Inadvertent Cat Whacking & Related Issues Thread

[FAX]

So, there I was returning from a late-night, impromptu trip to the market when, suddenly, I see somebody's house cat crouching by the side of the street. As I approach the cat's location (driving the neighborhood speed limit, by the way), the damn thing runs right in front of my car like it was insane or something. I brake as the cat crosses in front of me, to the point that I'm forced to come to a complete stop in order to avoid driving over and crushing the little, insane cat with my tires.

Now, the cat made it across the street okay, but as I continued my drive home, I start thinking; "What if I had run over that damnable cat?" "Would I have stopped to see if it was dead?" "What if it was dead?" "Would I try to find its owner?"

I mean, am I going to walk door to door holding a dead, bloody, squished cat by the tail asking people if this used to be their cat? Even though I'm allergic to cats, I'd feel pretty bad about killing somebody's pet cat. Still, I'm not sure I'm up to walking around the neighborhood at midnight with a dead cat. On the other hand, I'm not certain I could just leave the cat there in the street all dead and everything so that some little girl on her way to church could find her squashed cat tomorrow morning.

Maybe the best thing would be to write a note and attach it to the dead cat somehow? Or, perhaps, take the dead cat and throw it into the woods so the poor, little girl on her way to church just thinks that her cat ran away. Except then, I'd have to see all the "Have You Seen My Cat?" posters hanging up everywhere knowing in my heart that nobody is ever going to see that friggin' cat again. Ever.

Anyhow, I was wondering what you guys would do if you ran over somebody's cat in the middle of the night ... would you stop? Would you pretend it never happened and keep on going? Would you skin the cat and make some nice, comfortable Mukluks? It's a curiosity thing ...

FAX

Disclaimers: Sorry if repost.

[keg in kc]

Hell no I wouldn't stop.

I might feel bad about it. But I wouldn't stop.

[CHENZ A!]

Gotta stop, dog or cat, I would.
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[FAX]

Gotta stop, dog or cat, I would.
Posted via Mobile Device

Okay ... but what then? I mean, you're there, the cat's dead, it's almost midnight, what are you going to do?

FAX

[luv]

I had a cat dart out in front of me once. I hit it and my heart stopped. I looked in the rearview mirror to see it continue across the street, only it was dragging it's hind legs. I cried. I almost would have rather killed it than to know that it suffered.

[milkman]

I ran over a cat in Northridge in my fully loaded truck about 15 years ago.

They, no doubt, had to scrape that poor cat off the pavement with a spatula.

But, no, I didn't stop.

But then I wasn't in the middle of a residential area, either.

[FAX]

When that happens, I think you're supposed to jam the car in reverse and hit it again, Ms. luv.

FAX

[RealSNR]

I'm a cat person, but people who let their cats outside are taking that risk of having something terrible happen. At the very least, they need to make sure their cats are smart enough to prowl familiar areas instead of exploring areas they shouldn't (like streets).

If I ran the cat over, I would have felt really bad about it, but I would have left it there. Let people realize their own irresponsibility when they see the damage instead of blaming others who connect themselves to the accident.

[Stanley Nickels]

I ran over a turtle this summer. I heard its shell crunch.

Stanley Nickels

[Jerm]

Haven't hit a cat lately...last animal I hit was a Golden Retriever...doing about 65.

Yeah...

[milkman]

Then there's the time one of my co-workers ran into a cow between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

Poor bastard had to stick around for the whole day while they cleaned it up and find out where it came from.

[Brock]

I'll stop for a dog, for a cat no way.

[FAX]

This was totally residential ... my neighborhood ... it was definitely somebody's cat.

Thing is, they should probably have it inside or something ... not running loose in the street. Plus, we have "lost dog" and "lost cat" posters up on the street signs all over the place all the time. I'm pretty sure that, had I simply disposed of the dead cat, there would be posters up that I would then have to tear down. That would be very time consuming.

FAX

[luv]

We hit a deer on the way to the Pittsburgh game last year. Kinda had to stop.

[Stanley Nickels]

When I was a kid, we lived in South KC. We were driving south on State Line and hit a deer in our Pathfinder. So, when we got home, my mom called the police to report it (still not sure why, but I digress.) The Leawood police came to our house and asked about the situation. She said she hit it and knocked it into the northbound lanes. They replied that, since we knocked the deer into Missouri, it was out of their jurisdiction ROFL

The Missouri police came (again, I have no idea why she didn't just let it go) and stated that, since the deer was hit in Kansas, it wasn't their jurisdiction.

This sounds like some sort of a riddle, but I assure you it's 100% true.

[RealSNR]

Close to the same thing happened to me. Deer hit my car. Not the other way around. I hate deer as well.

NSFW (language)

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[FAX]

I reckon you could make, maybe ... 40 pairs of Mukluks out of a deer.

FAX

[alnorth]

I probably would have checked to see if it had a collar with a tag that had a phone number on it. Assuming it had no tag or I wasn't able to contact the owner, if it was dead then yeah, I'd leave.

If it was alive I'd probably drive it to the e-vet, let them know I'm not the owner and cant pay for anything (unless it was really cheap, maybe) and let them see if it is microchipped or can otherwise find the owner. If nothing else and if the damage was bad, at least they would be able to put it down humanely rather than have it crawl under a bush and suffer for hours before dying.

