Paul hit a cat today while driving

[WillParkinson]

He got into the car this morning and a small gray cat went running down the sidewalk. I went out and sat on the stairs to try to coax the cat to me. It looked toward the car as Paul was getting in and as Paul started pulling away I saw another cat underneath. The wheel hit the cat and both cats took off between the houses.

First off, I don't want to offend anyone, but...well, after this I can honestly say I don't really care...keep your damn cats in the house. They DO NOT belong outside. I work for a shelter and constantly hear horror stories about cats being left out. And I keep hearing the same excuse, "they need to be outdoors". If they needed to be outdoors they would be wild animals, not "house" cats.

Secondly, we had a note on our car the other day telling us to "leave our cat alone". I don't know what cat it refers to since they didn't sign the note, but if it was these cats? I guarantee you that if I can catch them they will be going to a shelter.

I'm sitting here shaking as I type this. The whole thing has freaked me out. I would be a lot worse if Paul had killed the cat.

Please, people, for the safety of one of your family, keep your cat indoors and encourage others to do the same thing.

Thank you.

[DS1]

1. You're going to catch cats and put them in shelters?

Are you going to inform the owners about this, or just be a bastard about it?

[skooooo]

2. If they're out running in street, how do you tell who they belong to?

Geeze, quit being a jerk he/she just went through some trauma.

[DS1]

3. Trauma sucks, but this is beyond reason.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. Um, he's not being the jerk here.

Stealing someone's pet and putting it in a shelter is a crime, btw.

[WillParkinson]

6. I am not "stealing someone's pet"

They are not tagged. I do not even know if they belong to anyone in the neighborhood. It's not like I'm going into their yard to take them away.

[Midlodemocrat]

10. Obviously, someone owns the cat that they told you to leave alone.

[WillParkinson]

13. And, again...

I do not know who put the note on the car. I do not know if ours was the only car to have it. I have had no interaction with these cats (that I'm aware of) prior to this. And, therefore, have no idea if these cats (the note said cat, there are two of them) are even the ones referred to in the note.

While I understand, and do agree, the owners would be best informed, I do not know who they are (they did not sign the note) nor am I sure I'd be able to accurately describe the cat other than small and gray. At least I think it was gray.

I would never try to take someone's pet from them. I know how I would feel if it happened to me, but I'd rather they feel bad about the cat being in the shelter than feel bad about having to bury it.

[MicaelS]

7. No, people who let their cats run wild are the real jerks.

And I'm willing to bet lease laws apply. Cat owners who think it's cute to let their cats roam free, kill every small animal they can, and then whine and cry when the cat gets killed or caught are the real jerks.

[Midlodemocrat]

11. You mean leash laws, and no, they don't apply to cats.

[WillParkinson]

8. Inform the owners or be a bastard?

Believe me, if I knew who the owners were I'd be knocking at their door already. I do not WANT the cats in the shelter. However, they'd be a lot safer there (Milwaukee has a no-kill shelter) than sitting underneath a vehicle and dying.

[DS1]

12. There was a hint of vigilantism in your post

and it gave me the impression you were on a quest to seek out all the cats you can find.

I don't know your area, but my street is very quiet, and you can often pet 2 or 3 cats sitting on fences outside their homes on your walk into town. And that's about 2 blocks, so here we live in a very cat friendly area. Your area might be different.

[WillParkinson]

14. Vigilantism?

Whoa. Hardly. Vigilantism would be more "if I catch them I'll kill them". I want them safe, out of harms way. We live on a very busy street. There are trucks from the factory down the street, and the other around the corner, quite frequently.

I would never harm an animal knowingly, but I also do not want to be the one responsible for their death because the owner would not keep them safe. If I left the house and I killed the cat with the car I don't know if I'd ever be able to drive again.

[skooooo]

4. We keep our cats indoors now..

...after a dog killed one, and another one ran away (caught him after a month).

Their asses stay indoors, and they don't know the difference anymore. They're perfectly happy.

[WillParkinson]

9. I'm sorry for the loss of your kitty

And glad the others are perfectly happy. :-)

[skooooo]

19. Thank you..and..

Bozwell, Clawdette, and Homer thank you too!

[zanne]

15. I always honk the horn a few times before I move the car.

We have strays around here and often have one or two of them under the car. It's best to be sure. Honking the horn has never failed to scare the cats away, and it's such a small thing to do.

[WillParkinson]

16. Yes...

I told Paul that this morning.

My only issue is again one of being on busy street. I've told him to get to the drivers side and smack the door to encourage them to run toward the yards instead of toward the street.

[zanne]

17. Good idea. nt

[MicaelS]

18. Some of these responses here

Remind me of just how much I like cats, and dislike many cat owners.

[WillParkinson]

20. I bear no ill will...

Some people show their concern in other ways. I don't have a problem with someone asking questions. The phrasing might have been different, but the questions aren't wrong.

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. Our kitten is happily sitting in the window, watching (and talking to)

the birds. None the worse for being a house cat. He rather likes it. We have a neighbor who kicks his cats out every morning and they usually come over and sit on our porch, waiting for love. I am always afraid I will run one over. I am so sorry you had to deal with that.

[yellowdogintexas]

23. Good Morning Mrs G. How is Mr Kittimus Prime doing these days anyway?

I am so very glad you took your trip to California, but missed the updates on KP !
Have you checked out WJMS's journal which is all Mo all the time?

YDIT

[WillParkinson]

25. Kittius Primus?

Lord God King Kitten?

[yellowdogintexas]

26. an intensly cute black kitten, named Kittimus Prime in honor of Maximus Prime

because his mom is a big Transformers Fan.

[XemaSab]

22. Amen!

Cats should be INDOORS!

Pippi and Bailey, my dogs, would love to roam the neighborhood all day. Do I let them? HELL NO!

Why anyone lets their cat out to get hit by a car, killed by a dog or other animal, or who knows what is beyond me.

[WillParkinson]

24. Working at the shelter...

I've seen people break down and cry because their cat was killed by a car. I've also heard, "drivers should be more careful". Never once have I heard, "I wish I had kept him indoors."

[harmonicon]

28. there are places where cats can go outside

I spent a lot of my time growing up a farm, and there were barn cats there. Some would get run over or trampled by cows, and it was sad, but they were farm animals that served a purpose. When my parents moved to a house on a dirt road in the woods we let our cats run around outside, and they just loved it. One (he was the dumbest cat we ever had) was hit by a car once, which sucked, and they would get in fights with animals, but I think we gave them very good lives. I wouldn't let cats outside if I lived in a neighbourhood, but one 10 acres of land that's on a dirt road, I think it's ok.

[ulysses]

27. eh.

We religiously kept Mr. Kitty indoors for the first five or six years of his life - the cat was fricking miserable, and generously let us share in the misery. He's been *much* happier since we started letting him out and I haven't had to replace any more clawed or pissed-upon furnishings. Mileage may vary, but it was the right thing to do for him.