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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:
Sparklingbrook · 07/01/2022 17:57

[quote worriedatthemoment]@Sparklingbrook we have a chain vets open but they aren't so accommodating at taking dead animals, every area is different
We have a lady that goes and scans them all and i think poss removes , not sure if something to do with cats protection
But seems a lot get run over or go missing or a lot of people have cats around here
I still would not take a dead cat or dog ( unless my own) to a vet though as I personally could not pick up a dead animal , report yet and injured animal again yes , i have reported injured fox to rspca etc as poor thing back legs had gone and didn't want to see it suffer and i do report deAd badgers to county council as they remove them if they are a hazard etc [/quote]
I agree every vets is different. The chain here is Vets for Pets inside Pets at Home and they took one cat from me and I left it there no problem. They contacted the owners etc.

AcrossthePond55 · 07/01/2022 17:58

@afizzysweet

I'm in California. If we see a dead animal in the road we call Animal Control and they come and retrieve it. If it's a road hazard, like a deer or other large animal, we would call the Highway Patrol. Does the UK not have similar?

You call the police for deers and dogs. You are meant to report it if you hit livestock although I don't actually know who to. Cats are classed as semi-wild so you don't have to report it.

That makes sense, since deer, livestock, and large dogs could be a road hazard and need to be removed from a public roadway for safety reasons.

Does the UK not have an equivalent to our Highway Patrol (AKA the "CHiPs")? CHiPs have primary responsibility for our interstates and state highways although technically any public road falls under their jurisdiction, but they usually 'defer' to local police/sheriff for city or county roads. It's this way in most US states, with them having a state police force as well as local ones.

When I've watched (and loved) British cop shows they all seem to belong to one organization, rather than having a Liverpool PD, Bristol PD, or the Cornwall County Sheriff Dept.

StellaGibson118 · 07/01/2022 18:00

IMO the person who put it on the verge did a humane thing, they moved it so that it's body could be located and wasn't further beat up by the traffic. They did their best to maintain dignity in death but for whatever reason couldn't deal with it at that time and I think that's fine. You've no idea where that person was going, or whether they were worried they'd incur fees for the cat when it wasn't theirs. Especially in January.

chaosrabbitland · 07/01/2022 18:02

[quote worriedatthemoment]@chaosrabbitland but then chance you take if they roam, you can get cat fences for gardens now and for some people who live rural its not so bad
Im in a town down our road lots of cats and busy roads and couple of them never seem to be in , out in all weathers , one trys to come in my house im sure its owners only let it in to eat , then chuck it out again thats not fair either [/quote]
im not really sure what the point about irresisponsible cat owners who leave their cats outside for ages has to do with taking a deceased cat to the vets , we all know there are bad cat owners out there that do this , most like myself dont , its a bit the same as dog owners that leave their dogs inside for most of the day because they are at work . and when it comes to shit , i see an awful lot of dog shit around on the lanes here , but yet to see any cat shit though , how strange , yes cats do kill wildlife that would be because they are predators , not many cat owners enjoy our gifts thoughtfully put right outside the door or in one case place on my duvet , didnt have time to stop him when it ran in with it , but its one of the facets of owning cats , whatever animal one owns there is bound to be a negative somewere , but if you love the animal you put up and just deal with it

Jaxhog · 07/01/2022 18:04

Most people won't, or would not expect anyone else to do so. But you did a nice thing. If I was the owner, I'd be very grateful.

lljkk · 07/01/2022 18:04

I know people who collect fresh roadkill to make into pies. Waste not Want not.

Sparklingbrook · 07/01/2022 18:08

@lljkk

I know people who collect fresh roadkill to make into pies. Waste not Want not.
Eww. I'd have to draw the line there, I would think most roadkill is a bit infested with something however 'fresh'. You would need a fair bit of pastry to get a mangy badger in.
DemBonesDemBones · 07/01/2022 18:15

I wouldn't, no.

TroublesomeTrucks · 07/01/2022 18:16

We've (sadly) had three injured on the road. One when we were away and our neighbours tucked him in a hedge and took a sensitive photo so we could identify him when we got home, one where we were alerted by different neighbours on the village Facebook page and could collect him ourselves, and a third where he was still alive and another neighbour couldn't catch him so we went round and took him to the vets ourselves. All were perfectly reasonable responses. None of them are anyone else's responsibility.

NiceTwin · 07/01/2022 18:21

I picked up one who had been left by the side of the road.
I had to move him, he was on the corner of a road with a primary school on it.
He was still warm. I told the vet I hadn't hit him but I don't think they believed me.

