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Original poster

To think, if you run over a cat, you don't just dump it on the pavement and fuck off

218 replies

inigomontoyahwillcox · 18/08/2021 18:28

God, it was awful.

DD (13) and I were just behind a car that ran over a cat, the poor little thing had a serious head injury (completely unsurvivable) and was convulsing in the middle of the road.

The driver and her passenger got out of their car, picked up the cat and unceremoniously dumped it on the pavement. I pulled up behind, got out to see to the cat (it very quickly passed away, fortunately) and asked if they were going to take it to the vet - the bloke said "I've got asthma" and they buggered off!

Fortunately another woman who was behind me also stopped and she offered to take the poor wee thing to the vet to see if it was microchipped as DD was extremely upset by this stage (she adores cats and it was a nasty thing to witness). So her and I wrapped it's body in DDs (knackered) sleeping bag which I happened to have in the boot and she took it.

I'm now sitting in the car whilst DD has her trampolining lesson and am a little bit traumatised to be honest! And a bit bloody angry. I hold no grievance towards them about hitting a cat - shit happens, and it's one of the things you learn to accept is a possibility if you have an outdoor cat (which we do). But to leave a dying cat on the pavement after you've hit it is, I think, despicable.

OP posts:
Original poster
inigomontoyahwillcox · 18/08/2021 18:30

*its

OP posts:
Auxiliary016 · 18/08/2021 18:32

That's awful! I'm so sorry you and your DD had to witness such cruelty, but kudos to you for picking up the pieces Flowers

Enough4me · 18/08/2021 18:33

YANBU
You and the other woman were kind and if I were the owner, as part of grieving, I would want to know
a) what happened
b) was the cat respectfully treated afterwards
I hope your DD is OK too.

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 18/08/2021 18:33

It is grim but not everyone has time to stop and deal with it (take body to local vet for chip check and whatnot). If he was genuinely asthmatic he may have been severely triggered by pet fur/dander.

I am a pet owner and have had cats who’ve been involved in road accidents (some fatal) and so I don understand the trauma of it but I also appreciate that it isn’t always possible for the driver to do more than pull over and move the body out of the road.

BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 18/08/2021 18:33

I DO understand the trauma of it, that should say

Monkeybusinesss · 18/08/2021 18:34

What a cunt

Lumpwoody · 18/08/2021 18:34

It’s not a nice thing for them to have done, but there’s no obligation on them to do it (if that makes sense).

People don’t always have time (you didn’t either - I do know you didn’t hit the cat)

CovidCorvid · 18/08/2021 18:35

I’ve had two cats killed on the road, both found by neighbours. Not sure if the car which hit them knew they’d hit them….I’d like to think maybe they didn’t realise.

But yes to leave a dying cat is awful.

Saying that I know of a case where a driver found a woman dead in a car after a crash (just one car span off the road). Cctv shows the car stopping, the driver got out and checked the crashed car, found the driver dead and they drove off….didn’t even call the police. When the police tracked the driver down and asked why he left he said he didn’t want to be late for a football match!

So people leave humans never mind cats!

Monkeybusinesss · 18/08/2021 18:36

@CovidCorvid
Omg that’s shocking

Sirzy · 18/08/2021 18:37

Ds is asthmatic and I couldn’t have cat hair in the car.

I would reach out for help to ensure the cat could be identified but I wouldn’t take it anywhere.

FourTeaFallOut · 18/08/2021 18:37

If he was genuinely asthmatic he may have been severely triggered by pet fur/dander.

I wouldn't be able to pick it up for this reason.

Livefortherain · 18/08/2021 18:38

I'm so sorry you had to witness that.

We were waiting at some traffic lights recently (Road work joy) and a cat ran out infront of us and I saw it literally centimetres from an oncoming cars wheels. The cat managed to pull back just in time and I felt shaken up the rest of the way home! Luckily I wasn't driving because it really upset me - and the cat was fine!!!

When I was 9 years old, my 6m old kitten was hit by a car and they drove off. Apparently the woman didn't even stop and a man who witnessed it picked up my kitten (he broken neck so I expect it was instant) and he knocked on every door until he found the owner. I don't think he was quite prepared for the sobs of a 9 year old. That kitten was my best friend, he was with me all the time. It happened 4 days before Christmas and I buried him with his Christmas present. Nearly 20 years ago and it still makes me teary thinking about it.

DrManhattan · 18/08/2021 18:40

Asthma is a bullshit excuse- doesn't stop him ringing someone who can come and help.

Original poster
inigomontoyahwillcox · 18/08/2021 18:40

This guy was so bloody nonchalant about it - it wasn't a case of, "oh god, I'm so sorry about this but I have asthma, are you able to take it?", just a very "whatever" attitude ... whilst the little thing was continuing to convulse on the side of the road whilst it was actively dying.