[alnorth]

This sounds like some sort of a riddle, but I assure you it's 100% true.

Well yeah. Those doughnuts aren't going to eat themselves.

[FAX]

I'm certain this was somebody's cat, Mr. alnorth. We don't have a lot of feral animals around here ... of course, in the forest, there are deer and turkeys and opossums and raccoons and the occasional bear, but I don't think I've ever seen a stray dog or cat.

Based loosely on an assessment of the size of the cat and the size of the car I was driving, I don't think the cat would have survived a direct tire squashing. But, I hadn't even considered the concept of a half-dead cat on my hands. Damn. that would be even worse.

FAX

[Bwana]

You have to watch out for those cats Mr. FAX. Some of them are armed and you don't want one to put a cap in your ass!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y37/artyinthehouse/Funny%20Stuff/catgun.gif

[alnorth]

But, I hadn't even considered the concept of a half-dead cat on my hands. Damn. that would be even worse.
FAX

especially given that an animal in pain will likely scratch and bite when you try to move them. If I am fated to someday hit a cat and severely injure it, hopefully it will be in the winter time when I might have a coat and gloves available as protective anti-cat armor.

[-King-]

I had a cat dart out in front of me once. I hit it and my heart stopped. I looked in the rearview mirror to see it continue across the street, only it was dragging it's hind legs. I cried. I almost would have rather killed it than to know that it suffered. Damn. That's terrible. I don't know what I would have done. On one hand, do you put it out of its misery... and on the other hand, do you leave it since it's still alive and kicking?
When that happens, I think you're supposed to jam the car in reverse and hit it again, Ms. luv.

FAX
ROFLROFLROFLROFL

When I was a kid, we lived in South KC. We were driving south on State Line and hit a deer in our Pathfinder. So, when we got home, my mom called the police to report it (still not sure why, but I digress.) The Leawood police came to our house and asked about the situation. She said she hit it and knocked it into the northbound lanes. They replied that, since we knocked the deer into Missouri, it was out of their jurisdiction ROFL

The Missouri police came (again, I have no idea why she didn't just let it go) and stated that, since the deer was hit in Kansas, it wasn't their jurisdiction.

This sounds like some sort of a riddle, but I assure you it's 100% true.
ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL


But to answer the question...to be honest, I'd leave it. I can't picture myself walking around with a dead cat trying to find the owner. And then I can't picture having to break the news to them.

[ClevelandBronco]

The classics never go out of style:

http://billthe3.net/dvc/mm171/10pics/free-cat.jpg

[CHENZ A!]

First see if the animal is dead or not. If its alive but in bad shape take it to nearest animal hospital. If its dead knock on a few doors in immediate vicinity, if nobody knows or answers move the carcass to side of the road and just go home.
Seems like most logical course of action, but I have been drinking for most of the day so
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[CHENZ A!]

Oh, and don't carry that dead cat around, that's gross and what would it accomplish? Its already dead you
know
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[-King-]

Oh, and don't carry that dead cat around, that's gross and what would it accomplish? Its already dead you
know
Posted via Mobile Device

So you leave it on the ground and allow people to keep running it over and making it deader? You monster!

[teedubya]

NO. You never whack it when your cat is in the room. They take pictures and put them on the interwebs.

[Luke]

I did not see where that cat sat
I did not see it, till it was flat
Now it is flat as a car mat
I could not keep it under my hat
I am sorry for your car mat flat hat cat

[ClevelandBronco]

I did not see where that cat sat
I did not see it, till it was flat
Now it is flat as a car mat
I could not keep it under my hat
I am sorry for your car mat flat hat cat

Nine years, 188 posts, and that was one of them.

[cdcox]

Another problem that could have easily been solved by putting out a bowl of antifreeze.

[-King-]

I did not see where that cat sat
I did not see it, till it was flat
Now it is flat as a car mat
I could not keep it under my hat
I am sorry for your car mat flat hat cat

ROFLROFLROFL

Nine years, 188 posts, and that was one of them.

:clap::)

[CHENZ A!]

So you leave it on the ground and allow people to keep running it over and making it deader? You monster!

I already said move the damn thing to the side of the road man I don't want animal hair, blood, feces, urine, bile, ear wax, whatever on my gear either nawmean?
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[luv]

Damn. That's terrible. I don't know what I would have done. On one hand, do you put it out of its misery... and on the other hand, do you leave it since it's still alive and [strike]kicking?[/stirke]

I wouldn't have been able to find it by the time I stopped and went back.

[kcfanintitanhell]

If it's still alive, take the appropriate steps: But! If it's dead, move it farther from the just the side of the road-move it into the ditch or farther, so the critters that will make a meal out of it eventually won't suffer the same fate the cat did. I've gotten beaten up about that from my girlfriend, who moves wounded june bugs off the road.....

[BIG_DADDY]

I wouldn't have been able to find it by the time I stopped and went back.

How would you kill it if you found it luv?

[luv]

How would you kill it if you found it luv?

You know, I've never even thought about it. I don't think I could have. Maybe take it to a vet? I really don't know.

[BIG_DADDY]

You know, I've never even thought about it. I don't think I could have. Maybe take it to a vet? I really don't know.

So rocks and bricks never entered your mind?

[keg in kc]

She was going to glare at it banefully.

[BIG_DADDY]

She was going to glare at it banefully.

ROFL