@Holeyscarf
I picked up a cat that has been reported as dead in one of my local roads. I went to get it and it was still alive, heartbreaking that it had been left for hours. The vet put him to sleep, I still am haunted by him crying in the back of my car. People just don’t want to get involved- the number of social media accounts it has been posted on and everyone assumed that someone else would deal with it.
@Holeyscarf that's awful, poor cat but well done for taking him. You're right, so many people just assume someone else will deal with it. I usually have a carrier in my car now, having had a similar experience a few years ago.
I will always take a dead (or injured of course) cat to the vet. No exceptions, and yes I've made myself late for work on occasion to do so including when I worked as a care assistant so was on a tight schedule. I loathe seeing posts like "my kids would be upset" or "I've put it in a ditch". To those who post things like that, do you think the person who then gets a call/tag asking if they can pick up the cat won't be upset? Do you think that person - who goes out voluntarily to perform a really horrible task - wants to be digging around in a ditch? What about the owner who might be frantically searching for their cat, who won't know to look in a ditch?
Of course I know not everyone has a car, and of course there are genuinely times when someone hasn't got the time but so many people just can't be arsed - and having collected two dead cats today, in between meetings, I'm feeling quite uncharitable to people who can't take a bit of time out of their day. I'm bloody busy too but still make time to go out of my way. You don't need to go to the vet immediately, just wrap the cat in a shopping bag or something until you can either get to a vet or get hold of someone who can take it.
Vets don't charge to check chips, and will hold onto a dead cat for a week or two. My vets are the ones I usually go to with one and they are always brilliant, I often just turn up although will always call first if it is out of hours.
I have collected and scanned dozens of cats, reunited a few live ones with very grateful owners, reunited many dead ones with their owners too. I cry over every single one of them, soft touch that I am. I don't do it for any other reason than knowing what it's like to not know what has happened to a missing cat, and making sure the animal gets treated with respect.
@Horst I dont know where you get the idea that most roaming cats aren't neutered, most of the ones I've picked up have been and well over half have been chipped. Collars come off, or get stuck which is why many owners don't like them.
@CoastalWave I'll probably join you in getting abuse now but it's good to know there are other people who care.