What can we do to stop cats being killed by cars?

[hugoagogo]

I am probably over-sensitive because I have just lost my cat.

But, in the last couple of days I have seen 3 cats at the side of the road-obviously killed by being hit by cars/vans or whatever.

Do we need a campaign for reflective collars, or keeping cats in at night or something?

I see them and I know what their owners must be going through, not to mention what the cat will no doubt have suffered.

I don't know, hugo.

Some cats won't wear collars and many accidents occur before full night sets in or during the daytime in bad weather.

I don't think drivers would notice a reflective collar either. They just drive so very fast and cats move so quickly that the thing is over before almost begun. My mother had a number of cats killed on a quiet country road because people would think it to be quiet and come down it like bats out of hell.

I'm not sure there's anything to be done apart from advising people to try to keep cats in at night. That would help with some RTAs.

I've always put reflective collars on my cats, but if I were driving a long, and a cat ran out, I don't think a reflective collar would make the slightest bit of difference.

Apart from teaching cats to cross the road safely, I'm not sure there is anything that can be done.

Sorry to hear about your cat.

I don't know - I"m been thinking about this almost constantly since losing my lovely boy to a car three weeks ago.

I hadn't realised that letting them out at night was such a bad idea - I do now. Although we think our cat was killed at 5am and it was virtually light. People speeding is the biggest problem, we didn't realise our cat wandered as far as he did and people drive like maniacs on the road he was hit on.

I wonder if having some rule that you have to inform someone if you hit a cat would help? I doubt it would, just looking for answers...

And sorry about the loss of your cat

The vast majority of cat RTAs happen at night (also cat fights). Having seen so many as a vet I keep my cats in at night. I advise my clients of this to.

I've always kept our cat in overnight, apart from the night he went missing until 4am, but it can happen anytime really. There's some proper boy racers around here.

We car trained our cat by driving at him on the drive when he was starting to go outside bibbing the horn and over-revving the engine. He seems to know cars are a bad thing now but I'm sure he's had his close shaves too.

Dh trained his previous cat by bumping its head on the car bumper when it was small. You can imagine my response when he said he was going to do it to fluffy cat.

I think keeping them in at night is good if at all possible.

I think it's better. The boy racers where I've lived recently seem to particularly come out with darkness - even though people's driving can be atrocious at any time of day.

Our KittenCat was run over in Feb late at night. We had kept him in at night religiously since getting him in July but were away for the week and the cat sitter was working shifts so he was out that night .

Both remaining cats are now kept in overnight, even the aged Bert who does nothing but sleep on dd1's bed or under a bush by the drive!

I'm also edgy now about the foxes which come out at night in urban areas. People were very reassuring about the incident I thought I saw the other week but I have to wonder what a cat would do if confronted by a litter of hungry young foxes who were fending for themselves in a city. (ie this wasn't one single fox but a band of about 3 or 4 - and these nights, I see them around but I no longer see cats. I'm hoping that the cats are sensibly keeping out of the way.)

It's been six weeks since our cat was killed. Broad daylight, just before 5 in the afternoon, and in a quiet cul de sac. I don't think there is anything we could have done to keep her safe, other than keep her inside. But what kind of life is that? At least she was free and got to enjoy her 7 years.

Yes. Many people drive badly but the best driver in the world might not be able to avoid a cat who makes a misjudgment in nipping across the road - particularly from between parked cars. Some accidents can't be prevented if the cat goes outside.

we keep our cats inside because they're thick as we live very close to the main road through our village. they have always been housecats but we have a run for them in the back garden so they get fresh air when its nice. I couldn't bear to loose one of them to a car and the worry I would feel if they didn't come home one day/night means it was an automatic decision for us.

I had to have my kitten put down tonight - she was almost a year old and a feral rescue, a barn/working cat. Not sure what happened, the vet thinks RTA - it sucks, I feel so bad :-(

Sorry to hear about your cat. I'm currently sitting in tears because we've just been up to the vet to see our cat's body - he got hit by a car about 2 hours ago in broad daylight. As Beamae says thought, it's no life for a cat to be cooped up inside, so better a short but interesting life, well loved by its family.

so sorry to hear about your cats.

I was really surprised watching that secret life of cats thing yesterday, that so many people let their cats out at night.

I've lost two cats to the road and I always keep mine in overnight now. They were killed in the early mornings when on their way back home after a night hunting. There is a dual carriageway quite a way from our house, but the cats were wandering far and wide

My new rescue boy just stays local and he's kept in from about 9pm until 8am.

A cat ran out in front of me as I was driving, no warning, from underneath a parked car, there just isn't anything you can do. It was broad daylight. Luckily, I was driving at about 25mph so slammed on brakes and missed the cat by a whisker (no pun intended!) Was really shook up.

Zombie thread I know but always relevant unfortunately.

Our cat was killed about 7.30 am exactly like hiddenhome's on the way back home from a hunting trip from the field across the road from us (big garden and fields/woods behind us on our side of the road too. Don't know why he went over there

It was absolutely devastating, dc were distraught as he was a really friendly, cuddly chap who would sneak up to sleep with them most nights.

We're keeping our other cat in now at night and until after the morning traffic so I let them her out before I take dc to school. We also have two kittens now (too small to go out yet) and I'm going to do the same with them. I think they get so much pleasure from being outside I wouldn't want to stop them altogether but I'm planning to limit their time out now.

I can't think of another way really, doors and windows are constantly open during the summer with dc in and out of the garden so it would virtually impossible to keep them as indoor cats and as I said I wouldn't want to anyway.