VikingOnTheFridge · 07/01/2022 18:23

@Lovelydovey

I wouldn’t take it to a vets, unless it was me that hit it. I’d struggle to even move it. I don’t like animals - dead or alive - and choose not to have one. I don’t think anyone else has a responsibility to your pet, that you selfishly choose to let roam free. I wouldn’t even know where our nearest vet is, though could google.
I wouldn't have moved it either. Yeuch. Expecting members of the public to move random dead animals around is proper deranged arsehole energy.
TheGoldenWolfFleece · 07/01/2022 18:23

If it was alive i would. If it's dead, no way. Not my problem.

practicallyperfectwithprosecco · 07/01/2022 18:26

I saw a poor cat get hit - I stopped to try and help it but it died in my arms. I did drive 40 mins to an out of hours vet with the poor thing wrapped in a jumper I had in the car. It was when I get to vet they offered me stuff to clean myself up - I didn't realise I was covered in blood.

I've got cats though and didn't want to leave it by the road. It's owner was traced and she got in touch to thank me

mafted · 07/01/2022 18:28

I've seen a few dead cat posts on FB, it wouldn't occur to me to go out and take the poor things to the vets. I've no idea where the vets is for a start.

Iamtheweedonkey · 07/01/2022 18:29

This happened to me a few years ago. Late at night, came round the corner and found a dead cat in the road, I parked up and thought I would do the decent thing and move it, so that it wouldn't get squashed beyond recognition, as if I were the owner, that is what I would want. I then posted a notice on local FB page, someone asked for a picture of it Hmm, something I definitely wasn't willing to do, they also suggested that I collect it in the morning and take it to the vets, now I like animals as much as the next person, however, I am would not consider taking a dead animal to a vet. I feel by posting on the local site and moving the animal from further harm is plenty anyway.

Chickydoo · 07/01/2022 18:29

I would always take a deceased cat to the vet and have done so twice.

elfycat · 07/01/2022 18:29

@lljkk

I know people who collect fresh roadkill to make into pies. Waste not Want not.
I have 3 hedgehogs, a rabbit and a few mice buried in mesh bags to keep little bones together next to my compost bin. DD2 wanted to make 'art' with skulls and bones. The idea waned quite quickly (she was 9yo) but the roadkill and catkill is still down there. Probably mostly decomposed and waiting on another macabre activity.
RainbowBridge21 · 07/01/2022 18:29

I would take a cat to the vet or if I was too busy I would always 100% knock on the nearest house to let someone know what happened as they will likely know where the cats owners live. It's just the decent thing to do. I lost a cat to a RTA and he had been hit and left, and he wasn't even dead when they left him. He was missing for a week and crawled home on his front legs :( it was beyond devastating. Everyone on my street knew him and he didn't roam far so it wouldn't have taken someone two minutes to knock on a door and let one of us know. Me and the neighbours spent that entire week walking around our road calling his name. Really upset the kids and I cried for months. Don't understand how people can hit family pets and then saunter off giving no craps.

XelaM · 07/01/2022 18:37

No. No one wants to touch a dead cat

AlternativePerspective · 07/01/2022 18:38

I know people who collect fresh roadkill to make into pies. Waste not Want not. isn’t there a roadkill cafe somewhere up by the Lake District? Off to google.

WRT cats, I was very grateful to whoever took my cat to the vet after she’d been killed, it meant the vet could call me and tell me that she’d been killed. But I wouldn’t expect someone to do it.

XelaM · 07/01/2022 18:38

If they are valued family pets, they should not be roaming the streets

Fraternaltwin · 07/01/2022 18:41

No vet would thank you for giving them a dead cat. It’s not up to some random member of the public to take it to a vets. You’re being completely unrealistic.

Sparklingbrook · 07/01/2022 18:41

@XelaM

No. No one wants to touch a dead cat
And yet all through this thread posters have said that they absolutely would. Myself included. Confused So not 'no one'.
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 07/01/2022 18:45

@XelaM

If they are valued family pets, they should not be roaming the streets
I say again. Mine roam because I value them. I would be selfish to keep them in
CeeceeBloomingdale · 07/01/2022 18:51

I wouldn’t touch anything dead. I might post on Facebook to try and alert the owner. I wouldn’t have a clue where the nearest vet is let alone whether they would take in dead animals. I don’t have animals so wouldn’t be equipped to deal with it. That doesn’t mean I hate animals though, I wouldn’t leave it there if it was injured although I wouldn’t have a clue how to actually handle it so I’d have to ring someone for help. I’ve found a dog wandering about without an owner before and called the number on the collar and reunited them even though I’m scared of dogs, but dead animals I’d just leave unless I’d caused the death.