vets on here can clarify.

I clipped a cat once - I saw it run straight out and braked, but felt a tiny bump so I must have winged it. I pulled over and searched but couldn't find it, I was so upset.

I've also found two cats who had been hit and left still alive. The first I saw in the gutter and begged my BF at the time to go back - the poor thing was badly hurt, we wrapped it in a jacket (BF got bitten in the process) and just started knocking on doors. The first person that opened the door looked at the cat rather casually, asked whether we'd hit it (I said no, we found it), nodded sagely, took the cat from my arms and wordlessly shut the door on us. Bit weird.

The second I saw in the middle of quite a fast ring road, at 3am. I turned to go back, thinking that little pile wasn't just a lost sweater, and found the most beautiful blue cat in a pitiful state. He was breathing shallowly so I gently put him in my coat and sat cuddling him in my car wondering what to do - he could've come from anywhere, it wasn't a residential street. Just as I thought I'd have to take him home with me (my parents had a dog so had no idea how that would go down), he simply stopped breathing. He died right there in my arms. I suppose at least he was warm and comforted by then.

Why are you trying to put people off taking injured cats into the nearest vet, TabbyMumz? It’s rather odd and a bit worrying that you are doing so.