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Your driving along when a cat runs out in front of. You can't avoid it. You feel a bump as a wheel goes over it. You stop get out and go back. The cat is horribly injured and obviously won't survive but is currently alive and in distress.
What do you do?
What do you do?
In reply to Antigua:
Put another one of the cat stickers on the dashboard mounted score card I have.
Seriously though , seen as this isn't in the pub, if it was a small wild animal I'd just kill it but I'm not a vet so if it was a cat it would have to be like cut in two for me to feel confident enough to say it wouldn't survive. People get funny when you kill their pets, they might prefer to take it to the vets and spend £5k having it brought back to life. I remember when my friends cat got a thorn stuck in it's paw, they were not happy with my solution. Too much time growing up around farmers.
Put another one of the cat stickers on the dashboard mounted score card I have.
Seriously though , seen as this isn't in the pub, if it was a small wild animal I'd just kill it but I'm not a vet so if it was a cat it would have to be like cut in two for me to feel confident enough to say it wouldn't survive. People get funny when you kill their pets, they might prefer to take it to the vets and spend £5k having it brought back to life. I remember when my friends cat got a thorn stuck in it's paw, they were not happy with my solution. Too much time growing up around farmers.
Post edited at 07:30
In reply to Antigua:
I guess i'd want to kill it will the shovel or ice axe inevitably in the boot at this time of year. Whether or not I could actually do it is another question. But the suggestion of hopelessly taking it to the vet so that you can appear to have tried sounds good also.
I guess i'd want to kill it will the shovel or ice axe inevitably in the boot at this time of year. Whether or not I could actually do it is another question. But the suggestion of hopelessly taking it to the vet so that you can appear to have tried sounds good also.
In reply to Antigua:
Put in the owners wheelie bin for it to die slowly and painfully seems to be the norm, thats what the driver did with our cat. Personally, I'd reverse over it to put the poor thing out of its misery.
Put in the owners wheelie bin for it to die slowly and painfully seems to be the norm, thats what the driver did with our cat. Personally, I'd reverse over it to put the poor thing out of its misery.
In reply to David Barratt:
I had to do that after running over a badger, and finding that reversing over it failed to kill it. It was horrible because it kept screaming and trying to bite me. I think it's back was broken. Eventually I had to decapitate it to be certain. Not a nice experience.
Don't know what I would do with a cat or a dog, but probably try to take it to a vet. The problem is that an injured animal won't let you touch it. Decapitating someone's pet might not go down too well if the owner comes out and sees you doing it....
> I guess i'd want to kill it will the shovel or ice axe inevitably in the boot at this time of year.
I had to do that after running over a badger, and finding that reversing over it failed to kill it. It was horrible because it kept screaming and trying to bite me. I think it's back was broken. Eventually I had to decapitate it to be certain. Not a nice experience.
Don't know what I would do with a cat or a dog, but probably try to take it to a vet. The problem is that an injured animal won't let you touch it. Decapitating someone's pet might not go down too well if the owner comes out and sees you doing it....
In reply to wilkie14c:
That's awful!
> Put in the owners wheelie bin for it to die slowly and painfully seems to be the norm, thats what the driver did with our cat.
That's awful!
In reply to Antigua:
You report it to the police immediately. V minor for them, but that is one place the owners of the cat are likely to ring when it goes missing.
You report it to the police immediately. V minor for them, but that is one place the owners of the cat are likely to ring when it goes missing.
In reply to Antigua:
Take it to the vets.
But as said that may be impossible, a severly injured animal will often fight. We once rescued a seal that was badly injured, it was trying to bite us constantly.
I hit a deer in Texas, ripped up my car badly, and it can off.. this was out in the bush late at night so I didn't look for it too much. I must have broken its legs at least but it jumped a fence getting away.
Take it to the vets.
But as said that may be impossible, a severly injured animal will often fight. We once rescued a seal that was badly injured, it was trying to bite us constantly.
I hit a deer in Texas, ripped up my car badly, and it can off.. this was out in the bush late at night so I didn't look for it too much. I must have broken its legs at least but it jumped a fence getting away.
