Cats and roads

[AIMD]

There’s a post on a local Facebook group about a cat being run over on a main road. There are lots of comments from people about how cars drive too fast and people should stop to take the car to the vet/comfort them. Of course I agree with car drivers sticking to the speed limit and that people should help animals who are hurt. If I hit I cat I would obviously stop and try to find the owner or seek help.

However there is no mention on the thread about pet owners being more responsible and maybe choosing not to have a cat as a pet if they live in an area close to very busy roads. The road/area mentioned was very busy/city centre area, where it would be hard for a cat to go anywhere without going across very busy roads.

I wouldn’t comment that on the thread because the pet owner is obviously upset and it is not the right place for that comment.

AIBU to think cat owners/breeders are also responsible for cats being hurt On the roads when they buy/sell cats into homes that are surrounded by very busy roads?

There’s been an obvious increase in cats as pets in my area over the last 19 years (not sure if people notice that elsewhere too) and an increase in cats/traffic. It’s a recipe for cats being hurt.

The key is window screens and screen doors. Also have the advantage of keeping out pests.

@makingmammaries

Except that cats don’t like being kept indoors.

We live in a very rural area. It took one drunken arsehole going too fast in the small hours to kill our beloved cat. We are still reeling from the shock.

But I still can’t see why the human’s love for irresponsible use of internal combustion engines should trump all other considerations.

I can’t see why your love of cats means I should clear up it’s shit from my front garden either, but there we go.

@Terrace58

Not being able to contain your cat is a cultural issue, not a universal truth. Where I live the standard of care is keeping your cat indoors or at least contained to your own garden. Even the garden with cat fencing is a risk because cats get eaten by hawks, eagles, coyotes, etc. the safer bet is a cat run with a roof or just staying inside. People also have to protect small dogs in a similar fashion.

Exactly. In plenty of countries, all pet cats are kept indoors and only strays and feral are allowed out.

If you had to keep your cat in, else you were subject to a fine or similar, you'd find a way to do it. Most people just don't feel the need, as it's normal in the UK for cats to roam.

I think one major issue is that people feel they have a 'right' to own a pet, even if their situation might not be ideal for that animal.

My mum has a cat, but she lives on a really quiet road and has a lovely garden for her to play in.

We love cats, but live on a busy road, so absolutely wouldn't get one, as it wouldn't be safe, and I think keeping cats indoors is quite cruel. So therefore we decided not to get a cat. It would be selfish of us to get one, just for our own enjoyment.

If you cannot keep your cat safe, don't have a cat.

I don’t know much about cats so not sure how they manage being inside.

Ours manage just fine. We have a huge second story deck overlooking the woods that they can hang out on, get fresh air and watch the birds.

There's a social media site called nextdoor.com (not sure if you have it in the UK) that allows people to connect with others locally. Yesterday someone posted that their cat had been killed in their backyard, likely by a coyote. I've seen them when I run very early, before dawn.

There's no way I'd put them outside to face that kind of death.

My cats go outdoors. When I got the latest two kittens they were desperate to get out from the start and make several sucessful bids for freedom before we started to let them out at about 5 months.
The risks where I live are fairly low anyway, but I would rather my cats had a fulfilled existence (at the risk of being cut short) than being shut in permanently, bored.
And despite what some here suggest - not all gardens can be made cat proof.
All I would hope is that if any of my cats did get hit by a car then the driver would stop to see if anything could be done to help.

The risks where I live are fairly low anyway, but I would rather my cats had a fulfilled existence (at the risk of being cut short) than being shut in permanently, bored.

Being indoors doesn't have to be boring at all, and it certainly doesn't mean the cats are just "shut in". It all depends on what kind of stimulation you're willing to provide for your pets. I've seen some incredible indoor set ups for cats.

Not being able to contain your cat is a cultural issue, not a universal truth. Where I live the standard of care is keeping your cat indoors or at least contained to your own garden

^ This. Funny how cat owners find a way when it's the law or the social standard. I bet if there was a cat curfew, and any cat found roaming would be shot, I bet they would suddenly find a way of making their gardens cat proof!

YANBU
There was a similar post on my local FB page recently and the owner of the cat was filled with rage that someone had run their pet over and how devastated his kids are. Lots of replies slating car drivers but none placing any responsibility on cat owners. OK, in law, cats are allowed to roam, however, I simply can’t get my head around anyone choosing to own a pet that they allow into dangerous situations constantly yet claim to be a cat lover. It’s irresponsible yet is seen as totally normal and acceptable

Plus it’s always the same replies from many cat owners too; you can’t keep cats indoors, you can’t keep cats in their own gardens, etc. But there are some cats that are suitable for indoor living so why not get one of those instead of one with a more wanderlust personality? And it is possible to keep a cat in your own garden but that means making the effort and investing in some suitable fencing. So what price is your pet’s safety?

Also, no-one has to own a pet, and out of all the potential animals to choose, it doesn’t have to be a cat, and if you must have a cat why wouldn’t you care enough to do all you could to keep it from the many dangers out there? I don’t get it at all. So many dangers...poisons, anti-freeze, lilies, dogs, roads, stolen for dog fighting bait... No way would I ever have a pet that I couldn’t control its whereabouts, I’d be worried, and allowing cats to roam is a great way of pissing your neighbours off too (who may then retaliate in some way and harm them). As a PP said, “Like any pet, if you can't keep them safe then you shouldn't have them”.

I don't accept that any indoor set up can remotely compare with an animal being able to run free and go where it pleases. Is a lion in a zoo just as happy as one in the wild?
A reasonably sized cat proofed garden would appear to be an acceptable compromise but my garden couldn't be cat proofed anyway.

