Dead cat, my heart is breaking.

[Wife2b]

I know I sound dramatic but it’s been a shit day.

Just driven the one hour commute home from work and it’s been a hellish one.

Passed one accident where the car had smashed into the central reservation, 2 people stranded standing in the central reservation, no hazards on and debris in the road. I called the police on hands free.

The general journey was horrendous as the hail was so bad the ground was white and couldn’t see the lanes. People trying to change lanes but struggling to keep to their lane.

Passed a second crash where the car had spun right the way round to be facing the opposite direction and the bonnet all smashed up.

The final bit and the straw that broke the camels back was driving down the 40mph road where there isn’t any central reservation or footpaths (so not easy to stop) and barriers on either side so can’t pull over, I see a cat that has been hit by a vehicle. I’m a soft touch for animals being in pain so this just started the floodgates open. Now I feel dreadful for not stopping to pick the poor thing up. My DH assures me that I did the right thing by not stopping with the way the road is but it just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do. I can’t bear the thought of it being hit again or worse that it might not have passed away. Still my DH says I’ve done the right thing.

I’ve put a message out in local groups to say I’ve seen a cat so I’m hoping the poor mite will be reunited with their owner sooner.

What would you have done? I keep debating whether to go back, stick my hazards on and get the poor thing but it’s not a road anyone should stop on. I can’t stop bawling, what a shit day.

If the cat was alive then its instinct would be to crawl away to hide. I don't think it can have been alive. Risking your life and that of others by stopping on a dangerous road isn't going to help it.

I say this as a cat lover, but you have done the right thing. Poor little thing, but if it was at the side of the road it is either already dead or very likely to be dead even if someone managed to get it to a vet. There’s no point putting yourself at risk in that situation. I do understand though, I’d be very upset and feel the same.

Still, sorry to hear you had such a rough journey home, you must be feeling very shaken. I hope you feel calmer soon.

No you should not risk your life and others to pick up a dead cat. Sorry, I know it's sad but just no.

Sending you a hug. You absolutely should not have stopped. I'm an animal lover but you can't put yourself and others in serious danger to move a cat that is sadly already deceased. Sometimes when our emotions are heightened these things hit us harder. A few days after a bereavement I saw a dead cat in the road and turned round to go and rescue it. Turns out it was a welly....
Be kind to yourself. Sounds like you've had a rotten day. You were right not to stop.

You did the right thing

I’d feel guilty too
But I love animals more
Than I do humans

Oh what an awful day, OP

FWIW, I'm a cat mum and would feel the same way as you. However, as others have said, thinking straight you can't put yourself or other road users in danger if there was nowhere to stop safely, especially not in today's weather. And unfortunately it would've likely been too late to do anything for the little thing anyway. Bless you. Have a cry to let it all out, rest and a cuppa tonight xx

Oh god I’ve been there, busy yet small winding road , no place to pull in and stop safely and a beautiful pristine cat laying in the middle of the road. Had my kids with me so even if I Parked up somewhere down the road I couldn’t have left them in the car or walked with them!
It sucks , I’m sorry but you did the right thing. I love animals but you can’t take the risk

I'm so sorry OP, that sounds horrendous. But you made the right decision not to stop. The accidents you saw are a good indication of just how hazardous things were.

I have had commutes like that in snowstorms where the roads are terrible, and the other drivers even worse. Even buses sliding backwards and sideways down hills. We had one storm here a few years ago where about 15 buses were lined up because they could not get up a hill.

When I get home from a commute like that I always feel shaky and unsettled for hours.

I hope you feel better soon.

I’m so sorry OP that sounds like a nightmare of a drive home.
I agree the cat is likely to be dead. You were right to not have stopped because the cat was beyond any help and in such horrible driving conditions, you would have a high risk of being hit by a car yourself.

You’ve done the right thing. I say this as someone’s whose dear cat disappeared in November and has likely met the same fate. (I’ve looked for him and asked about, put up missing flyers, posted online, etc). It’s heartbreaking, but it would be even more so to me if someone stopping for him (lying dead in the road) then got hurt in the process.

It just wasn’t safe for you to stop. I understand that completely. I understand your crying as well..I am the same way. Have a good cry for the cat and don’t feel silly about it.

What a harrowing day op! Im sorry for you.

I'm adore my cats. Live for them. If my baby had been on the side of that road- I'd not have wanted you to stop. Too risky. Throwing good after bad. Heart breaking but you did the right thing and I do not believe the cats Mam would blame you. There is nothing you could have done, no help you could have given to alter the inevitable. That you care and tried to alert the owner shows the kind of person you are. You're a good person who's done nothing wrong

Oh gosh, you poor thing. Hope you've had a and some food after such a horrible drive.
Of course you're upset about the poor cat, but you said it 'it’s not a road anyone should stop on' - it wouldn't have been safe for you or other road users.

I think it was dead, cats don’t just lie at the side of the road. But I wanted to say how great it was that you put information out about it so someone knows what has happened and is not searching for days for their cat. Been there - had fliers printed before we found out.

Thanks everyone, I’ve had a good cry and a bath. I feel a bit more rational now but hope the poor cat finds its owner soon.