In reply to shirleynot:
I know but to be fair, they may have knocked and we wasn't in, or someone other than the driver put her in the bin, at least the body wasn't just lying there where kids would see it. Cats fault unfortunatly, roads are for cars, not pets
I know but to be fair, they may have knocked and we wasn't in, or someone other than the driver put her in the bin, at least the body wasn't just lying there where kids would see it. Cats fault unfortunatly, roads are for cars, not pets
In reply to Antigua:
If you're a good judge of how badly injured it is then the answer seems obvious: Kill it.
jk
> The cat is horribly injured and obviously won't survive but is currently alive and in distress.
> What do you do?
> What do you do?
If you're a good judge of how badly injured it is then the answer seems obvious: Kill it.
jk
In reply to Antigua:
Carefully put the cat in the boot, being careful not to distress it, then drive to the nearest shops and buy garlic, lemon and a potato peeler. Gas mark 5 under foil for 30 mins and leave to rest for 5. Though if it's really flat, you might want to consider frying in breadcrumbs.
> What do you do?
Carefully put the cat in the boot, being careful not to distress it, then drive to the nearest shops and buy garlic, lemon and a potato peeler. Gas mark 5 under foil for 30 mins and leave to rest for 5. Though if it's really flat, you might want to consider frying in breadcrumbs.
In reply to jkarran:
+1
(Just confirm you're actually killing the cat you ran over, not some random moggy having a snooze in the hedge)
> If you're a good judge of how badly injured it is then the answer seems obvious: Kill it.
> jk
+1
(Just confirm you're actually killing the cat you ran over, not some random moggy having a snooze in the hedge)
In reply to Trangia:
Cycling home one night some years ago, I saw a cat that had obviously had its back broken. It was obviously terrified, and I couldn't get near it (and I'm generally very good with cats).
I rang the RSPCA (as suggested above), and got the telephonic equivalent of a shrug.
I'm still ashamed that I didn't go back and try to do something for the poor thing, but I simply couldn't see how I would be able to collect it, and my attempts would force it painfully to try to escape, rather than crawl quietly to die somewhere, as cats often do.
A year or so ago, I came home to see a large ginger tom, apparently sleeping at the side of my house. Since it was one I'd never managed to get near, I expected it to run off. But of course, it didn't; stiff and cold with a small trickle of blood from its mouth. No collar, so I had to put it in the dustbin to keep it from attracting other predators, and dreaded having to leave it out for the binmen the next night. Fortunately, I got home the next evening to find a 'have you see Rufus?' leaflet, so I was able to extract him from the bin, and take him home. Since I'm very empathetic (some might say pathetic..), I was barely able to speak when I handed him to the woman who answered the door, and rushed off in tears. She left a card the next day thanking me for giving them the chance to say goodbye to him.
> The problem is that an injured animal won't let you touch it.
Cycling home one night some years ago, I saw a cat that had obviously had its back broken. It was obviously terrified, and I couldn't get near it (and I'm generally very good with cats).
I rang the RSPCA (as suggested above), and got the telephonic equivalent of a shrug.
I'm still ashamed that I didn't go back and try to do something for the poor thing, but I simply couldn't see how I would be able to collect it, and my attempts would force it painfully to try to escape, rather than crawl quietly to die somewhere, as cats often do.
A year or so ago, I came home to see a large ginger tom, apparently sleeping at the side of my house. Since it was one I'd never managed to get near, I expected it to run off. But of course, it didn't; stiff and cold with a small trickle of blood from its mouth. No collar, so I had to put it in the dustbin to keep it from attracting other predators, and dreaded having to leave it out for the binmen the next night. Fortunately, I got home the next evening to find a 'have you see Rufus?' leaflet, so I was able to extract him from the bin, and take him home. Since I'm very empathetic (some might say pathetic..), I was barely able to speak when I handed him to the woman who answered the door, and rushed off in tears. She left a card the next day thanking me for giving them the chance to say goodbye to him.
In reply to Antigua:
Let's be real. This cat is someone's pet and they love it & would take the advice of a vet over any of you horrible lot, wanting to dispatch it to the kitty litter in the sky. Just because you lot hate cats doesn't mean it's owners do and I bet they would appreciate a call from the person who ran it over, saying they are taking it to such and such a vet because this accident happened. The owners would rather their pet be put to sleep by a vet rather than reversed over it or smacked on the head with a shovel. That's just plain cruel and nothing to do with being cruel to be kind. How would you feel if you came home from work and found someone had first run over your much loved pet then, with no veterinary medicine qualifications, decided to further injure the cat before it died?
