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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think you take a killed cat to the vets, not dump it on a grass verge

646 replies

CoastalWave · 07/01/2022 13:43

Post on FB says 'Found' a dead cat in the middle of the road. Couldn't do anything other than move it to the side as I was busy. " Posted the FB update five hours after doing this.

Cat had been moved about 4m from the road so quite a distance and was hidden from site (not quite sure even how they'd moved him the state he was in)

Poor thing was in a really bad way. I had to put my big girl pants on and take a lot of deep breaths before I dealt with him. I took clean towels and gave him a dignified trip to the vets.

No, I don't like picking up dead cats - particularly after losing one myself to an RTA. But AIBU to think that if you've got time to shift the cat, you've got time to take it to the vets to be scanned?? Or did they move it because they were the ones who killed it?!

Would you stop to take a deceased cat to the vets?

OP posts:
worriedatthemoment · 07/01/2022 15:12

@mumshouse many people don't have the tiem , vehicle or stuff in them
Pretty sure my kids have seen plenty of dead animals in the road and their not traumatised the person moved it out of the road and away as stated and put on facebook
I would only transport an injured cat not a dead one or any other dead animal for that point

Sparklingbrook · 07/01/2022 15:12

Am always amazed at the hate for cats on MN!

Yes it's not representative of where I live (or have ever lived). But I can believe that there's people who don't care much, like anything really.

DysmalRadius · 07/01/2022 15:13

@bcc89

For everyone saying the vets don't want your dead cat, actually they do.

The people that have said this have also said they don't even know where their local vet is, so I assume you don't have a pet!

The vets will scan the cat to check for a microchip and they also have a freezer where the cat can be stored. They can also send the cat off to be cremated if the owners are never found, or they can arrange private cremations if the owners are found and need help with disposing of the body.

Not true of all vets - I found a lost dog last year and took it to the vets and not only could they could not have given less of a shit, but they were really unpleasant to deal with.
mugoftea456 · 07/01/2022 15:13

No I wouldn't

Wheresthebeach · 07/01/2022 15:14

Nope. Completely different things.

liveforsummer · 07/01/2022 15:15

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

My vet sounds a lot nicer than yours *@mam0918*!

Are you sure they didn't have to euthanise the cat @tigger1001? When my cat was PTS I obviously paid for the euthanasia but I wouldn't have been charged for disposal. I chose individual cremation so there was an extra charge for that.

The disposal costs would be factored in with the rest of the charge. When it's a random cat they haven't had any payment for previous stages
iloverunningslow · 07/01/2022 15:16

Our cat went missing two years ago and we have no idea what happened. She was microchipped so a vet would have contacted us. If someone had found her body and left it away from the road with a descriptive Facebook post, we would have found her. There are plenty of cat rescue volunteers who have chip scanners.
If she was hit and left in the road for the council, they would have thrown her in the bin without scanning her. To the person who said you'd hide a dead cat in the ditch, you are very cruel. Also we had a four figure reward available for our cat, I think I would have paid it out to someone reuniting me with her body even, so if someone dumped my cat after finding her then they deprived their family of a really amazing Christmas or holiday on me.

Tinsellittis · 07/01/2022 15:16

Yes I would and sadly have done.

Blossom64265 · 07/01/2022 15:16

I love cats. I have 3 of them. I take care of them by making sure they don’t end up in traffic. If one of them slipped her boundaries and ended up getting hit, I would be devastated. I still wouldn’t think it was anyone else’s responsibility to collect the body. Since I would know she was missing, I would already be out looking for her.

worriedatthemoment · 07/01/2022 15:17

@Sparklingbrook there is no hate just people being practical
Not everyone has time to stick a dead cat in the car that they have found if they even have a car or maybe don't have local vets or know of vets if they have no animals
There is no hate for the cat
I see these posts around here a lot and the owners are grateful that someone has posted and maybe covered the cat etc , there not shouting saying why didn't you drive it to a vet
I personally would not pick up a dead animal cat, dog or whatever
If i hit a cat and killed it i would be more inclined to deal with it
Often the people who find them are those walking past

LiveFromNewYork · 07/01/2022 15:17

I think if you are a cat owner and/or a cat lover then you will know that it's heartbreaking for an owner to not know what has happened to their cat. Vets can scan for a microchip and give closure. (Councils are supposed to do this but routinely don't).

