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

[inigomontoyahwillcox]

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.

But you said the injuries were unsurvivable - so it would have been dead by the time anyone got to the vet, wouldn’t it?

Yes, more than likely, although dead or alive, it should still have been taken to someone who could have either eased its suffering whilst it passed and/or scanned for a microchip (it didn't have a collar on).

Some people have a disturbing lack of empathy.

A few years ago my DP hit a rabbit. He got out of the car to see if it was suffering but it had died on impact.

Yy tractor. One person's decision to keep a roaming pet imposes zero moral obligation on anyone else to move dead animals around.

I would feel awful if I hit a cat! But I can also think of lots of reasons why I might not stop, in addition to being in a rush:

• I would really struggle to pick up a bleeding/ squashed cat out of the road. I wouldn't want to touch it.

• There might not be a safe place to stop.

• I'd have to stop other traffic to try and get the cat.

• I wouldn't know what to do with it.

• I wouldn't knock on a strangers doors because I'd be scared of being screamed at by the cat owner.

Also does it only apply to cats? DH hit a pigeon on the duel carriageway a few weeks ago, should we have stopped?

I’m confused. In your OP you say the cat died and then he left. He didn’t leave a dying animal in pain, he left a dead animal where it might be found by someone who knew it. If it wasn’t chipped would he have been expected to drive it back to where it was hit?

A cat isn’t just another animal in the same way as a squirrel or hedgehog is (though I’d still suggest there is an obligation to move them). It’s likely someone’s pet and they deserve to know. So yes, I think it does warrant notifying someone.

If you hit a dog you legally have to report it to the police. At least phoning a local vet to notify and see if they can do anything to help or recommend anyone isn’t a huge ask if you don’t actually have the time to take it anywhere.

@5zeds

I’m confused. In your OP you say the cat died and then he left. He didn’t leave a dying animal in pain, he left a dead animal where it might be found by someone who knew it. If it wasn’t chipped would he have been expected to drive it back to where it was hit?

No I didn't?

couldn't personally give a fuck if you miss an appointment or have "allergies", if you hit an animal and leave it to die you are a dickhead.

Yep! I couldn’t sleep at night knowing I’d hit someone’s beloved pet and left it suffering at the side of the road. Disgraceful

I agree with Ilse and Drink. If an animal is free to roam, it is also free to come a cropper. Your toddler would love to be allowed to run free alone outside, but you'd never countenance it, because you know what dangers could befall them. I also don't get why you'd expect somebody to 'show remorse' for an animal running straight into your wheels.

I would stop if I could (I have done for a cat before), but how would people necessarily know it was a cat they hit and not a badger, squirrel, fox, piece of rubbish jettisoned from a car or whatever? The one I hit was at night on a dual carriageway. I actually parked up quite dangerously to be able to see to it, but it was already dead, I had no way of knowing whose it was (no houses anywhere near at all), it was before the days of mobiles, so all I could do was move it to the side of the road and continue on my way. I was sad for the owner, but that's the price you pay for having a free-roaming pet.

Somebody's cat took a bird out of one of our trees a couple of hours ago and, going on the horrible screeching sound, I doubt the bird would have survived. No idea whose cat it is and its owners clearly couldn't care less about this and any other birds it regularly kills for fun.

This is a bit like the cat's pooing in gardens threads we often have on here - you either keep your pet enclosed and supervised at all times or you let it roam freely, abdicate your responsibilities for the unpleasant effects its behaviour has on others and, sadly, also accept that it might end up injured or killed through misadventure.

*cats - fat fingers put an errant apostrophe in there for some reason.

Driver was clearly totally unfeeling and a horrible person Hopefully karma catches up with him soon

Sorry but I wouldn’t stop for a cat that ran in front of me. Unless it’s a very quiet road you risk someone going into the back of you and causing a pile up. There’s no way I’d take a dying cat to the vets, for a start it could be a stray and riddled with diseases, secondly what if you have nothing to wrap it in? Cats often lash out when you try to move them. Blood and fur on the car seats? What if the person is on their way to work/hospital/school and doesn’t want to be late. Or doesn’t want kids to see.

If it was a deserted country lane and it’s injuries clearly incompatible with life, I think many people would move it to the side and put it out of its misery? Few are going to try and find a vet or go knocking door to door looking for the owner, unless they’re not in a rush.

@BoaCunstrictor

Yy tractor. One person's decision to keep a roaming pet imposes zero moral obligation on anyone else to move dead animals around.

I would stop and take a cat to a vet because I’d care about an animal I had hurt.

