So upset just need to tell someone

[cadburyegg]

Shameless posting for traffic. I've had a bad day with my mental health today and couldn't sleep so went for a drive. I was going 30 in a 40mph zone and hit a cat that darted across the road.

I took it to the emergency vet who scanned for a chip and will let the owners know. I just got home. I'm so upset and feel so horrendously guilty I can't stop crying. I've just given my own cat a big hug. I feel so awful and guilty for going out in the first place. That poor cat and it's family

this is precisely why i wont have a cat.
they meet their end on the road in so many cases.

you did all you could op, you went above and beyond.

You poor thing. Well done on taking the cat to vet.

Not if you keep them indoors. I do it, and no, they aren't unhappy and no, this isn't cruel. They don't know the outside world, so they don't miss it. I wish more people did it instead of the heartbreak because someone ran over your cat.

That's appalling!
Poor dog.
What happened? did he make it?

Awful not to take him to a vets..I think they can do emergency work to stabilise an animal, or transfer him or her to an RSPCA hospital if one in the area.

It's a shame the cat got out into the road like that, but you definitely did all you could. I'm sorry it took the edge off doing something to lift your mood. I hope things pick up for you.

Thank you so much for taking the cat to the vet. My cat was hit by a car and somehow managed to drag himself home with a dislocated broken pelvis, otherwise he would have died in pain and we would have been none the wiser. You are not to blame for the accident and did the only thing you could d o for the cat.

Sending you a hug, and hoping you get over this soon. Thanks for taking the cat to a vet, allowing the owners to know what's happened and to grieve. It's horrible when a pet goes missing and you don't know if it's lying injured somewhere, or been taken by vicious people, or lost and starving.

It wasn't your fault, cats are very quick and have no bloody sense, they just dart out. I nearly got a baby squirrel the other day. It just ran under my car. Think I clipped it but it stumbled up the curb and ran up a tree so I think it must've been okay. I hope it was okay.

Slammed on my brakes but its impossible to avoid them when they dash out so close to you.

You did all you possibly could and made sure the owners weren't left not knowing. Unfortunately it's a danger of having a pet that roams. If it were my cat, I wouldn't blame you at all.

You poor thing, no wonder you feel devastated. But you did just the right thing.

Cats do sadly sometimes get run over. It's the price they/we pay for them going outside.

But it's an awful feeling when you're the driver and you are a cat lover too

Yes, it was an accident and you got help for the cat. A lot of drivers wouldn’t, I lost count of the number of dead cats Ive seen at the side of the road over the many years of driving.
Could it have been avoided? Ten miles over the limit ? Possibly not.
I’m not going to compound your guilt by mentioning the many scenarios that could have happened but learn from it and be aware of your speed.

@cadburyegg Bless you. It was a complete accident and not your fault. You did all you could to help. But I know that you will probably be beating yourself up over it. I'm so sorry. You are not a bad person. It sounds like there was no way you could have avoided what happened. It was very good of you to take the cat to the vets - that took courage and decency.

Best wishes to you. xx

@Thinkingblonde The OP was going 10mph UNDER the speed limit. Driving at 30 in a 40-zone.

Sorry op, I misread your post. I see you were driving at 30 in a 40. Not 40 in a 30 My most sincere apologies.

Yes I’ve just apologised to OP. My Discalclia let me down again.

Oh bless you .

I have hit a cat before, it just darted out in front of me on a main road, there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. It did get up and run off despite being injured, I went back and searched for it but nowhere to be found. I was so, so upset.

We are cat owners and I've always said that I would never blame someone for hitting a cat by mistake - only if they didn't stop. The fact you've taken it to the vet so the family can be contacted and have closure shows what a kind and decent person you are.

Be kind to yourself, it could literally happen to anyone.

You did the right thing. Please be kind to yourself it was a complete accident.
I myself haven't hit any animals but when I see a cat lying at the side of the road, I always take it in to be scanned. I feel the not knowing is far far worse.
My own cats get no further than their own garden whuch is fenced in and that is one of my reasons. Take care x

Thank you for your kind comments. The vet nurse said similar, that most people don't take a dead cat in. No the cat didn't make it , sorry I didn't make that clear. Naively I thought because I wasn't driving that fast that the cat might be able to be saved. I was so shocked when i stopped the car and realised I'd killed it.

I am a cat owner and gave my cat a cuddle when I got home. My last cat was killed on the road just before the 2020 lockdown. Fortunately (?) it was near home so I found him very quickly. It must be awful not knowing what happened. My cat now I keep indoors at night as a result but she does sometimes sneak out.

Cats are contrary little buggers with a mind of their own, but that's why we love them.

how are you feeling (MH wise) today, OP? do you have someone in RL you can talk to?

Thank you for taking it to the vet so that the owners know <3

I've lost a cat to a car in the past and although it is heartbreaking it is the risk you accept as an owner by allowing a cat to have a natural cat life, roaming free and doing cat stuff.