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.

In Australia, there are towns in which they are not allowed outside due to the damage they do to the wildlife. In those towns, people are just expected to build outside runs and provide stimulation. Declawing is illegal.

That’s not correct. There are plenty of places, including locations in America, with laws against free roaming cats. And it’s never to do with the cats own safety!!

In Australia they’re actively poisoning cats because of the sheer damage they cause. It’s not ok to let your pet out to kill things. If you would t kill birds yourself, why do you send your cat out to do it?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/28/australia-to-kill-feral-cats-with-laser-shoots-toxic-goo/

The UK is not Australia

The cats are the same. Australian cats don't need less stimulation than UK cats.

I'd like to see this approach in the UK.

If you hit a petrel rather than a seagull you could just use it to fill up your tank!

Hmm. A very injured cat could be wrapped in a towel or something. I do wonder what I'd do with an angry, mobile cat. I don't think you could drive with it unrestrained.

I’d like to see the law updated in the UK to bring us into the 21st century. There’s simply no excuse for letting pets free roam and it needs to be made the same for cats as for dogs.

It’s not ok to put the cats at risk being outside unsupervised. It’s not ok to put wildlife at risk. It’s not ok to put other people’s animals at risk. It’s not ok to impose your pet on people who don’t want it on their property, leaving piles of shit everywhere.

If you want a pet, you need to take the appropriate responsibility for looking after its safety, taking account for its actions and clearing up after it. If you aren’t willing, you’re not responsible enough to own a pet.

I'm in the keep cars in doors camp. Or contained in your own garden. They dig up my flowers shit in my allotment. Kill the birds we feed. One on our street can open the food bins and will do that regularly. Next door has multiple cat one always trying to get in my house, i can't leave back door open in the summer or it's on my bed (we have allergies in this house?). F**king horrible things.

Cats should not be kept indoors.

You don’t. Google some local bird rescues /rspca and inform them of its whereabouts. If it’s local go back with something/ someone to help.

It goes hand in hand with right to roam.
To the people trying to argue cats should be treated the same as children: nobody lets their small child cross streets alone and without having taught them to look both ways etc. even then, we ‘train’ them for years before letting them do it on their own.
If you choose to let your pet out when you know there is a fairly high risk of them crossing a street and being hit don’t put the onus on the driver - who didn’t do anything wrong - to do something about it.

Correct, Australians have more brains and guts to do something to protect their wildlife! We still have a lot of precious wildlife being killed in their millions by cats “for fun”.

If I had a dog that regularly came into your garden and tore your cat to shreds and left the remains for you to find, you’d be pissed, right? So why’s it ok for your cat to be on my property doing that to my much loved animals that are secure on my own land?

It’s awful and selfish. If your cat wants to be outside, lead train it. Build it a catio. If you think that’s not good enough, then don’t keep a cat.

Bloody hell ! The absolute entitlement of cat owners who do absolutely nothing to ensure their animal does nothing to inconvenience other home owners , pet owners (guinea pigs, rabbits even aviaries )
Other people should not have to look after your pet , we're to busy making sure your pet is not a nuisance to us .
Take some fricking responsibility for your own pet .

People do let small children play in areas of low traffic. I live in an area of low traffic, so I let my cats out.

Cats should not be free to roam. Build them a catio or lead train them.

If you can’t be bothered then don’t have a cat. It doesn’t alter the fact that it’s indefensible to allow them to free roam.

Hear, hear!

But fuck everyone else, right? 😂

Damn it this reminded me of the ducks on the road I used to drive down. I was on the way to go for a mammogram. They weren't on the road, just on the edge some twat was obviously too close to the edge and had killed them - three of them lying there it was awful. I remember crying all the way into town and the woman not being particular sympathetic to the sobbing mess that arrived in her porta cabin

RSPCA recommends that cats should be kept contained.

Pretty much your attitude as well. Touché

https://www.cats.org.uk/wolverhampton/lost-and-found/if-you-find-a-cat

Pretty much suspect it more than cat shit making you miserable.

You're ridiculous

In what sense? Your comment makes no sense at all.

Im advocating for EVERYONE to be safe and happy, not JUST cats and their feckless owners.