To think cat owners are unreasonable for insisting that drivers MUST stop if they hit a cat?

[OtterlyMad]

Some of the people on my town’s Facebook page lose their minds when a cat is killed by a car. It’s automatically blamed on speeding (despite there being no evidence of this) and there are always lots of comments along the lines of how “disgusting” it is that the driver didn’t stop and make the owner aware.

None of them seem to appreciate that the driver might not have time to track down the owner. For example, perhaps they are on their way to work, a job interview, wedding, funeral, court, airport, hospital, dentist, client meeting, school pick up, etc. Plus cats can wander quite far and don’t all wear collars so tracking down the owner could be a real challenge - even more so if driver isn’t local to the area!

Obviously it’s devastating for people to lose their pet in this way (I’m an animal lover and have owned pets all my life so I get it) but surely this is a known risk of allowing cats to roam freely? And owners accept that risk because they feel it gives their cat a better quality of life, even if that means their life is shorter as a result?

My locals are now campaigning to make it law that drivers who hit a cat must not only stop and find the owner, but also HAND OVER THEIR CONTACT DETAILS. To do what with?! So the cat’s owner can give the driver grief and/or demand compensation they’re not entitled to???

Am I the only one thinking this is ludicrous?

You are being unreasonable - drivers should be required to stop, track down the owner of the cat and hand over their contact details.

You are not being unreasonable - injury/death by vehicle is a sad but accepted risk of cats having the right to roam so drivers should not be required to stop.

The irony of car drivers complaining about cats killing wildlife, while justifying their right to actually run over wildlife, leave it to die a slow agonising death, because they’ve got an important trip to the erm.. supermarket and gym.

I can't imagine killing or injuring an animal with my car and not stopping if it was safe to do so to either try to save it or in the case of a dead cat report it to a vet. I agree with a PP that the lack of empathy some people have is astounding if they would drive on after killing a cat if it was at all possible to stop the car.

Christ, no wonder we have a Tory government.

Not really. Most decent people are able to figure it out and move past a grammatical/word choice error. You’re just picking at a small thing because you can. It’s called being an arsehole.

FFS yes you could just drive off…if you were a massive cunt. Why would you want to be a massive cunt?

I think it’s the ‘right thing to do’, but understand that many people wouldn’t do it.

Good questions. Fortunately I’ve never had to do it either.

Most cats will not have collars these days (they get stuck in them or pull them off), but most will have a microchip (becomes law this summer I think). Vets contact the phone number given. Some have nothing or the wrong details on the chip and won’t be traced. Meanwhile if you lose a cat, the first thing you do is phone local vets.

Cats are buggers to pick up sometimes and if it is in pain, it might not let you pick it up (hissing, spitting, scratching). In that case, knock on a door nearby (if safe for you to do so). If you’re local and can post to a facebook group (or can join one), take a picture and describe cat and location. Not loads more you can do.

If it’s more injured, you can knock on a door again. If you can’t find the owner and able to try a vet trip, and have access to Google whilst out to find one … There is normally a late night vet in each area but they can be quite a drive. As a PP has said, any vet should direct you via their answer phone, or google ‘out of hours vet’.

Normally you’d never have a cat loose in the car (dangerous); however if it is very injured/subdued, you could put it in a box/blanket (?). I THINK the vets cover the cost (ie it’s not you).

It’s a big ask to ask someone to actually find a vet and take it, so it might not be feasible. Presumably if it was injured, there would be blood as well (plus my cat used to get ill when she was in the back seat too). So if not ….Vets don’t normally come out and collect them, but local volunteers do. They will probably have baskets to transport in, covers on seats, and know how to pick cats up. However it’s finding one… Again, a local resident might know, or if can post to a facebook group, take a picture and describe cat and location again.

Bit jumbled. Late for bed :-) Bless you for being prepared though.

The other issue with cats is that you might not know you have hit one, or think it's a fox or some ther creature. I personally don't think cats should be allowed to roam beyond the boundaries of your property. Obviously I realised and it was safe to do so I'd drop a cat at the nearest vet but the onus is on owners to prevent cats getting onto roads

YABU. They should stop and at least attempt to move the cat. Thats someone's loved one!

