If you hit a dog, you have to stop and try to help, or find the owner. Do the same rules apply to cats?

Answer 1

Although I agree with the sentiment of the above posts, I have a word of caution.....

Many cats who get hit by cars are feral, and will tear you up if you don't know what you're doing. Even very docile pet cats will bite anyone (including their owners) when in pain or shock. Cat bites often cause particularly nasty infections in humans due to a specific bacteria they carry in their mouths.

And if it's a feral cat, it might very well have rabies. There is not an area in the United States that is rabies-free. Since many cats are impossible to catch, if it bites you then runs off and can't be found....you will have to take rabies shots (NOT given in the stomach, as some people still believe, however.)

The best post above belongs to kaje, imo.....but I just had to interject this also. Above all else, please use your brain.

The laws vary from state to state, but in many areas, owners are required to keep their cats on their own property (just like dogs.) That means keeping them indoors or getting a special cat-fence. Owners of pets who get hit while roaming can also be made to pay for the damage to the car. Condolences to those whose pets have died in this manner, but best bet....keep your cat indoors! That's what a responsible pet owner does. As widespread as our road systems are now (compared to 100 years ago), it's just not safe for them to be outside anymore. It's hard to stop a car in time to avoid hitting animals in the road...they're often not even seen until it's too late, if seen at all. Just remember...if you let you cat roam off your property and it gets hit, you have no one to blame but yourself. :-/

NOTE (in response to a later post): Whoever takes the animal in has to pay the bill, whether you end up adopting the cat or not. The owner is not obligated to pay it, unless you made a prior agreement with them. They may choose to reimburse you, or they may not (although they should.) You are the one contracting for the veterinarian's services in this case....not the owner. And an owner is often NEVER found. We can't pay for the treatment ourselves in the 'hopes' that the owner will be found, and then agree to pay for the treatment. If we veterinarians have to foot the bill every time we're presented with a case like this (which is OFTEN), we'd be headed toward bankruptcy in no time. Do you have any idea how many times something like this happens every month??? The medications and materials we use cost us a good bit of money...we don't get them for free. If the person presenting the cat is unwilling to pay the bill, and the cat is in really bad shape, we often have no choice but to euthanize it at our own expense so that it doesn't have to suffer needlessly while waiting around to see if its owner is tracked down, or comes looking for it, several days later. That's ANOTHER reason you should keep your cats indoors!!!

Answer 2

First of all, the rules are that if you hit a domesticated animal, you put it in your car and rush it to the nearest veterinarian, PERIOD. What's up with this "stop and try to help" crap? What exactly are you going to do to help the dog or cat that you just hit? Administer the proper fluids intraveinously while splinting and immobilizing the injured limbs, all the while calling some sort of EMT for pets on your cell phone? Even more ridiculous is the "find the owner" option. WHAT??? So you are going to leave the injured animal to suffer while you do what? Knock on doors for hours? Meanwhile, the animal you hit dies. Oh but at least you TRIED, right? Wrong. You hit and allowed that animal to die because you didn't want the interior of your car to get messed up. For goodness sake, the best thing you can do is give the animal you just hit a chance to survive, which comes with the quickest medical care possible.

Answer 3

when I was a kid we lived on a fairly busy road and between me and my sisters we had a few cats hit by cars,we would of course be upset about the fact that our cats had been hit; but it hurt just as much that whoever had done it cared so little that they wouldn't even stop to say sorry. The one time that I hit a cat it ran of into the bush I did not know how bad it was hurt, I went door to door to try and find the owner so I could tell the owner what happened and which way the cat ran and that I was sorry.

Answer 4

Of course they do! My cat Cleo was a loyal companion. She followed me around like a dog! One night I let her out for her nightly roam and she didn't come back the next morning. I started to worry by the second day and started making flyers. Luckily, you could say, a nice older lady called to inform us that she was laying dead on the grass at a church since she still had her collar on. I'm glad in a way that I knew how she died and I could give her a proper burial.

Even to this day I have pictures up of her and I still have her collar. She will be greatly missed and the right thing for you to do is try and find its owners!

Answer 5

I lost my cat this past weekend. It appears to have been hit by a car. I looked for him for three days, and finally found him in a ditch about a mile up the road.
I would have been very appreciative if the person who had hit him had put a sign on the post saying," I'm sorry I hit your cat" or whatever. At least I would have known where to look for him.

Dogs on the other hand are just Nature's Speed Bumps....OK OK Just Kidding people!

Merlin

Answer 6

It is probably a good idea, even if you post a flyer saying you hit the cat and where the owner can pick it up. Owners of cats, love their as much as dog lovers.

Answer 7

Legally, I have no idea. I'm sure the owners could sue you if anyone witnessed it and you just did a "hit and run". I'm not exactly sure, you'd have to check the laws in your area.
But *morally*, yes, you should stop and help the animal if it's alive and take it to a vet. If it's already deceased, you should tell the owners or neighors what happened. It's the right thing to do.
I suspect that's what you'd want someone to do if they ran over your pet.

Answer 8

YES.YES,YES they are just as important and should be taken to a vet nearby fast they will then contact the owner to there office to pay the bill and tell them the news if not you may adopt the cat an foot the bil;l or leave and they will have to pay the bill or the person who may adopt the cat will

Answer 9

Yes, Definately! Most pets now have those special chip implants to help find out who the pet belongs to if they dont have a collar on. Take the pet to your nearest animal clinic to get it treated and the clinic will contact the owners. If your pet was hit wouldnt you want it taken care of and you be aware of what had happend? I would.

Answer 10

Of course it does. If a person is humane at all they will stop and help - cat or dog!