Last night at 2am, we learned that our family pet was killed by a car. It was a hit and run.

I can only ask each one of you to pay attention out on the road for animals in a car or a bike.

If something does happen, please stop, don't run.

Sorry to hear about this.

sorry for your families loss,  family pets can be hard to lose.  my parents just recently lost two chocolate labs.  Not to an accident tho, old age.

I almost hit a turtle on my way into work today....i had just missed it.  Had it been a squirrel it would of propped it self under my front tire.  damn squirrels!

Why was the family pet out running around at 2am? You don't often hear of pets being run over inside the house or in a fenced yard.

Quote from: VerdonD952 on June 23, 2012, 08:00:23 AM
I almost hit a turtle on my way into work today....i had just missed it.  Had it been a squirrel it would of propped it self under my front tire.  damn squirrels!

Lots of turtles where I live. I'm really afraid to find out what would happen if I hit one while riding.

"Swiper" the cat was a rescue from the county SPCA.  She took a liking to my 3 year old son. We got her last November. Immediately, she fit in.

She spent 1/2 of the time inside and 1/2 of the time outside. Whenever she needed to come inside she would sit on our covered front porch.

Last night was like any other. Except she was not on the porch when I went to bed (not abnormal). The wife was out with the girls, and would be home soon, so I thought nothing of it.

2am I was awoken to my wife very distraught. The cat was hit on the road by a car. She was buried immediately. I think the hardest part was telling our son. 3 is young to experience death.

Been over the events of the night 100 times...very unfortunate.

Pet cats should Never be let outside, there is no reason for them to ever be outside---the reasons are too numerous to mention. I think you have all the reasons you need already.

OJ, ease up a little man. cant you see they just lost a member of the family?

cats are great outside animals, especially if you live in the country.  They almost always come back.  It is unfortunate that the poor kitty was hit.  In my experience if you dont let the cat out, they start to go a little crazy, they need to rome and poop on your neighbors steps!  they like to hunt and leave dead body parts in your muddy boots on the front porch. IMHO, there is not reason to not let the cat outside, with one exception....city cats!  don't let your kitty wonder around your apt complex. too many Chinese restaurants in citys,  you think thats pork your eating?!?!

3 years old is tough to experience death, But i think its harder on the parents then the kids.  A stuffed kitty may help. 

When it's our turn to go, it's our turn. The cat could have easily snuck out with the same end result. Been over the events 100 times. What could I have done differently?  What could my wife have done differently?

I think we know now what went wrong.  The outcome was unfortunate.

Just be safe out there and watch for animals. That was the original beginning point of the post, and I'll end with it. Good day everyone.

We have friends with a farm with feral cats which disappear on a regular basis ~ the kids understanding of pet animal mortality is quite advanced at an early age.

Verdon, the country is the worst, almost everything out there eats cats Eagles, coyotes, raccoons, and even large owls, my neighbor and several down the road have lost cats that way. Ask any cat expert and they will tell you that cats should never be outdoors unsupervised.

Quote from: ojstinson on June 23, 2012, 05:09:51 PM
Ask any cat expert and they will tell you that cats should never be outdoors unsupervised.

i believe your confusing cats with children. and how would you "supervise" a cat??  your not one of those people that has your cat on a leash???  I bet you put a leash on you kid at the mall too.

but as to not start some flame war on cats.  we will have to agree to disagree.

It's really very simple, if you absolutely MUST have your cat outside in the yard do it while you are out there and can watch it, when you come in bring the cat in. I have never had a cat or a human on a leash, I have never even had a collar on any of my cats. I have had 3 cats for over 12 years now, the only time I ever let one of my cats out was when I first got my first cat, he was playing in the front yard ( nice neighborhood ) for 15 minutes and wound up shot through his left eye with an air gun pellet, the pellet is still lodged in his brain and he is blind in that eye. Since that day 12 years ago none of my cats have set foot outside and they are perfectly happy. Dogs kill cats, people kill and torture cats, cars kill cats, animal borne diseases kill cats, and wild animals kill and eat cats----how many of these things are likely to harm a cat who remains inside a house?

Quote from: jestercinti on June 23, 2012, 12:21:58 PM
When it's our turn to go, it's our turn. The cat could have easily snuck out with the same end result. Been over the events 100 times. What could I have done differently?  What could my wife have done differently?

I think we know now what went wrong.  The outcome was unfortunate.

Just be safe out there and watch for animals. That was the original beginning point of the post, and I'll end with it. Good day everyone.

ive been there and dealt with this too. ive got both inside and outside cats. and a couple that does both. my condolences. the old guard finally came to an end almost a year ago. @22yo all of them died one by one. in short order. was hard to deal with. but now have 3 others. 1 @2yo, one @ 1.5, and one @ 14yo.

Quote from: ojstinson on June 24, 2012, 04:34:10 PM
It's really very simple, if you absolutely MUST have your cat outside in the yard do it while you are out there and can watch it, when you come in bring the cat in. I have never had a cat or a human on a leash, I have never even had a collar on any of my cats. I have had 3 cats for over 12 years now, the only time I ever let one of my cats out was when I first got my first cat, he was playing in the front yard ( nice neighborhood ) for 15 minutes and wound up shot through his left eye with an air gun pellet, the pellet is still lodged in his brain and he is blind in that eye. Since that day 12 years ago none of my cats have set foot outside and they are perfectly happy. Dogs kill cats, people kill and torture cats, cars kill cats, animal borne diseases kill cats, and wild animals kill and eat cats----how many of these things are likely to harm a cat who remains inside a house?

WOW. Your cats definitely need to stay indoors then and if it makes YOU happy then you should keep them inside. After all they are your pets.