@Frownette here you go..
he wanders into next doors garden in the hope she will give him fuss roast chicken more like

Yanbu. I deliberately choose homes off main roads for this reason.

However cats do get stuck by cars even on quiet cul de sacs, as our family Sally knows all too well.

I do feel bad for cats that live near busy roads as of course the likelihood if them being hit is greater, and i do mention it as a concern if anyone i know is considering getting a cat.

@ivfbeenbusy

YABU

Cats can roam quite far when they want. They may not even live near the busy road but several streets away on a quieter one

All my cats are outdoor cats and none terrorise they local wildlife by the way - the most one of them has brought back is several sausages from the local pub

How is OP BU exactly?

As you let your cats do what they like, how would you know if they do or don't terrorize anything?

Oops! STRUCK by cars and SADLY knows.

🙄

If you're doing the speed limit you should have enough time to brake
Not necessarily. I’ve witnessed a cat hit and killed by a car which wasn’t speeding. It was horrible; it was chasing a squirrel across a road, the squirrel made it the cat didn’t. Unfortunately it wasn’t killed outright and, because the driver wasn’t in the position to take it to the vet, I took it. By the time I got there it was dead and because it had no ID the owner couldn’t be contacted. And when I hit a cat (at night), which ran out in front of me from bushes in a build-up area, I wasn’t speeding and there was no way I could've avoided it. The bloomin' thing ran off into the darkness too so I couldn’t trace it. If the owners had kept them safe and not allowed them to roam, they wouldn’t have suffered. That it's a risk many owners are willing to take really pisses me off

All my cats are outdoor cats and none terrorise they local wildlife by the way

@ivfbeenbusy, how the hell do you know what they do!? Are you following their every move or do they wear GoPros?

@CandidaAlbicans2

YANBU There was a similar post on my local FB page recently and the owner of the cat was filled with rage that someone had run their pet over and how devastated his kids are. Lots of replies slating car drivers but none placing any responsibility on cat owners. OK, in law, cats are allowed to roam, however, I simply can’t get my head around anyone choosing to own a pet that they allow into dangerous situations constantly yet claim to be a cat lover. It’s irresponsible yet is seen as totally normal and acceptable

Plus it’s always the same replies from many cat owners too; you can’t keep cats indoors, you can’t keep cats in their own gardens, etc. But there are some cats that are suitable for indoor living so why not get one of those instead of one with a more wanderlust personality? And it is possible to keep a cat in your own garden but that means making the effort and investing in some suitable fencing. So what price is your pet’s safety?

Also, no-one has to own a pet, and out of all the potential animals to choose, it doesn’t have to be a cat, and if you must have a cat why wouldn’t you care enough to do all you could to keep it from the many dangers out there? I don’t get it at all. So many dangers...poisons, anti-freeze, lilies, dogs, roads, stolen for dog fighting bait... No way would I ever have a pet that I couldn’t control its whereabouts, I’d be worried, and allowing cats to roam is a great way of pissing your neighbours off too (who may then retaliate in some way and harm them). As a PP said, “Like any pet, if you can't keep them safe then you shouldn't have them”.

I find the cat militia on Facebook really scary. They seem to think that no cat should ever be run down and it's always the fault of the driver. Of course there are some mean and heartless people around - but cats can be unpredictable, hard to see and can move really fast.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats

I don't accept that any indoor set up can remotely compare with an animal being able to run free and go where it pleases. Is a lion in a zoo just as happy as one in the wild? A reasonably sized cat proofed garden would appear to be an acceptable compromise but my garden couldn't be cat proofed anyway.

You can't compare a wild lion to a domesticated cat. But even if you did want to go down that road, there are arguably benefits to animals being kept in captivity vs. letting them live naturally in the wild.

There are plenty of benefits to keeping your pets indoors - namely that they're safe, and they aren't at risk of being run over, stolen, poisoned, injured in a fight or killed by a dog, fox or other wild animal.

Of course an indoor set up won't be the same as letting them roam outdoors, but at least you know they're safe.

My cats roam freely and I wouldn't have it any other way. Obviously I would be devastated if anything happened to them but that's a risk I'm willing to take as they're so much happier coming and going as they please.

What bothers me is people who hit cats and just leave them in the road to die/continue to be run over. If you hit any animal have a bit of decency and get it to the nearest vets, or at least move it to the side of the road if it's dead.

@vanillandhoney
Think we'll have to agree to differ - I can see the arguments on both sides.

Regarding the whatif scenarios mentioned upthread. Were laws to be brought in requiring cats to be kept inside - I probably wouldn't have cats.

We are lucky we are in a cul-de-sac off a dead end road, with fields around us. I agree I would never have them near a busy road. If we were to move in the future quiet roads would be in the criteria.

Also we got them from the blue cross who were insistent they wouldn't rehome near busy roads.

[quote Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]@vanillandhoney
Think we'll have to agree to differ - I can see the arguments on both sides.

Regarding the whatif scenarios mentioned upthread. Were laws to be brought in requiring cats to be kept inside - I probably wouldn't have cats.[/quote]
I have no issues with people letting their cats out - their pets, their choice. As long as it's legal, people can do what they want.

It's definitely not for me, though.

@grumpyoldpersonwithcats I agree with you. If I couldn't let a cat out I wouldn't have cats either

If you're doing the speed limit you should have enough time to brake

You shouldn’t be braking hard for small animals anyway. The risk to you and other road users is greater than that of hitting the animal, doesn’t matter if it’s a rabbit or a cat sadly. Drivers have been killed trying to avoid small animals.

I have friends with indoor cats - some that have always lived indoors and a couple with FIV cats. Those cats seem happy enough.

I've always had outdoor cats, one died from being hit by a car - but the others have died of old age. I don't blame the driver.

I like a cat that roams but I don't think it's cruel to keep cats indoors.