However I do agree with this comment to some extent. The number of pet cats in my mistake is insane…I’m sure there weren’t as many pet cats about on the estates I grew up on. People choose to have cats as pets and many choose to do so knowing that they will roam around busy roads, poo in other peoples gardens etc. Having a cat is a choice that people make.

I’d love to see as many conversations about responsible pet ownership on SM as posts about dead cars being found.

@LidlMiddleLover

Driver was clearly totally unfeeling and a horrible person Hopefully karma catches up with him soon

It'll have a job given that karma is fictional.

Hurt animal that might be able to be saved may be different, I agree.

If you haven’t got any friends or family to help then yes, a local vets will usually pop down if they can spare the staff.

I’ve found 2 lost dogs over the last couple of years, neither wearing tags

I took both to the nearest vets. One turned me away at the door and told me to contact the council, the other took the dog in to check for a microchip but then refused to keep it and asked me to take it to Battersea dogs home.

I find the idea that a vet would send a member of staff out to a stretch of road to look for a dead body… unlikely

Our cat had been hit by a car and clearly died at the scene - someone (presumably the person who hit him) had picked him up and dumped him over an old ladies wall. Poor lady found him several days later decomposing and contacted us via the phone number on his collar. Meanwhile we'd spent the last week pacing the streets calling for him, printing posters and bothering our neighbours to check their sheds.

We all cried whilst burying him in our garden and all of our neighbours shared stories and photos of him they'd collected over the years. Accidents happen but pets become family members and the callousness of just dumping them is really jarring.

@SW1amp really…what you supposed to do if you find a dog and can’t find the owner then?

I posted on SM once when a dog was roaming our street. The owner came and got it but was very angry that I hadn’t got hold of the dog, even after I explained that the reason I didn’t get hold of the dog was because I was scared of dogs. As if it was my responsibility to keep HIS dog safe.

The idea that people send their "beloved" pets out to take their chances with the traffic is frankly bizarre. Most people who love their pets keep them safe.

@Whatinthelord

I’m by no means in the biggest cat lover…in fact I really quite dislike cats as a pet. However if I knocked one over I’d feel terrible. I’d hope I’d be able to take it to a vet so the owner would at least know.

I’ve got to be honest as well though that I think SOME owners also need to be more sensible. I’ve got a friend who lives near several very busy roads. She’s had and lost about 4 cats to car accidents. Why she keeps getting more cats is beyond me.

Surely no one reputable will allow a cat to be homed near a busy road.

I just think it depends on the situation.

If I was driving during the day, in my local area and close to home then I would say I'd definitely stop. I'd feel confident in my surroundings and have resources to help me. (I have the number for and know where the vet is, I could call people to help me or go home for a box/ blanket.)

If I was driving alone at night, miles from home with sleeping kids in the back for example, I wouldn't necessarily feel able.
Great for all the people who would pull their car over on a busy (or deserted) road. Pick up a dead cat and go wondering around knocking on strangers' doors in the middle of the night etc, but I know I couldn't do it.

I'd still feel awful though.

@DdraigGoch I mean I think some people just sell kittens by word of mouth/social media. I don’t think a lot of checks are happening in those circumstances. No idea why they kept getting cats it was awful.

If a pet is a member of your family, then treat it as one. Seriously, why are people allowing domesticated (wild) pets to roam freely - just because you can - then blaming the poor folk who encounter them? Get a goldfish or caged fury pet.

I saw similar last week. I had youngest dd in the car (cat lover, very upset) . I took her home and went back with my dh and an old towel. The cat was dead on the pavement. Dozens of people must have driven/walked past. We took it to the vet, to check for chip, knocked on all the neighbours close to the scene and eventually located the owner.

What prevented me stopping when I first saw the injured cat was a. Having nothing to wrap it in (it was really bleeding a lot) and b. Not being prepared for my dd ( who has mh issues) to hold said bleeding cat/watch it die in pain in our car. I couldn't change the outcome for the cat (obviously not going to survive its injuries) and on balance the need to protect my dd was paramount. I think my subsequent actions were the next best thing, but can understand how people may walk on by. Not everyone is prepared to deal with a veterinary emergency.

Do people who think that this driver was in the wrong also think that people should stop and find a vet if they hit a badger, or a fox or a pheasant or any other wild animal?

I wouldn’t have a clue how to handle an injured cat, I’m wary of them at the best of times and I’d be worried a cat in pain was going to bite or scratch. Although I’d feel terrible about being involved in an animals suffering, I’d feel no obligation to do a favour for the owner who has chosen to have a pet and allow it to cause road accidents. Knowing that there’s a high chance of your pet being run over is just something that cat owners need to accept when they choose to let their cats run wild in residential areas and they can’t expect other people to take responsibility for it.