We have had 2 cats in our family. One was definitely indoors and would never set foot outdoors even when the door was open. He was put to sleep a few years ago because of age. The other spends half his times indoors and outdoors. He comes home at night to eat and rest with our kids and play with our dog. He then wants to leave in the morning to do whatever he needs to do which includes bringing and leaving at the door various local animals (rabbits, voles, birds and ocassionally a squirrel). He's the happiest cat but if he was to go then I feel it was his time. All our animals have been neutered and have their vaccinations. We routinely put flea and tick medicine on the cat since he spends half his time outdoors.

We also have friends who have ferrel cats and they spend most their time outdoors and are very affectionate.

Anyways it depends on the situation.

That's a good way to look at it, I should just think of it as being my cat's "time" to get his eye shot out by a couple of neighborhood brats. What if it isn't your cat's time to go, what if it's just your cat's time to get his face chewed off by a stray dog and you have to watch him suffer while you spend a bundle getting him treated or putting him out of his misery.

Again, how many of these things would happen to your cat inside the house?

And also, be working on your "it was his time to go" speech to your kids when the unthinkable happens, that always makes them feel better. And be sure and let us all know so we can feel sorry for you and the grieving family.

Quote from: ojstinson on June 25, 2012, 10:38:42 AM
That's a good way to look at it, I should just think of it as being my cat's "time" to get his eye shot out by a couple of neighborhood brats. What if it isn't your cat's time to go, what if it's just your cat's time to get his face chewed off by a stray dog and you have to watch him suffer while you spend a bundle getting him treated or putting him out of his misery.

Again, how many of these things would happen to your cat inside the house?

And also, be working on your "it was his time to go" speech to your kids when the unthinkable happens, that always makes them feel better. And be sure and let us all know so we can feel sorry for you and the grieving family.

You're absolutely right.  The cat was outside, and away from the safe confines of my home.  My wife and I are equally responsible for what happened, and the past cannot be changed, unfortunately.

We live in a cold, cruel world where things like this happen.  It looks like we both learned the hard way with our pets:  Accident or intentional, sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Ride safe Ojstinson.

Well, I really tried to stay out of it but oh well. . .

"Dogs kill cats, people kill and torture cats, cars kill cats, animal borne diseases kill cats, and wild animals kill and eat cats"

Yes, all of these things "could" happen to your cat if you let them outside. But what's the point of living if you constantly live in fear? This applies not only to animals, but people as well.

You ride your motorcycle at great risk. You are far more likely to die or be seriously injured in ANY kind of accident that happens on your bike than if you only drove a car. For you, the enjoyment of riding your motorcycle far outweighs the increased risk that goes along with it. The enjoyment my cats get from being outside also far outweighs the risk associated with it. Who wants to be a prisoner? Not my cats, that's for sure. Any time they do manage to sneak in the house, they're clawing at the door within the hour to get back out.

At this point, You're cats should not be outside at all. They have no idea how to take care of themselves in the outside world . But living in the house has its own risks too. There are wires they could chew on, cleaning chemicals, household plants can be toxic, human foods that can be toxic, furniture that can be toppled by their climbing antics. . .   Maybe you should lock them in cages to keep them from that potential harm as well.

But then what kind of life would that be?

Quote from: jestercinti on June 25, 2012, 11:01:33 AM


You're absolutely right.  The cat was outside, and away from the safe confines of my home.  My wife and I are equally responsible for what happened, and the past cannot be changed, unfortunately.

We live in a cold, cruel world where things like this happen.  It looks like we both learned the hard way with our pets:  Accident or intentional, sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Ride safe Ojstinson.

Amen Jester, no good can come from letting your cat out, I do hope you adopt another homeless kitty and keep it happy as a clam inside and safe for many many years.

Another good point to consider.



"There is no question that birds are better off when cats stay indoors. Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that every year in the United States alone, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, including rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. Feline predators include both domestic cats that spend time outdoors and stray cats that live in the wild, sometimes as part of a colony.

Life for outdoor cats is risky. They can get hit by cars; attacked by dogs, other cats, coyotes or wildlife; contract fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline distemper, or feline immunodeficiency virus; get lost, stolen, or poisoned; or suffer during severe weather conditions. Outdoor cats lead considerably shorter lives on average than cats kept exclusively indoors".

I have cats.They go in and out. All my cats have done that. Previous 4 lives 17 years.
They enjoy going in and out.
What you do for your pets is up to you. Let's not all freak out and try to impose personal beliefs on everyone else.
So cat's eat a bird. Its all a part of nature.
Cats eat rodents. That is also a part of nature and balances the environment.
When man steps in and attempts to impose certain beliefs on nature, things go wrong.
One cause of the black plague was rodents carrying fleas which carried the disease. the abundance of rodents was due to fear of cats (especially black ones) so the killing of cats removed a predator for the rodents and the rodent population skyrocketed and the plague spread.

If you are worried about a bird being killed, how are you going to impose that on all of nature so no bird gets killed? Start feeding the owls and eagles so they don't eat smaller birds? Let the mice and rats run rampant because you don't want one to ever be killed by another animal? So with overpopulation they die of starvation so what do you do now? Let nature be nature. animals eat, die, kill others and poop on your head as they fly over.

Lets let each care for their pets as they wish.

I would prefer a happy, active cat that goes in and out for 12 years over a bored, lazy indoor cat for 15 years. I know my cats are happy outside. They come out and hang with me in the bike cave. They like that. Before they git a kitty door, they would be at the door whimpering like sad puppies. They wanted to be outside with me. They were unhappy being left inside. I would be devastated if one got run over. On the other hand, by going in and out they are happy, active and healthy. They can get sat on, slip on something, get caught in a door or poisoned by living inside. There are risks inside and outside.

Love your pets and care for them. Give them a good life.