If you see a dead cat on the side of highway, what do you do?

[VanCatMa]

Good evening,

Earlier this afternoon, while driving along the highway, I saw a beautiful tuxedo color cat, laying dead, on the side of the highway.

When I was able to, I called the local police department, of the town where the cat was observed laying on the side of the highway, and I reported the exact location, the upcoming exit off the highway, and what I saw to them. I did so, because there is a great likelihood that someone is missing and looking for their pet tuxedo cat. I would have called the local Animal control, but they are not opened/available on the weekends.

If there is a dead cat, on the side of the highway, what do you do? Is there an agency other than animal control that would remove the animal from the highway, and check to see if the cat is chipped? Because, my heart goes out to the family, who is missing and actively looking for their beloved lost pet.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[Norachan]

Thank you for doing this VanCatMa

I always stop. The area I live in has a large feral cat population. I have a few that lost their lives buried in my back garden. I can't bear to leave them there to be run over again or scavanged.

If it looks like the cat was someone's pet I'd report it to the local animal control as well. I wish more people would take the time to do that. Having a cat go missing and not knowing what happened to them is worse than them passing away.

 

[fionasmom]

I always report if it is in a place where I could not do anything about moving it safely.....I should clarify that I always report regardless. If it is in a place where I can help, I will move it to the side of the street where it will not be further damaged. If it is close to my house, I go and get the cat (neighbors tend to report this to me), put it in a box, and wait for animal control to come and get it from my front property. I do the same for wild animals or dogs.

Around here, there are some AC after hour emergency numbers which can be used and to which they will respond and in other areas the police have to dispatch AC if it is not regular working hours....for some reason.

AC can scan the deceased animal for a microchip. I also post on Nextdoor in case it might be an animal with no microchip and place a "tasteful" identifying picture, like a paw, collar, or identifying color pattern. If the animal has a tag, I will call the number, but this is rare. Ironically, when I did this years ago, the owner accused me of having been the one who hit the cat.

 

[VanCatMa]

Thank you for doing this VanCatMa

I always stop. The area I live in has a large feral cat population. I have a few that lost their lives buried in my back garden. I can't bear to leave them there to be run over again or scavanged.

If it looks like the cat was someone's pet I'd report it to the local animal control as well. I wish more people would take the time to do that. Having a cat go missing and not knowing what happened to them is worse than them passing away.

Hello NoraChan, and I Thank you for your reply. I will contact the local Animal Control and Humane Society on Monday, to report to them that there was a deceased Tuxedo cat, on the side of the highway, early Saturday afternoon.

And, if AC or the Humane Society has a picture of a locally reported missing tuxedo cat, I will provide them with my email, in order to help them determine whether or not the missing cat was (or was not) the deceased Tuxedo cat on the side of the highway. This would be the second time of this year that I observed (& reported) seeing a deceased pet on a roadway.

Very sadly, earlier this year, my mother and I observed a deceased chocolate Labrador retriever puppy, laying in the middle of a residential street. This was around the time children would be returning home from school for the day. We called the police immediately, and dispatch told us they had just spoken to the puppy's heartbroken owners, and the puppy will be removed from the street shortly.

On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude for kindhearted people like you, NoraChan, and Fiona's Mom, and members of the Cat Site forum, who take the time to do what's right, and provide dignity to the deceased creature, whether it was a pet or a stray. Respecting and helping all beings, especially in a time of dire need, truly strengthens our humanity.

Thank you, very sincerely, for your response.

 

[VanCatMa]

I always report if it is in a place where I could not do anything about moving it safely.....I should clarify that I always report regardless. If it is in a place where I can help, I will move it to the side of the street where it will not be further damaged. If it is close to my house, I go and get the cat (neighbors tend to report this to me), put it in a box, and wait for animal control to come and get it from my front property. I do the same for wild animals or dogs.

Around here, there are some AC after hour emergency numbers which can be used and to which they will respond and in other areas the police have to dispatch AC if it is not regular working hours....for some reason.

