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Running a cat over
Hugh Jboobs
Posts: 15,316 Forum Member
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The wife and I were out in the car the other day, she was driving. We were on a dual carriageway in heavy slow moving traffic, when I looked out my window to see a dead cat sprawled out at the side of the road. Obviously the poor thing had been hit by a car.
It led us into a discussion about what to do when you kill an animal while driving. As I understand it, the law says that if you kill a dog you have to report it, but you don't have to if you hit a cat. The wife and I essentially agreed that if we hit a cat, we'd maybe report it to the police (though not sure how much interest they'd take) or, if there was an ID tag around the cat's neck, contact the owner ourselves. Seems like the decent thing to do, as even though I personally dislike cats, I realise a cat is someone's beloved pet.
But then I thought about some of the threads I've read on here in the past about cats and (perceived) cruelty against them. Case in point, the current thread on page one of GD discussing the guy who tried to hang his neighbours cat. These threads are always full of wannabe hard men and women who go on and on about how they would physically harm anyone who dared lay a finger on their pet.
Now, I realise that in the case of the thread I mentioned above and similar cases, that was a blatant case of cruelty and isn't comparable to accidentally running a cat over in your car. I also realise that most such comments are 99.9% complete BS and these keyboard warriors wouldn't dare actually do anything in real life.
However, it goes to show how passionately people feel about their pets. Now, if you'd accidentally run a cat over in your car and turned up at the owners house to break the news to them with good intentions, who is to say that person wouldn't react violently towards you upon hearing that news? Most people wouldn't, I am sure. But there must be a significant number of people out there who would immediately blame you and want to harm you, either through grief or simply because they're an arsehole.
So, thinking about it, If I did ever run a cat over, I'm not certain I would go directly to a cat owners house to break the news myself. Maybe the best course of action is calling the police? Or phoning them if you have a number?
Have you ever run over a cat? If so, what did you do?
Are you a cat owner who has been in the situation of someone coming to break the news that they ran over your pet? How did you react?
Is there a universally agreed form of "etiquette" if you kill a cat?
It led us into a discussion about what to do when you kill an animal while driving. As I understand it, the law says that if you kill a dog you have to report it, but you don't have to if you hit a cat. The wife and I essentially agreed that if we hit a cat, we'd maybe report it to the police (though not sure how much interest they'd take) or, if there was an ID tag around the cat's neck, contact the owner ourselves. Seems like the decent thing to do, as even though I personally dislike cats, I realise a cat is someone's beloved pet.
But then I thought about some of the threads I've read on here in the past about cats and (perceived) cruelty against them. Case in point, the current thread on page one of GD discussing the guy who tried to hang his neighbours cat. These threads are always full of wannabe hard men and women who go on and on about how they would physically harm anyone who dared lay a finger on their pet.
Now, I realise that in the case of the thread I mentioned above and similar cases, that was a blatant case of cruelty and isn't comparable to accidentally running a cat over in your car. I also realise that most such comments are 99.9% complete BS and these keyboard warriors wouldn't dare actually do anything in real life.
However, it goes to show how passionately people feel about their pets. Now, if you'd accidentally run a cat over in your car and turned up at the owners house to break the news to them with good intentions, who is to say that person wouldn't react violently towards you upon hearing that news? Most people wouldn't, I am sure. But there must be a significant number of people out there who would immediately blame you and want to harm you, either through grief or simply because they're an arsehole.
So, thinking about it, If I did ever run a cat over, I'm not certain I would go directly to a cat owners house to break the news myself. Maybe the best course of action is calling the police? Or phoning them if you have a number?
Have you ever run over a cat? If so, what did you do?
Are you a cat owner who has been in the situation of someone coming to break the news that they ran over your pet? How did you react?
Is there a universally agreed form of "etiquette" if you kill a cat?
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Comments
accidents happen.
If you tortured or purposely hurt my cat then expect to feel my wrath.
I'm glad my cat chooses to stay within my back garden and surrounding back gardens - and doesn't join her feline cousins in playing dare in the road.
As far as running one over - I'd stop to see if the cat was dead. If it was injured I'd take it to a vet.
Two of our cats have been run over, one was found by the bin men who called up and brought it round, they could easily have just chucked it in the bin lorry and not bothered doing the decent thing. The other one was run over outside our house, the car failed to stop, the car behind saw it all and stopped and helped our cat they were going to take it to a vet when one of our neighbours came home and recognised it as ours. My parents got their phone number and address and gave them a bottle of wine and some chocolates as a thank you for making our cats last moments as comfortable as possible. Each time it has meant that we were able to bury them and say goodbye.
I would rather have a body than not know where my cat is, accidents happen but not stopping for an injured animal is awful.
But would I try and trace/contact the owners? Not then and there. I'd struggle to show any sympathy and don't want to face the tears/accusations. If the cat had an ID tag I'd take the details down and contact them later. Otherwise I'd probably let the police know since the owners would probably contact them as well.
I visualised you making a war face and shaking your upraised fist at the screen as you typed that.
Anyway the daft bugger flew in front my car while I was driving at 80mph. I never saw it. Just heard a thump then saw a trail of feathers in my rearview mirror. Luckily it didn't even mark the car. In this case I didn't feel it safe or necessary to stop and check the condition of the creature.
I had a wood pigeon go under my car once.
It left a huge cloud of feathers in my wake.
....and Hugh fearnley Whittingstall
You have a wife????....
Does she...errr...how do i put this nicely.....err.....carry your name????:D
free food for a wandering cat...on a motorway
I've been driving for over 20 years and hundreds of thousands of miles but I've only ever hit three animals - a pheasant, a rabbit and a squirrel. The squirrel seemed to deliberately hurl itself under the wheels, despite my attempts to swerve around him.
Interestingly, all these casualties occurred in Northamptonshire.
Sadly I was driving a Reliant Robin.
I would be gutted if someone came and told me they'd ran him over, but would really appreciate the gesture - there would be nothing worse than just not knowing what had happened.
I have had a pheasant hit my windscreen whilst travelling at 60 mph, which surprisingly didn't harm the windscreen at all, although I doubt the same could be said for the pheasant. Still, I imagine it will have made an enjoyable dinner for someone / thing.
I've also had a flock of seagulls kamikaze into my windscreen, which was pretty scary, as one after another bounced off, each making an ear piercing thud as it did so. I don't particularly like seagulls, so the aftermath in my rear view mirror was rather amusing.
I came about 3 metres away from hitting a deer in my then brand new car. I was travelling at approx 50 - 60 mph again and that would have made quite a mess. It was so close, I did not in fact even have time to hit the brakes. Not good for the blood pressure.
Ran over numerous rabbits and hedgehogs, despite trying to avoid them, I think some of them just have a death wish. The funniest was a nice straight road where a rabbit ran out in front of my car, got caught up in the draught underneath, which flicked it up behind my car, sending it bouncing behind my car like a football, when it finally stopped, it just ran off, probably quite battered and bruised, but alive to fight another day!
I almost ran over a puppy once, it just darted out, I slammed on, it froze in front of the car looking terrified, luckily for it, I have good reactions.
Finally, I once had to pull the remains of a bird out of my grille once, it must have flown in front of the car in the same direction, and when I got home, this birds head was stuck pointing out of my grille... and yes it was well and truly dead before anyone asks.
You've lost me
Need a diagram.. Honestly, I don't have the foggiest as to what you are on about..