My beautiful cat, Tequila, was hit by a car on 11th September this year around 10:25 am. She died on the spot in the middle of the street. It still hurts so much every day to wait for her to come home again. I miss her every morning, because she doesn't wake me up. I miss her when I come home from work, because she is not waiting for me to be petted. And I miss her in the evening, when she should be cuddling on my lap while I'm reading on the couch.
She was my jumping piece of luck, but on that faithful day she ran out of luck. I will hang this picture of her next to her favorite spot on the couch.
Look man, I know you are right but there are times to bring this up and times to keep it to yourself. Like when someone just lost their pet is a clear category #2 case.
I know, I really debated posting. It makes me immensely upset to see things like this and my immediate reaction was FAR more visceral. I feel for OP regardless of how I feel about their responsibility in the situation.
The problem isn't just with cars. Cats do unbelievable damage to ecosystems that didn't evolve alongside them. They've caused dozens of extinctions–over 60 species of small birds and mammals, extinct because of them. Not to mention disease and predation. Cats live longer and healthier lives inside.
Cars are awful but there are other dangers to cats besides cars. There are dogs that frequently kill cats and other dangers like poisons. Cats are also responsible for several bird species going extinct. They should not be outside.
"A recent study by the Smithsonian Institution and the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that domestic cats kill about 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion small mammals each year in the lower forty-eight states. This is far higher—and probably more accurate–than previous figures, and likely exceeds all other sources of human-related losses of these animals. That makes it a major bird conservation concern."
"Outdoor domestic cats are a recognized threat to global biodiversity. Cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles in the wild and continue to adversely impact a wide variety of other species, including those at risk of extinction, such as Piping Plover."
Legitimately yes. Cats are not humans. If your cat has proper stimulation, they'll be perfectly happy inside for decades. There's a reason every single animal shelter in the USA has a clause in their adoption contract that requires you to keep the cat inside.
it is better. if they go outside, they get fleas, kill birds, come home injured in bizarre ways, and get into fights with various animals they sometimes lose. RIP Tigger, who died of mysterious wounds in the garage when I was a kid, and Oliver, who straight up vanished shortly after.
I'm so sorry for your loss OP. For cat owners like myself, this is a valuable lesson. If you are letting your cat outside, then please get them to stay inside. And if your cat is an inside cat, please never let them outside. Not only is it a massive danger to your cat, it does great damage to the ecosystem. Please please please KEEP YOUR CAT INSIDE and hopefully you won't have to feel what OP is feeling right now.
I'm sorry for your loss. We have a huntress cat that adopted us as a quasi feral kitten a couple of years ago but spends 23 hours a day outside doing outside cat things. So far she's gotten got by a skunk and something presumably a lot bigger than herself opened up a huge gash on her head that fortunately triple anti cream and time sealed back up nicely and you can't even see the scar through her fur. I always figure it's a matter of time before a car gets her, but we do live deep in the middle of a subdivision where most people don't drive crazy, so she's got that working in her favor.
I hope fo you, that your cat has enough sense to be afraid of cars. My Tequilas was more afraid of people than of cars. I also was never able to teach her anything on purpose. She learned to use the cat flap by observing her brother. Tequila was a very headstrong and strange kitty.
She looks so sweet in that photo. My kitty, Lena, looks a lot like Tequila, so this news is hitting close to home. I offer my condolences for losing someone who grew so close to you.