AC can scan the deceased animal for a microchip. I also post on Nextdoor in case it might be an animal with no microchip and place a "tasteful" identifying picture, like a paw, collar, or identifying color pattern. If the animal has a tag, I will call the number, but this is rare. Ironically, when I did this years ago, the owner accused me of having been the one who hit the cat.

Hello there, Fiona'sMom,
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, AC is not open or available on weekends, where I live, and they don't have an after hours service, here.

Even though the cat was deceased on the side of the highway, as I drove past, I was able to see the Tuxedo cat's face, he was facing on-coming traffic on the highway. (The cat had the most beautiful little face, with a distinctive fur pattern, I can absolutely recall, with certainly).

I thank you for providing me with insight on how I can help, in the future. That was very considerate of you to go out of your way to find the owner of the cat, no matter how hard and sad it was to have to be the one to deliver such sad news to them.

I am sorry that someone accused you of running over their cat, simply because you reached out to them, after finding their pet.Nowadays, there are so many highway cams, intersection cameras, car dashboard cameras, outdoor facing house/building cameras, people recording from their mobile phones, etc. Those cameras videotape what happened, and do so objectively: whether it was a vehicle that caused the incident, and driver fled the scene; or someone simply trying to help intervene and stop the suffering of someone's beloved pet.

In my life, I have learned, to never let worry keep me from doing the right thing. Thank you for continuing to care.

 

[catsknowme]

In addition to the aforementioned actions, I post on FB "lost/found pets" pages and call the local radio stations who offer a daily "kennel corner/pet report". It helps owners get closure.
Bless you for caring for kitties and their owners!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

When I was able to drive, I always carried gloves in my car so that, if traffic allowed, I could remove a deceased pet from the roadway, and then call animal control. I also did a quick "releasing," a prayer that the little soul would find its way to the Bridge. That part was for me. You have done what you are able to do now.

 

[Jcatbird]

I also move the animal and then try knocking on doors nearby to try and find the family. If I can, I take a photo of the face so the fur baby can be seen without an owner viewing damage. I send the photo to the nearest vets and call them. If I cannot find the family in a timely fashion, I go ahead and give proper burial but post photos where I can. Local animal control here will remove them but it isn’t done the way most people would want for their babies. I do for them what I would want if it were my baby. Placing a photo and phone number near the place of the death has worked for me a time or two. At least I was able to let the family know they could stop wondering and searching.

 

[CindyH66]

Glad to see so many do the right thing! I hate seeing nothing more than a cat or dog on the side of road and no one stops ! someone accusing you of hitting the poor thing when you did the right thing really frosts my cookies... anyway , I saw a poor kitty earlier this year that had been hit , but was not yet deceased trying to get out of the road ! dear Lord !! poor thing ! I pulled over .. ran out into the road (3 lane highway) grabbed him/her (?) gently picked it up and carried it to my car and lay in the seat . I pet it and tried to sooth it , saying I would get help. I drove to my friends house nearby. Poor thing died in my car on the way. I was only a like 3 minutes from her home, so it passed quickly. We put it in a box, took to a nearby vet to check for microchip. It appeared to be a pet. Nicely groomed, trim nails. beautiful kitty. No chip ! My friend took over ( she lived in that area, not me) spent the day trying to locate an owner. Posted on Facebook, put something on a neighborhood post , etc. even went out spreading word. the vet couldn't keep it as owner wasn't known, so now we have a deceased kitty to deal with. we called animal control they said " put in a plastic bag by the road. we'll pick it up later " at first she did; but it bothered her . Its laying out there like trash !! Ugh. so when AC stopped by later in the day .. we asked for permission to bury it ourselves. they said " sure, if ya want to " .. so we did.(she kept kitty in her basement 24hr JUST in case a family was found; its cold enough down there. No one claimed it Her yard has an area her pets that have passed are in. We buried it there. no idea whose kitty it was, how the heck it ended up in a highway? we didn't let it suffer, die alone , did our best to find its family. we call it " tomb of unknow kitty" .. we loved on it best we could for the whole 3 minutes it was with us. I didn't hit it or even see who did. I only saw the poor thing trying to get out of the road. Right place , right time I guess. AC was kind of "cold" about it , but then I guess they do this all day long. that would NOT be the job for me ! I love the idea of keeping gloves in the car..but I hope I dont encounter that again !

