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.

It was lovely what you did, but the situation you describe makes it sound like your OH hit the cat as they were setting off from home. That is a very different situation from hitting a cat while already travelling, and on a potentially unsafe road. Or even a road with double yellows for example.

People on here have described instances where they handed the cat into the vet, and got a lot of grief from the owner. My friend left her personal details once she backed into a car, and was stalked as a result. I also had a family member leave her contact details when her cat went missing and she received prank calls about the cat having been killed (it was found alive).

If i am able to take a cat to the vet, i absolutely will. But i would do so anonymously, and certainly wouldn’t offer to pay any bills.

Agreed regarding the vet bills.

Having read this thread and the unhinged comments from cat owners, I'd make zero effort to find the cat's owner.

I wouldn't want to risk encountering a psychopath that blamed me for injuring/killing their cat and then expected me to 'make amends'.

If i am able to take a cat to the vet, i absolutely will. But i would do so anonymously, and certainly wouldn’t offer to pay any bills
And that's absolutely reasonable.

Recently I have nearly hit two cats who ran directly in front of my car from in or behind hedges - one I must have missed by millimetres. I was driving well within the speed limit both times. Both times left me quite shaken up - I have pets (not cats) and love animals, and would be devastated if I killed one (or even worse, severely injured one). I actually feel really angry when I see these facebook posts ranting at "irresponsible drivers" - cat owners who let their animals roam free are putting us at risk of stressful and distressing experiences (as well as potentially causing accidents) as well as jeopardising their cats safety. If I let my dog roam free I would rightly be piled on for putting her at risk, but realistically the average cat has no more road sense than she does.

Fun fact: You can stop on double yellows, but you can't wait. For example, you can't stop on the double yellows to go into a shop and buy a coffee; that's classed as waiting.

But if the coffee is already prepped and paid for, you can collect it and go back to your car. You should be loading/unloading continuously whilst stopped.

No it shouldn't be law. Often, hitting an animal doesn't mean it stays at the side of the road we've had a few cases of our cat or neighbours etc where the cat is able to scramble off and then die in a garden etc. it's very rare to see a dead cat on the actual road so it would be difficult for drivers to report.

I must admit, the only time I found a dead cat on the pavement, I did go back with a box and drop it to the vet. It was right on a school route! All the little kids walking past. But I've never seen that again. Our own cat was hit by a car and turned up dead in a school playgroup a few days later. Poor thing must have hidden away. There would be no way a driver could report that when they tend to hobble off.

Also - and this is a genuine question and something I worried about after nearly hitting a cat - how do you pick up a seriously injured animal without causing it further injuries? I would always try and take an injured animal to the vet but am unsure of the practicalities!

Ok then lol.

If it’s a situation where my local vet is closed (inc weekends), i’m not risking pulling up on a double yellow and just standing there to try and google or call other vets that might be open further away.

If i’m on my own, then i can find somewhere else to park potentially. If i’m with my kids, i’m not leaving them if i’ve had to park the car somewhere else other than right next to the cat so i can deal with it.

@MariaVT65 That's fine, I'd do the same. I'd probably somehow move the cat off the roadway if possible, or not stop at all if it was dangerous and I had my kids in the car.

It's a common misconception that you can't stop at all on double yellows, so I was just spreading the word.

It absolutely 100% has. They are the ones throwing the insults.

Although there have of course been sensible comments from cat owners too

Yep! Some members of the cohort aren't helping themselves.

Realistically, most of the ranting, self-appointed moral beacons on the thread wouldn't actually constitute a threat. But some people will. And a person who's hit a cat won't know in advance who falls into which category.

My OH hit a neighbour's car a whilst ago. The cat had hidden under the car and was hit as started of. The cat was in a very bad shape and I usually didn't move and so look dead. It was a Sunday evening. Still we took it to the emergency vet. The vet said it's chances of survival was very low and it was up to us to decide to put to sleep. We decided to give a chance overnight....and there then was one more night. We found the owner and we agreed to go 50/50 with the bill for the two days.

I actually find this pretty worrying. As with the PP who said they left a dead cat outside the nearest house.

Not critisizing either action specifically - because both posters clearly did the best they could (thereby indicating how hard it is to mandate a specific action) and were very kind. but I really don't want...

a) to have to make the decision between PTS or higher vet bills for someone else who I may or may not know and who may not have insurance, as with the pp. It's hard enough making that call for my own pet and he's insured up to the eyeballs.

or

b) opening my front door to find a dead cat that isn't mine and whose corpse I would sadly now appear to be responsible for

“The cohort” - wtf are you on about?