" the Government’s announcement on 13 March 2023 means that all pet cats in England must be microchipped by 10 June 2024 and you will be given 21 days to get your cat chipped or face a fine of up to £500 if you don’t comply"

All cats must be chipped - see above

I think if safe to do so, residential road etc, I would definitely park up and check for collar and if no collar I would drop off at the vet.
If I was on a bypass I would not stop, especially if I had my daughter in the car, because it's not safe and could cause an accident and make a bad situation worse.
In both cases I would post on local facebook groups and provide a description and apology and location of cat.
I would feel horrifically guilty but I would if I hit a pheasant or fox too. The trouble with free roaming pets is that this is unfortunately a risk, I think most people if they're able to would stop and try their best even though they're legally not obligated to. If I owned a cat that free roamed I wouldn't begrudge a driver for hitting it, it's just one of those sad things that are out of control and can happen. I would appreciate knowing of course, but it's not always possible. And if you have a free roaming cat, particularly in areas with lots of roads then I'm sorry but imo it's just a risk you have to take and also take the risk that you might never know about it.

"but surely this is a known risk of allowing cats to roam freely?"

It's also a known risk for dogs, humans etc but you have the decency to stop. Why is a cat different?

It's a difficult one. I own a cat and she is chipped but doesn't wear a collar (for safety reasons). I have always let her roam about outside, she has a catflap and comes and goes as she pleases. I also know that there is the risk of her being knocked down one day; I take that risk over her not having her freedom.

Should she ever be knocked down then I would not blame the driver as cats dart across roads so quickly that drivers often have no time to react. I would hope someone would stop though and do all they could rather than just leaving her. The problem is when they are just left there is a family somewhere worrying themselves sick over where there cat is and not knowing what has happened to it. I can also see it from the drivers point of view though, that it delays their journey and may not be a safe place to stop. Also if travelling with children it's very distressing for them to witness you picking up a dead or seriously injured cat.

@DeadbeatYoda

I disagree, most journeys I make are essential and I need to be there in a timely manner. Not everyone has flexible start times. Also I'm often at funerals, occupational hazard

What a ridiculous comment!

A few years ago a cat of mine was run over and killed. We live on a quiet estate. Someone saw him and posted on our local Facebook group and I recognised his description. She couldn't stop at the time, but I'm very grateful she did post on that group so I was prepared for when we found him. We had been trying to keep him in at night but hadn't managed to on this occasion - it's actually quite difficult to keep cats indoors IME. Since then I have been ultra strict about keeping my next cat in at night, however sometimes in the summer she disappears in the afternoon and doesn't return for 24 hours.

2 years ago I hit and killed a cat on a local road. I wasn't speeding. I took it to the emergency vet (it was 2am) and they managed to contact the owner. I was devastated, and still think of it now every time I drive down that road. It was an eye opener for me though and now I think many speed limits are too high. I had no idea that going just 30mph would be enough to kill a cat, which sounds very stupid now I've written it out, but I always assumed that drivers had to be speeding to do so. I also noticed that night that there were so many cats out - I never see that many near the road usually.

I agree that sometimes eg on motorways it's not always possible to stop, and sometimes you can't stop then but have every intention of going back later. And some cats aren't killed immediately so you can't find them. But if you can stop and take the cat to the vet to be scanned, then you should. I don't agree it should become law though. But I do think there needs to be more encouragement to keep cats in at night where possible because they roam further. And drivers having more speed awareness isn't a bad thing.

"I’m an animal lover"

No. You're not. Anyone who doesn't stop to take an injured cat to the nearest vet, or phone the RSPCA to collect it is a callous shit (I'd use a worse word, but the word I'd prefer to use means something with warmth and depth so would be inaccurate). Even if the cat dies, the family will want to know where their lost pet is.

Someone did this kindness for our family. I have done it for someone else's family (I didn't hit the cat, I was on a bicycle and found it), even though it cost me a lot of time and trouble.

How much damage do you think a 4kg cat is going to do to a car when it hits the wheel ? Are you really that heartless that you’d want £10 of a grieving owner to get the blood washed of your car?

Well cats having a right to roam is the reason it’s not a legal requirement to report a collision with them. Dogs, on the other hand, aren’t allowed to roam freely. In fact, if you were to hit a dog, the owner could actually be made to pay for any damage to your vehicle.

Just explaining why it’s (legally) different.

A child is NEVER equal to a cat !!!

I couldn’t drive off - I would stop and check the animal
wasnt still alive and badly hurt.

People get very angry about pet cats - but surely people want to be humane and wouldn’t drive off leaving an animal suffering?

i suppose some people are cruel.

I don't know about stopping when
a driver hits a cat, however, the wondering into other people's gardens (and sometimes houses) and crapping there is definitely unreasonable.😕

Is this comment directed at me (the OP) or someone else?

If it’s to me then I think you’ve misunderstood because I’ve not actually hit a cat…

This may need to be a slightly different thread but if you saw that it was suffering would you finish it off to put it out of its misery or would you just watch?