Heartbroken Rant: To the minivan that killed my cat last night on 50th

[meyo]

You were going way too fast and obviously not paying attention. I saw the whole thing and ran to stop it but it was too late. You didn’t even stop when you noticed a screaming girl in the street pick up her blood covered feline. He was less than 2 years old. My child. And you sped off without a care.

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[Wednesday]

So sorry for your loss Meyo. What a horrible experience. It’s really sad that there are so many uncaring, irresponsible people out there.

You might consider making a Catster.com web page for your cat where you can post photos, share memories and have place to go visit them. Check out Dogster.com too. Take care : )

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[sasquatch]

I am so sorry you lost your cat to an uncaring loser! It makes me tear up just thinking about it.

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[homedk]

You have my deep sympathy on the traumatic loss of your kitty. It’s sad enough to lose those you love; more horrible to have witnessed the incident; even worse, the apparent lack of any concern for your kitty or for you…

Thanks for sharing your experience; hopefully it will remind people to drive more carefully.

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[Admiral935]

meyo, so sorry for the kitty. Thanks for sharing. I have heard of groups that comfort peoples of lost pet-friends, if you need a reference someone here will know. Or, I’d be glad to help.

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[CountingCoup]

Sorry to hear that Meyo, too many people do not pay attention to the road as they drive, we have had many cats killed on 49th because of that too.

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[marc123]

Can you describe the van? Make/model color, etc?

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[meyo]

Grey. A generic mid 2000’s 4 door family van. Looks like a Honda, but could be a Hyundai or Toyota. I know who it is and can post a picture. I’m torn on whether to confront them or not.

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[elikapeka]

Meyo, I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ve been through it too. I don’t know that I’d confront the driver. If they know what they did and saw you and still didn’t stop, I have a feeling they’d be pretty indifferent and callous to anything you might say to them, and it might be more painful for you.

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[grr]

Meyo.. OF COURSE you should confront them. Especially with a police escort.

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[Admiral935]

I would recommend not confronting them. What can come of it? Only the possibility of more idiocy – who knows what wackos will do. Calling the Police will amount to nothing unless you have 100% proof ie video pictures, hundreds of witnesses, or whatever. On the otherhand, while no excuses can be made on behalf of the driver, they may not have known what happened, or were scared out of their wits. Most people are’nt that helpful. Sad to say but just let it go. Forgive and be grateful for the kitty time. It may be the only practical thing to do.

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[dawsonct]

I hate it, but I’ve been in a bit of a vindictive mood lately.

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Don’t confront the jerk, just let everyone know they are callous cat killers.

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I know, I know, that probably won’t solve anything, but maybe as they become the neighborhood pariah, they will see the errors of their ways and try to change and become more compassionate.

But, they may just end up more resentful and angry.

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[anonyme]

Fact: cats that are allowed to roam free in the city have an average lifespan of about 5 years, less than a third the lifespan of an indoor cat.

Are you absolutely positive that the driver KNEW they hit the cat? I would definitely confront them either way, although it’s probably too late now. When cats run out from under parked cars on narrow city streets there is rarely enough time or maneuverable space for a driver to avoid hitting them. While speed can be a factor, it isn’t always; as a child I witnessed my cat being crushed under my mother’s car as she slowly backed out of the driveway. Cats do not have car radar or intuition as many people seem to imagine.

The uneasy truth of the matter is that the owner of the animal is at least as complicit in it’s death as the driver of the vehicle – unless you can prove that the driver aimed for the cat and killed it deliberately. While I understand and sympathize with how painful it is to lose a pet, it is not as painful as the violent death suffered by this animal – or millions like it. I expect to be viciously attacked for saying so, but someone needs to point out this reality. Sorry, but I don’t subscribe to the speciesist view that human pain is the only pain that matters.

A harness with a long leash attached to a clothes line will give the cat a chance to experience the outdoors, while reducing the probability of the cat’s violent demise – or a child having to witness it.

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[hammerhead]

Ditto what anonyme said, I just didn’t want to be the first person to say it.

I too am sorry that your cat died, but when I adopt out cats people ask me about the cat maybe in/outdoor, I tell them I guess you get to pick the dead body up or do you have 2000.00 to fix the broken hip? The truth hurts about cats being in/outdoor cats.