Do the right thing, try & find a number to call for it's owners, knock on a couple if doors to look for it's owner & inform them, or take it to a vet.
Let's be real. This cat is someone's pet and they love it & would take the advice of a vet over any of you horrible lot, wanting to dispatch it to the kitty litter in the sky. Just because you lot hate cats doesn't mean it's owners do and I bet they would appreciate a call from the person who ran it over, saying they are taking it to such and such a vet because this accident happened. The owners would rather their pet be put to sleep by a vet rather than reversed over it or smacked on the head with a shovel. That's just plain cruel and nothing to do with being cruel to be kind. How would you feel if you came home from work and found someone had first run over your much loved pet then, with no veterinary medicine qualifications, decided to further injure the cat before it died?
Do the right thing, try & find a number to call for it's owners, knock on a couple if doors to look for it's owner & inform them, or take it to a vet.
In reply to Antigua:Id take it to the nearest vet,they either put it to sleep or treat it,im not sure about the law on this i may be wrong but isnt a vet required to treat an injured animal.If its chipped return it to its rightfull owner.
In reply to captain paranoia: Well done to you.
In reply to RockAngel:You see what a lot of these guys dont realise is there are people are people out there,if they saw them doing that to there cat or dog,would try to kill them seriously,theres some very dangerous people in the animal rights who have no quarms about smashing your brains in with a hammer,does anyone remember the guys who dug up a laboratory asistants granny and hid her body,that was mental seriously google it.
In reply to wilkie14c:
Maybe so but it still seems cruel to me I know there's no perfect solution unless the cat was already dead?
> I know but to be fair, they may have knocked and we wasn't in, or someone other than the driver put her in the bin, at least the body wasn't just lying there where kids would see it. Cats fault unfortunatly, roads are for cars, not pets
Maybe so but it still seems cruel to me I know there's no perfect solution unless the cat was already dead?
In reply to Antigua:
One evening in Stoke , 25 years ago, I was going for my Friday night swim . I came across a dead bulldog that the council had been called to collect. Leave it mate I said, I will take it and bury it. Not wanting it to be chucked in a skip . So I went for my swim, took the dog home , buried it in the yard , and put an advert in the paper saying dead dog found.
I was called the next day by a distraught family to go and identify the dog from photos. I went and couldn't give a positive Id. They asked me to dig it up and bring it as their child could identify it from a paw. I went home and dug it up. 2 hours it took me ! The ground had frozen hard! I took the dog to them, which the kid identified as his, and was accused of killing it!
One evening in Stoke , 25 years ago, I was going for my Friday night swim . I came across a dead bulldog that the council had been called to collect. Leave it mate I said, I will take it and bury it. Not wanting it to be chucked in a skip . So I went for my swim, took the dog home , buried it in the yard , and put an advert in the paper saying dead dog found.
I was called the next day by a distraught family to go and identify the dog from photos. I went and couldn't give a positive Id. They asked me to dig it up and bring it as their child could identify it from a paw. I went home and dug it up. 2 hours it took me ! The ground had frozen hard! I took the dog to them, which the kid identified as his, and was accused of killing it!
In reply to wilkie14c:
Roads are also for pedestrians, cyclists, horses etc, not just for cars. It's worth thinking about that as you drive around...
> roads are for cars, not pets
Roads are also for pedestrians, cyclists, horses etc, not just for cars. It's worth thinking about that as you drive around...
In reply to blackcat:
Me! F*cking hell! All I did was give the dog a decent burial, dig it back up to give the owners some closure, and I got lambasted! It was as stiff as a board though! Left it with them and fled. I was only 19!
The more is. If you see a dead pet on the road, leave it well alone!
Me! F*cking hell! All I did was give the dog a decent burial, dig it back up to give the owners some closure, and I got lambasted! It was as stiff as a board though! Left it with them and fled. I was only 19!
The more is. If you see a dead pet on the road, leave it well alone!
