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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Our lovely cat hit by a car

22 replies

Frizzbonce · 26/02/2012 13:28

I wanted to post this in a bit of the forum that would understand.

Our cat, who never goes out the front - our house backs onto other gardens plus she's young and nippy - well yesterday she suddenly decides to sit on a wall looking at the street. My DD and I come back from the shops to find a couple of neighbours had seen our cat chase something and a car hit her - she is thrown up into the air so the car driver SEES her and then he or she just drives on. A few neighbours also see and because she's lying in the road they have to move her. My dd is crying hysterically and my nice neighbour comes with me to the vet with convulsing cat wrapped in a blanket. Three layers of blanket and there's blood on my clothes which a passer-by 'helpfully' comments on.

The vet is brilliant - puts her on a drip immediately and diagnoses a serious head injury and internal injuries and a broken jaw. Even with insurance it's likely she'll have brain damage poor little thing. So we have her put down with my DD tickling her behind the ears.

I know it had to be done and the right decision was made but we're all so upset. It's not even as if we live on a busy road. It's usually very quiet. And while I'm angry at the person who just drove off, my faith in human nature has been partly restored by the neighbours who came out and tried to help. And of course I feel guilty because if I'd lifted her off the wall and shooed her back inside she'd still be alive.

OP posts:
pookiecat · 26/02/2012 13:30

So sorry for your loss x

crazynanna · 26/02/2012 13:32

Oh Frizz I am so sorry Sad xx

Dustinthewind · 26/02/2012 14:04

'And of course I feel guilty because if I'd lifted her off the wall and shooed her back inside she'd still be alive.'

It is natural to feel that if only.... but you know that you can't blame yourself.
I lost a cat the same way, I was coming home from work and she was so pleased to see me that she ran across the road to greet me, and got hit. She had to be put down too, but the driver was distraught and did stop to check.

PandaNot · 26/02/2012 14:15

Oh I'm so sorry :(
Angry at the driver not stopping though.

areyoumad · 26/02/2012 14:19

Wanted to send unmums net hugs to you and your family, it's so heartbreaking, but you got her to the vets as quickly as possible and you were with her when she needed it.
Please don't feel guilty, what if's will eat you up.
I'm so so sorry Sad

edam · 26/02/2012 14:23

Oh, I'm so sorry, that's horrible.

Ruddy evil driver but thank heavens for lovely neighbours to restore your faith in humanity.

One of my cats was run over years ago - bastard driver sped off but the guy behind him saw and stopped and knocked on my neighbour's door. Fortunately our cat survived - thanks to the nice guy who stopped, so she got straight to the vet.

Sparklingbrook · 26/02/2012 14:23

I'm so sorry Frizz. Sad

The cat before the one we have now was sitting on the patio, and we were about to go out. I remember thinking perhaps I should get her in, but she seemed quite happy. She went missing that day, and was found dead a week later. I always think why didn't I make her come in?

I wish we could teach them the Green Cross Code. Sad

TulipsFromHamsterJam · 26/02/2012 14:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SittingBull · 26/02/2012 14:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SecretNutellaFix · 26/02/2012 14:43

I'm so sorry. I have lost 2 cats to the road and it is heart breaking, but don't blame yourself.

scoobydont · 26/02/2012 17:36

so sorry its a dreadful thing i know
it happened to us in sept - our cat made its way home ( even though it was blinded in the accident) and was found by my son in the garden. broken jaw. head injuries.
like you we were told that it was kindest to let it go - even though we had cat insurance and wanted to save it- we were distraught. after a few months we got a rescue kitten and that has put a smile back on my daughters face.

piratecat · 26/02/2012 17:41

i am so sorry, it has happened to me 3 times.

it's very hard. xxx

ExitPursuedByaBear · 26/02/2012 17:47

Oh no, having a weep here on your behalf (having just watched Songs of Praise about a couple who brought a dog back from Afghanistan which had befriended their son who was then blown up - yep - sob fest here).

The same thing happened to one of my tom cats - my neighbour told me the Land Rover driver drove at him as he ran across the road - I like to think they were swerving to avoid him, but who knows.

Kittens are of course the only way forward. In my experience, she cats tend to roam less than toms.

Hope your DD is OK. Big hugs to all.

storytopper · 26/02/2012 17:49

So sorry for your loss. This also happened to us a long time ago. Our beautiful British Blue cat was hit by driver who just drove on. My DH felt so guilty because he had found her sitting in DS1's cot and encouraged her to go out.

Some people seem to think cats don't matter but to us cat owners they are part of the family. Hugs to you and your DD

Toughasoldboots · 26/02/2012 18:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Frizzbonce · 26/02/2012 18:26

Thank you for your kind replies. @Dustinthewind - I'm not into beating myself up but she really didn't go out the front much. So she wasn't used to traffic (although I dunno - can a cat 'get used' to traffic?) Can't help feeling a bit bad about not shovelling her quickly back inside. @piratecat - Three times? I'm sorry - that's awful. @Sittingbull - my dd is seven and she was always pleased when the cat would sneak into her bed at night - she would wake up to big purrs (and fish breath but hey . . !) so the cat like all beloved pets becomes part of the rhythm of the family.

I keep thinking she'll poke her face through the catflap or I'll see her snoring on a pile of clean laundry.

Anyway - your kind words are a real comfort. Thank you.

OP posts:
Frizzbonce · 26/02/2012 18:28

@Scoobydon't - oh God poor you. The vet did tell me that badly injured cats have a homing instinct and unless they literally can't move - will manage to struggle home. A rescue kitten is a good idea though. xx

OP posts:
KateShmate · 26/02/2012 19:13

So sorry for your loss :(

It was only a few weeks ago when me and DD's watched a driver run over a cat. We had just crossed the road when DD shouted 'theres a cat in the road!' we looked back and she was there a good 5 seconds when a car just went straight into it. No cars behind so he could have at least slowed without causing accident, and was on a straight road so he obviously saw it.
Was right next to us and poor DD's were so upset!
It jumped straight back up and ran into a housing estate - I know that a cats reaction is to just run off and hide somewhere; so I really hope he made it home :(

waxlyrical · 26/02/2012 20:54

So sorry for your sad loss. The same happened to us a few months ago but in our case the driver kindly stopped and the vets kept our cat alive for a few agonising will she make it days. Ended sadly though as she had massive brain damage and if its any help I wish we had made the difficult but with hindsight kindest decision earlier.

Onesunnymorningin2012 · 26/02/2012 22:12

So sorry Frizz x

ExitPursuedByaBear · 26/02/2012 22:40

What on earth goes on in someone's head that makes them not stop to avoid hitting an animal? It really does beggar belief.

piratecat · 27/02/2012 09:23

my vet said, to put a reflective collar on our new boy, he's black and she said sometimes in low light it's impossible (in some cases) to see a cat dash out, and it had happened that a collar stopped her from hitting a cat recently.

I have never put collars on my cats, but black cat has one of those soft felt ones now which is bright yellow.

My second cat got killed in front of me she was chased out to the road by a dog.

My third cat was chased too, she NEVER went out the front.

It's heartbreaking, and i question my decision to have got another cat last summer, as every time he goes out i say a prayer. but him being in our lives berings so much happiness.xx

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