If there’s any so-called “cohort”, it’s the posters who have shown themselves to be callous and cruel. Shame on them!

Cat owners.

Cohort is a neutral term that simply means a group of people with a shared characteristic, so your response to it being used is bemusing. We're all part of lots of cohorts. The existence of cohorts other than cat owners doesn't affect this.

And as I said, some members of the cat owning cohort do not help themselves.

Now you are making it up as you go along ,no one has said they would be looking out for small animals to run over . What we are actually sick of is cat owners lack of responsibility , they open the door and let it go for everyone ese to have to make sure your cat doesn't cause problems .
You all have no interest what your cat gets up to in other people's gardens .
Maybe try what they do abroad , provide enrichment for your animals ,their your animals take responsibility..

Now you are making it up as you go along ,no one has said they would be looking out for small animals to run over .

Where have I said that ? It would appear to be you that’s making shit up.

I’m interested in my cats wellbeing and they’re happier outdoors, it’s not possible to create an environment indoors that replicates that. A dog owner that only let them look outdoors through a prison (catio) attached to their home would be rightfully criticised, not sure why people think that’s an acceptable life for a cat, because a few people don’t like them.

Perhaps try cultivating a bit of tolerance, life will be more pleasant for yourself and those around you.

@crumbledog Fine don't expect other people to look out for your pet , you let it out , your problem . I 've got my own life to deal without your animals .

I can see you're really busy on here.

🙄

Perhaps try cultivating a bit of tolerance, life will be more pleasant for yourself and those around you.

You're asking someone else to have tolerance whilst showing none yourself.

I love cats, personally, (enough to actually give up my time on holiday abroad to volunteer at a cat sanctuary a couple of weeks ago) but I know they can be a bloody nuisance. If I owned one, I’d understand that not everyone likes my precious fur baby and not everyone feels the way I do about animals. That’s tolerance. It works both ways…

I don't know if this has been mentioned but one thing I think should be law is for animals found at the side of a road be scanned for a chip. I'm sick of reading about lazy councils disposing of animals without scanning first. Even some vets have been caught doing it and there's no excuse.

I don't have a cat at the moment and when I did the garden was cat proofed, however I understand accidents happen but I find it shocking that owners don't get closure when it's so easy if the animal is chipped.

Make no effort to find the owner yourself, or make no effort to take an injured animal to a vet so they could find the owner?

I can understand not taking a dead cat to the vets (although I would, unless I had a very good reason not to) but I cannot imagine leaving an injured one to suffer.

A family member lost a cat because it was run over. The poor thing didn’t die instantly, she was found by a member of the public who took her to a vet. I really hope the driver didn’t realise they’d hit her, rather than just thinking that her life wasn’t worth the hassle.

I’m interested in my cats wellbeing and they’re happier outdoors, it’s not possible to create an environment indoors that replicates that. A dog owner that only let them look outdoors through a prison (catio) attached to their home would be rightfully criticised, not sure why people think that’s an acceptable life for a cat, because a few people don’t like them

If your intrest in your cats wellbeing involves the risk of being injured by a car, then, sadly, I have to question your motives of having a cat.
As for your dog analogy, people have dogs, and yes they take them out on a lead to minimise danger. Many more people don't have dogs, because they can't give the tog what it needs due to their own circumstances.
Something may cat owners fail to relise judging by this (and other) thred.

Life is full of risks, do we all just stay indoors and wait to die ?
Obviously, I am not letting the cat out with the intention of it getting hit by a car, or encountering some of the weirdos on here. I live in a quiet cul de sac surrounded by farmland, on balance the benefits outweigh the risks.
I don't have an issue with someone accidently running over my cat, providing they are not speeding or driving recklessly, but I do with someone that would drive off and not do anything, or the ones on here gleefully hypothesising how they would not even swerve, or stop for a cat.
Lastly, I am not going to say anything more on this topic, its already been covered and the same dull arguments from cat haters crop up repetitively once the cat thread claxon sounds.
I'm off to sit in the garden with my outdoors cat now. Have a lovely day.

I don't have an issue with someone accidently running over my cat, providing they are not speeding or driving recklessly, but I do with someone that would drive off and not do anything, or the ones on here gleefully hypothesising how they would not even swerve, or stop for a cat.

That's your problem.