Post edited at 22:24
In reply to Skol:Oh mate im creased over how unlucky can you get first your accused of being a dog killer then you get a internet lynching on ukc for pretending to mug your daughter,mat ive got to share this one i once almost kod a lttle girls dad cos i thought he was trying to abduct her,than fcuk i didnt hit him.
In reply to Trangia:
That sounds horrible. I hit a roe deer and had to dispatch it, much less grim than your badger though. Still, I took it home and turned it into exceptional food.
> I had to do that after running over a badger, and finding that reversing over it failed to kill it. It was horrible because it kept screaming and trying to bite me. I think it's back was broken. Eventually I had to decapitate it to be certain. Not a nice experience.
That sounds horrible. I hit a roe deer and had to dispatch it, much less grim than your badger though. Still, I took it home and turned it into exceptional food.
In reply to blackcat:
Stan. It was you? Damn
Off topic for a sec, sorry.
Seriously though mate, go with your instincts if you see a struggling child being dragged into a car. You never know if they're being abducted or not. Genuine parents will thank you.
Stan. It was you? Damn
Off topic for a sec, sorry.
Seriously though mate, go with your instincts if you see a struggling child being dragged into a car. You never know if they're being abducted or not. Genuine parents will thank you.
Post edited at 22:56
In reply to blackcat:
If I saw someone run over my pet, then smash it on the head with a shovel I'd not be accountable for my actions. If I saw someone run over my pet, then try to find it's owner or a tag, microchip, I'd be grateful that my pet hadn't had it's head smashed in by an unveterinary trained cat hater with a shovel.
It's not up to you to decide whether my pet needs it's head smashed in or to be put to sleep due to terrible injuries, it's mine to decide with the help of a vet and it's my costs at the vets, not the drivers.
I've had to dispatch a wild rabbit. It wasn't fun but I'm not feeling guilt like I would if it was clearly someone's pet.
A pet cat, dog, rabbit, etc is someone's loved pet, a family member because they are so important to us, so why cold heartedly dispatch it with a shovel?
If I saw someone run over my pet, then smash it on the head with a shovel I'd not be accountable for my actions. If I saw someone run over my pet, then try to find it's owner or a tag, microchip, I'd be grateful that my pet hadn't had it's head smashed in by an unveterinary trained cat hater with a shovel.
It's not up to you to decide whether my pet needs it's head smashed in or to be put to sleep due to terrible injuries, it's mine to decide with the help of a vet and it's my costs at the vets, not the drivers.
I've had to dispatch a wild rabbit. It wasn't fun but I'm not feeling guilt like I would if it was clearly someone's pet.
A pet cat, dog, rabbit, etc is someone's loved pet, a family member because they are so important to us, so why cold heartedly dispatch it with a shovel?
In reply to JH74:
Rock angel has helpfully helped me ( as a non cat owner) know what she would want .
(and I will now be scared that if it happens to me, that she would, or another owner, would jump over a hedge and attack me if I was to dispatch it myself)
"If I saw someone run over my pet, then smash it on the head with a shovel I'd not be accountable for my actions. I"
As you seem to be a cat owner, do you agree?
Rock angel has helpfully helped me ( as a non cat owner) know what she would want .
(and I will now be scared that if it happens to me, that she would, or another owner, would jump over a hedge and attack me if I was to dispatch it myself)
"If I saw someone run over my pet, then smash it on the head with a shovel I'd not be accountable for my actions. I"
As you seem to be a cat owner, do you agree?
In reply to Antigua:
Big difference between dogs and cats is that hitting a dog with a car is reportable to the police.
A cat is a wild animal and therefore what you do is within your conscience. I would say try to contact the owner, if not obvious I'd go through the RSPCA route. If they don't answer the phone I'd call a vet, remember vets are not a charity so be prepared to take the animal to them AND pay for it to be put to sleep, say £100 to £150 at night.
Don't phone the vet at 2 AM say you think you've hit a cat which has now run off under a bush somewhere, your not sure where and then be cross when the vet says they're not coming on a wild goose/cat chase.
Before you squash the cat with a spade consider this case: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/4889574.stm
"The RSPCA has been accused of harassing a police officer after he killed an injured cat with a spade.
A prosecution estimated to have cost a total of £50,000 lasted two years before failing in the High Court."
