Please chip your cat. Sad story.

[recklessruby]

On the way to work today my friend and I found a big ginger Tom dead by the side of the road. He had been hit by a car and there were obvious head injuries.
We wrapped him up and took him to the vet. He was neutered and well fed but not chipped so all we could do is put a description on lost sites and local groups.
It's haunting me that his owner will not know what happened.
Please chip your cats so you know if the worst happens.
I m also angry and sad that someone just hit him and left him there as it's a little housing estate and the speed limit is 20mph.
The vet said she thinks there is something about the law being changed soon so you have to report it if you hit a cat just like with a dog.
I m just this morning. And feel helpless too. I couldn't do anything.

OP, I know exactly how you feel as I had something similar a few weeks ago.

My neighbour found a cat in a very bad way and asked for my help. On checking the cat, she had clearly been attacked or hit by a car probably more than a week ago. She was also clearly near to death, but I put her gently in a box and took her to the nearest vet. They confirmed there was no chip and put her to sleep.

The owner didn't need to know the final details of her death, but she had a flea collar so at some point must have been someone's much loved pet, so there must be someone how there that needs an answer - maybe an elderly person who doesn't use the internet. Vet nor myself has managed to find an owner. The only thing I can hold onto is that her final minutes were with a true cat lover and I know the vet who pts is lovely.

I think you found this cat 2 roads down from where I live as seen similar post on a local site this morning. If it is the same road (near a college) despite the 20mph signs people never drive down it slowly and a lot of them are students who drive like maniacs. Someone killed my cat last year and left her as well.

And if you do chip your cat don't forget to keep the contact details up to date. Just replacing your mobile phone can render the existing details useless.

I found a stray, it was chipped but the details belonged to it's previous address and the mobile numbers were no longer in use. Fortunately the email address still worked.

Very sad.

I'm glad I had my cats chipped. Didn't do it for a while as adult son put doubts in our minds: 'first it is pets, then it will be adults'. That sort of thing. That was many years ago. After our youngest cat (who is now about twelve, we took him in as a stray), still very active and though we had him neutered, still thinks he's a tom cat sometimes, bless, was in an accident and ended up at local vets after someone was good enough to do a bit of research, we had them all microchipped. Hee hee, by that time son, who was a few years older, said nothing!

Since then our youngest cat has had another car accident and we were informed almost immediately. Also met and thanked the person who took him to vet and we changed vets to be with the one who treated him, who was great.

Well he still goes out on the prowl, less so of course but it happens. He's gorgeous. The other two, mother and daughter, don't go out much now now.

Yes I agree pets should be microchipped. I would have been distraught had any of mine disappeared and I never found out what happened. It's caring to do so.

Has to be said that if cats are involved in a collision with car they often somehow manage to move to another place before collapsing. That may be the case with the one you found. I remember years ago seeing a cat completely run over by a car in our road - there was a dent in its back but it ran away and goodness knows where it ended up. It was horrific!

PS when I made an appointment to have my three microchipped, I said, I wanted them, "Microfilmed". Yes I am daft sometimes.

Poor boy. I agree microchipping is as important as neutering even for indoor cats. Yes remembering to keep details updated is as important.
Also chips can move so cats should be scanned all over.
Our lad was handed in to a vets as a stray, neutered but not chipped. As a less than 1 year old cat couldn't understand why you would do one but not the other.

A few years ago our boy cat was hit by a car and killed. It’s horrid but I can confirm that even under those circumstances a microchip can be read and you can be contacted. I got to say goodbye.

@wolfiefan vet said she couldn't get a reading in the usual place but sometimes the chip will dislodge if there's been a big impact. She is going to try again later in case it shows up.
His poor face was very battered

Sounds like he died very quickly so that's one consolation, if there can be one.

I also just found one, no apparent injuries, had laid down under a car and died. Not even a year old. It haunted me that it's owner would never know as had not been chipped. Actually twas my ddogs as found it, it had curled up against the inside of a tyre and simply died.
I asked around and a neighbour took dcat to vets who confirmed it had been hit, but nothing obvs, and was still warm . We did find the owner so they came and took it home. Yesterday I saw his litter mate DBro visiting the places his dear departed bro used to visit, but he's not chipped or neutered either.
They are lucky that dcats did not already wander off, being unneutered at that age

I think it s easy to not realise you've hit a dcat too.
I watched one of mine go under a moving car, got glancing blow to face and leg. Broken many teeth and leg, but he's still here, senior now and I think used his 9 lives, just stays local and lives quieter life