 

[fionasmom]

That is the worst when they are still moving after being hit or injured! I am sure that the cat knew that it was at least not in the road and was someplace safe for her last few minutes on earth. You did everything you could for that cat and sadly no one missed it.

 

[VanCatMa]

Just a quick follow up. I called the Humane Society on Monday. Very sadly, she stated the cat may have been dumped along the highway. There was no way of knowing how long the cat was there for. There was no way I could have safely stopped my car along a very busy highway to see if the cat was still alive. I can't fathom how someone could do something so cruel to a living creature. I am saddened and infuriated by the entire situation.

 

[MackerelTabbyStripes]

While people do dump cats, I have also learned from all the research I'm doing into finding my missing kitty that a lot of lost cats will climb up over the splash guard of a larger truck or SUV or get up under a car in some other way. Outdoor cats running from dogs or coyotes will also sometimes go up in the guts of cars. It isn't a given that cats found abandoned in weird locations like grocery stores, schools, etc are dumped on purpose. I imagine a cat might get jostled loose while en route, too, which may also explain some of the cats along the highway.

It is still an awful, horrible fate, but there might not have been intentional cruelty.

 

[fionasmom]

At least out here, dumping along highways is not uncommon, sadly. A neighbor has a dog who was found on the freeway. Pretty illogical to say that a dog or cat ran there purposely given the volume and speed of the cars. However, in other areas the scenario of a cat who somehow gets onto a vehicle which then moves, not knowing that there is an animal aboard, is certainly possible.

 

[MackerelTabbyStripes]

I know it wasn't exactly comforting to learn that. I'd been thinking my kitty, while it would be hard to get her back from other people picking her up and bringing her to me due to her personality, would at least be spared things like intentional dumping or other cruelty since she would stay so far from strangers. Knowing that she could get transported all over or fall out of a moving vehicle somewhere far away just from her curiosity and her desire to be in a small enclosed space was not easy. And I can't see the cars and trucks on my street the same way again.

 

[fionasmom]

There are some advantages to cats who are not friendly enough to be picked up by strangers, most definitely. The times I have heard about a cat getting onto a vehicle and being driven away were instances of trucks or farm equipment which were not used often and the cat had been using them regularly as a place to hang out.

 

[MackerelTabbyStripes]

Well, I hope that's the case for her. While searching yards, I did find a small camper trailer covered in a tarp that reminded me so much of how she loves to crawl under blankets and hide and stay warm. That neighbor says he had no plans to take the camper anywhere, but I don't know how many months that means and of course there could be other such items in the neighborhood. Thankfully there are also many, many other places to hide so I hope she just stays in one of those. The stories I read indicate that going into cars is pretty common for a cat that gets lost near an apartment building where there may be limited other cover available.

Sorry I've changed the topic a bit. I really hope either my cat just comes home or I can bring her home.

 

[VanCatMa]

Well, I hope that's the case for her. While searching yards, I did find a small camper trailer covered in a tarp that reminded me so much of how she loves to crawl under blankets and hide and stay warm. That neighbor says he had no plans to take the camper anywhere, but I don't know how many months that means and of course there could be other such items in the neighborhood. Thankfully there are also many, many other places to hide so I hope she just stays in one of those. The stories I read indicate that going into cars is pretty common for a cat that gets lost near an apartment building where there may be limited other cover available.

Sorry I've changed the topic a bit. I really hope either my cat just comes home or I can bring her home.

When my cat Willow went missing, in the cold of winter, a few years ago, I looked for her everywhere. During the day, I walked around the neighborhood and searched for her. I went into the forest behind the house, even after it was dark outside, I searched for her. It was in January, and the daytime temperature was 15 degrees.

I went online, and researched tips on finding lost pets. Somehow, I came across a website about a woman with two Irish setters, her setters were trained to find missing pets. She responded, but said she & her dogs were out of town for the winter.

She was missing for 11 days; miraculously, she found her way home, and that was during the nighttime.