Big difference between dogs and cats is that hitting a dog with a car is reportable to the police.
A cat is a wild animal and therefore what you do is within your conscience. I would say try to contact the owner, if not obvious I'd go through the RSPCA route. If they don't answer the phone I'd call a vet, remember vets are not a charity so be prepared to take the animal to them AND pay for it to be put to sleep, say £100 to £150 at night.
Don't phone the vet at 2 AM say you think you've hit a cat which has now run off under a bush somewhere, your not sure where and then be cross when the vet says they're not coming on a wild goose/cat chase.
Before you squash the cat with a spade consider this case: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/4889574.stm
"The RSPCA has been accused of harassing a police officer after he killed an injured cat with a spade.
A prosecution estimated to have cost a total of £50,000 lasted two years before failing in the High Court."
In reply to Daysleeper:
Not seen that before. I won't ever knowingly donate money to the RSPCA again, especially if they have 12k sitting around to waste on something like that. Don't get me wrong, I like cats, but he clearly thought he was doing the right thing, and I'd be inclined to agree. If the RSPCA thought otherwise they could have just educated him and the rest of the force, instead of frivolously wasting money.
I spent all of last year working in a very remote village in Central America. One morning we found a cat that was still alive, but had been attacked by a dog/crocodile/jaguar. Who knows, but most of it's innards were outside it's poor little body. Being at least 4 hours from a human hospital, there wasn't much chance of finding a vet. Not a proud moment, but we put it out of it's misery with a machete. Luckily I don't think the RSPCA's jurisdiction extends that far.
> Before you squash the cat with a spade consider this case: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/4889574.stm
> "The RSPCA has been accused of harassing a police officer after he killed an injured cat with a spade.
> A prosecution estimated to have cost a total of £50,000 lasted two years before failing in the High Court."
Not seen that before. I won't ever knowingly donate money to the RSPCA again, especially if they have 12k sitting around to waste on something like that. Don't get me wrong, I like cats, but he clearly thought he was doing the right thing, and I'd be inclined to agree. If the RSPCA thought otherwise they could have just educated him and the rest of the force, instead of frivolously wasting money.
I spent all of last year working in a very remote village in Central America. One morning we found a cat that was still alive, but had been attacked by a dog/crocodile/jaguar. Who knows, but most of it's innards were outside it's poor little body. Being at least 4 hours from a human hospital, there wasn't much chance of finding a vet. Not a proud moment, but we put it out of it's misery with a machete. Luckily I don't think the RSPCA's jurisdiction extends that far.
In reply to RockAngel:
Did you do this with the veterinary skill you'd expect of someone despatching a pet?
I'm afraid that I think the pet keepers' feelings would come quite low down my priorities; if I thought the animal was suffering, and unlikely to survive (even with access to reasonable veterinary care), I'd want to end the suffering as quickly as possible, and, if that meant I had to kill the animal, I'd hope that I would have the guts to do it as quickly and painlessly as possible, if I thought it was possible. And that may well be a massive, destructive head trauma with a spade. For larger animals, I might not be physically capable of ensuring a quick death, and would look to a veterinary response.
It is the animal suffering I would want to end, and I would prepared to explain my actions to the keeper. It would upset me terribly to have to do it, but I would be content with knowing that I had ended, rather than prolonged, or worsened, the suffering.
> I've had to dispatch a wild rabbit. It wasn't fun but I'm not feeling guilt like I would if it was clearly someone's pet.
Did you do this with the veterinary skill you'd expect of someone despatching a pet?
I'm afraid that I think the pet keepers' feelings would come quite low down my priorities; if I thought the animal was suffering, and unlikely to survive (even with access to reasonable veterinary care), I'd want to end the suffering as quickly as possible, and, if that meant I had to kill the animal, I'd hope that I would have the guts to do it as quickly and painlessly as possible, if I thought it was possible. And that may well be a massive, destructive head trauma with a spade. For larger animals, I might not be physically capable of ensuring a quick death, and would look to a veterinary response.
It is the animal suffering I would want to end, and I would prepared to explain my actions to the keeper. It would upset me terribly to have to do it, but I would be content with knowing that I had ended, rather than prolonged, or worsened, the suffering.
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