I didn't have time to take it, but if the woman behind me hadn't have offered we would have just missed DDs lesson and taken it to the vet (I would have carried it there myself to avoid DD getting even more upset).

OP posts:
Original poster
inigomontoyahwillcox · 18/08/2021 18:41

@CovidCorvid

I’ve had two cats killed on the road, both found by neighbours. Not sure if the car which hit them knew they’d hit them….I’d like to think maybe they didn’t realise.

But yes to leave a dying cat is awful.

Saying that I know of a case where a driver found a woman dead in a car after a crash (just one car span off the road). Cctv shows the car stopping, the driver got out and checked the crashed car, found the driver dead and they drove off….didn’t even call the police. When the police tracked the driver down and asked why he left he said he didn’t want to be late for a football match!

So people leave humans never mind cats!

WTF?!
OP posts:
BobaFettOnMyBedsideTable · 18/08/2021 18:43

I'd be feeling the same as you OP. Sadly, animals lives have such little meaning to some people.

I hit a cat once, I was about 25 at the time.i was traumatised. It managed to run off, but I tried to find it as I knew it must be badly injured. I knocked on surrounding doors to try and find the owner. I had tears running down my face and could hardly get my words out.

JanetPondersley · 18/08/2021 18:44

Driving down a 50mph dual carriage way to work a couple of years ago, the car in front of me hit a cat that just dashed out, and then I also hit it. I stopped and the cat was very obviously already dead. I had a boss that was an utter arsehole, and a few weeks before I'd received a verbal warning for being 15 minutes late when my son had a severe nose bleed. All I could do was move the cat to the grass verge, and then ring the local vet and explain where it was. My boss would not have understood, and it would have caused me a written warning. (I did leave this job not long after as no one should work under that level of stress).

Original poster
inigomontoyahwillcox · 18/08/2021 18:45

Oh @Livefortherain I'm sorry, I'm glad it was instant, hardly a consolation to a 9 year old.

OP posts:
Original poster
inigomontoyahwillcox · 18/08/2021 18:48

@JanetPondersley

Driving down a 50mph dual carriage way to work a couple of years ago, the car in front of me hit a cat that just dashed out, and then I also hit it. I stopped and the cat was very obviously already dead. I had a boss that was an utter arsehole, and a few weeks before I'd received a verbal warning for being 15 minutes late when my son had a severe nose bleed. All I could do was move the cat to the grass verge, and then ring the local vet and explain where it was. My boss would not have understood, and it would have caused me a written warning. (I did leave this job not long after as no one should work under that level of stress).
I get that - I do- your livelihood vs. a cat that was already dead, and you did what you could to ensure that you reported its whereabouts.
OP posts:
Zwellers · 18/08/2021 18:49

This is a hard one. If I was on my way to an urgent appointment then I probably wouldnt stop. There's no legal requirement to.

cazisalittlenuts · 18/08/2021 18:54

People are arseholes seriously and that's putting it mildly. I was out with a friend last week when some tosser hit a cat, and didnt stop. We stopped, initially thought it was a wee dog but turns out it was a well loved cat. Asked a local business if they had a box so we could take it to the vets, but by the time we got back to the poor thing, it had already gone. The lovely people at the business kept the cats body for us, but we noted the number from its name tag and called the owners and explained what had happened and where her cat was. I felt so fucking guilty that we couldnt help the poor cat, even though it wasnt our fault. You are most definitely not unreasonable to feel traumatised by this. I hope you and your daughter will be okay Flowers

Oogachuckachopsy · 18/08/2021 18:54

Legal requirement or not, I would be so devastated that I’d hit something that I’d do all I could to let their family know what had happened. Poor cat. I don’t understand such coldness towards animals.

Slothkin · 18/08/2021 18:58

@BobaFettOnMyBedsideTable if the cat ran off he may just have been like my beloved Marmaduke - caught a car in the jaw but lived a very happy long life without teeth and a few pins!

Frazzledmummy123 · 18/08/2021 18:59

@Zwellers

This is a hard one. If I was on my way to an urgent appointment then I probably wouldnt stop. There's no legal requirement to.
Maybe, not a legal one, however perhaps there is a moral one? Hmm . Leaving a living animal dying and suffering on the street and leaving an owner to not know what happened to their beloved pet is plain selfish.
User135792468 · 18/08/2021 19:00

If you hit and seriously injure an animal, you have a moral responsibility to ensure it gets treatment. If it dies, then take it to a vet. Asthma is no bloody excuse, if you can’t have the cat in your car, then ring someone who can. Or drive more carefully! Those who would leave it are vile and karma will come back to haunt you.