If you are not an animal lover or don't recognise that cats can be part of the family then you won't get the importance of this and see it is as trivial and not worth worrying about. But at least if you post on a local forum there is often a cat rescue person who will come out to deal with it. They know how sad it is to not know what happened and want the cat treated with respect.

Finding a dead cat is a real fear for me as I don't have a car but even if I didn't have time I would try to do something, returning later if necessary.

00100001 · 07/01/2022 15:18

"Why would you all prefer a cat to be left rotting to be eaten by wildlife?? Is that how little people value cats?"

It's a cat.

Not your mother.

iloverunningslow · 07/01/2022 15:19

Once the car in front of me hit a cat and didn't stop. It was horribly injured but still alive, so I took it to the vet. Sadly it died in my arms but at least (1) it wasn't terrified and left to bleed on the side of the road and (2) I finished the journey to the vet anyway, left the (unchipped) cat there and put up posters in the area for the owner to contact the vet. I remember being very worried the owner would blame me for killing their cat but I was able to use the vet's contact details.

ZeroFuchsGiven · 07/01/2022 15:19

@vivariumvivariumsvivaria

Cat lovers don't let their cats roam.

A cat should live 12 years. The Bristol Cat study looked at how many were injured on roads before 12 months, can't recall exactly how many but it was around 5%. About 3/4 of them died.

So, traffic means the actual life expectancy for a cat is less than 5 years old.

I've never understood why cat lovers don't think that keeping them safe from hazards is part of responsible pet ownership.

Cat lovers don't lock cats up, it is extremely selfish.
worriedatthemoment · 07/01/2022 15:19

@LiveFromNewYork the person who found it did do something but the OP thinks that was not enough

muddyford · 07/01/2022 15:21

Cats are classed as wild animals. Cat owners seem to want all the legal protections afforded to true domestic animals, with none of the responsibilities. Doubtless many dogs would love a life of roaming but that has been curtailed by law. The same should apply to cats. I wouldn't even stop if I hit a cat while driving, any more than a rat. If the owner isn't bothered about their animal straying, I'm not either. I would for a dog, as they are a legally protected domestic animal and a large dog is more likely to be injured than killed. The same applies to deer. The police have a list of marksmen who hold a certificate for shooting deer and would ensure it was humanely despatched. And a pre-killed cat? Absolutely no chance.

LemonPeonies · 07/01/2022 15:21

This exact thread was up several months ago Confused

Sparklingbrook · 07/01/2022 15:22

@LemonPeonies

This exact thread was up several months ago Confused
I'm sure in my years on MN I've seen this thread many times TBF.
DrDinosaur · 07/01/2022 15:22

It wouldn't even occur to me to move a dead cat if I saw it in the road. It's dead.
I would reconsider this if all cat owners offered four figure rewards for their dead cats though.

stayathomer · 07/01/2022 15:23

I don't get it at all. Vets deal with living animals, dead when they died in their care. Why would you bring a dead cat to a vets?!

TheOrigRights · 07/01/2022 15:24

Posted the FB update five hours after doing this.

Either because they were busy (as they say), or the FB group is moderated and the admin only approved the post then.

liveforsummer · 07/01/2022 15:24

think if you are a cat owner and/or a cat lover then you will know that it's heartbreaking for an owner to not know what has happened to their cat. Vets can scan for a microchip and give closure. (Councils are supposed to do this but routinely don't).

Surely you could get the same closure from knowing someone kindly moved it to the side of the road and you can make a choice how to deal with it from there

Sparklingbrook · 07/01/2022 15:24

@stayathomer

I don't get it at all. Vets deal with living animals, dead when they died in their care. Why would you bring a dead cat to a vets?!
This may have been mentioned before on the thread but to scan the dead animal for a microchip and notify the owners.
PivotPivotPivottt · 07/01/2022 15:25

I seen a dead cat on the road a few months back. It was on a stretch of road that would be dangerous to stop on and I had my 2 children in the car who would have been traumatised to see it (we are cat owners they love cats). I messaged a lady on Facebook who usually picks them up. She was glad I didn't stop and told me she often removes cats from this road and even wearing high viz she feels in danger doing so. Unfortunately I had to drive back up that road again just after i spoke to her and it was then in a condition where it couldn't be picked up Sad. I think the fact the person stopped and moved it out of sight and risk of being run over again makes them a decent person.

stayathomer · 07/01/2022 15:25

Ps I'd move a dead cat because somebody did it when my cat died and I was grateful she wasn't part of the road when we got there