I understand there may have been extenuating circumstance that cat had to be outside or he/she was just in/outdoor cat, ect but the consequences suck.

FCAT

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[dawsonct]

This is true; another reason I am so grateful for my 16 years with Louis.

He DID have a close call when he was a young cat, and lost his tail because of it (maybe he was Manx curious). I didn’t have any problem keeping him out of the street after that!

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I don’t know how I could have kept him inside in any case, once he got a taste of that sweet, sweet freedom, he wouldn’t be kept down by the man. Unless I allowed it to snow.

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[grr]

I love that one of my neighbors takes her kitty for a walk on a leash every day. It’s one happy cat, and I’m glad I won’t ever have to deal with worrying about it wandering the streets and getting hit.-

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[Garden_nymph]

We own three cats, all of them strictly indoor cats. One is frightened to go outside, one craves it and one is just curious. We have taken the two out on leases and now they hang out by our doors looking for a way to sneak out. Do you think it best to take them out more often, or discontinue the practice all together so they don’t try to dart out when we have to open the doors?

Meyo, I am sorry for your loss! I can’t imagine how difficult it was to watch your cat be fatally injured.

I would call the non emergency police line and ask what, if any, charges can be brought up against the driver. I would think inattentive driving or animal cruelty charges could be brought against them but then again, I don’t know the circumstances of the accident.

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[waterworld]

I am sorry for your loss — I know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet because he or she was hit by a car. This happened to me — and more importantly, my cat — many years ago, and I haven’t allowed my pet cats out since then. In fact, I just built a sizeable outdoor enclosure attached to a window to allow my two cats to at least enjoy the sights and sounds of the outside world.

The relevant laws on animal cruelty are RCW 16.52.205 (first degree) and .207 (second degree) and SMC 9.25.081. I think making out a case of intentional cruelty under the RCW is highly unlikely, because showing “intent” to cause the death is so difficult. For second degree animal cruelty, the evidence still must show at least criminal negligence, and that also could be quite difficult. It’s most likely, I think, that if a crime was committed here, it is the misdemeanor defined in the SMC. The problem with any of this is that it’s unlawful to allow your cat to roam outside. The driver of a car that hits and kills a pet can argue that there’s no legal requirement to keep an eye out for unlawfully roaming cats. I would be interested to hear if the police say something different, as I’ve never heard of someone being charged for hitting and killing a cat on the street.

I agree with those who suggest talking to the driver, since you say you know who it is, assuming you feel safe doing it. If it were me, I would want to ask if he or she saw my cat and why he or she didn’t at least try to avoid the collision. It’s always possible that this person will grow up some when he or she sees how much pain has resulted from this and has to try to explain his or her conduct.

Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.

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[HolyKow]

If you confront them, what will the result be (I think we all know). They will basically say ‘Get off my lawn’ and you will drop deeper into a funk because the only fact that you know, they just do not care, will be re-enforced to the Nth degree.

But really, a silent mourning of the dearly departed would likely be the best option here. That and keeping all future cats indoors.

My 1st cat was killed by a car and I vowed I would never have that happen again on purpose. If my kitties get out now, it is by their own deceptions and their karma is activated by stepping out of that sanctuary I have created for them.

hk

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[blackwatch]

I’m so sorry about your cat. Our cats are our kids and I can only imagine…..

We lost a Ferrel cat that had just begun to let us pet him…On The eve of Christmas Eve right on 35th. My wife had just bought him his stocking for the mantel. Because of him our other cats don’t go out when we’re not with them….

Personally I’d let it go with the driver, nothing good ever comes out of a confrontation like that, believe me, my worse half would be right there, But then you just end up with another unpleasant memory clogging up your brain….Good Luck

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[jwat133]

We have a kitty it is like part of the family, something inside me says let it go why bring more into a sad situation. Then another part says what if it was a child. speed kills thats for sure. So sorry for your loss

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[B-squared]

Perhaps you could drop them a note since you know who they are – might be cathartic. They may have no idea what they did. With thoughtful wording, you could convey that you and your child watched the incident and are heartbroken over the loss. And that you hope they will drive more attentively. If the driver grasps the impact of their actions, they may start being more aware behind the wheel (a GOOD thing). if not and they don’t care, at least you have gotten it off your chest, and they will have to live with the knowledge.

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[JoB]

very good idea

include a pic of your daughter with her cat if you have one.

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[Author]

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