why is it that most cats get killed on the road more than anything else?

Question

why cant drivers be more aware and look out for the pussys if this happens to your cats its really really upsetting and people make me so mad by saying its only a cat

Answer 1

This is something that has been reducing me to tears for years. I have so many stories about cats killed on the road. A few were killed right in front of me. I don't drive; but my husband is always alert and only once did he have to break dangerously to avoid hitting any animal. I am his lookout on the other side; because cats are small and fast; and a driver might not notice them from his point of view alone.
My husband is near sighted, and I am far sighted, so together we make a good team!
Besides that, I know people who drive very fast but have never hit an animal. I know people who drive "carefully and slowly" but still hit a poor animal.
Could it be mentality? Some people think that roads are for cars and their relatives (lorries and such) and think they rule. Any obstacle on the road, even if a living being, is not a driver's responsibility.
Someone once told me that when it comes to crossing a road, a dog will retreat to the side of the road it came from when a car approaches, whilst a cat always proceeds onwards.
I am wary of such a generalisation, but in my experience cats are usually very road savvy except when greater danger threatens them. Most of them are hit because they are fleeing from an aggressor, or in pursuit of something.
There used to be collars with reflector tape threaded through them, and I bought them for all my cats but now they have discontinued them. Wonder why? Those big globes that you can attach to a dog's collar that flash red are simply too big and cumbersome to use for a cat.
People who say keep the cat indoors or on a leash are missing the point. The majority of cats are outdoors; some dogs escape and run around, and are often hit and killed too, and wildlife deserves to be spared from tyres and metal as much as our pets.
I don't have a good answer, but I will cheer you up by saying animals evolve at a faster rate than we do. Any survivor of an encounter with traffic learns fast, and those memories are passed on to their offspring.
I hope drivers will be more aware; especially in late spring and early autumn, when a lot of cats are on the move. And I hope someone will invent a good reflector collar or other protection so that our pets can be seen in the dark. I jwish there was a clever solution to it all, but car-crazed humans haven't evolved enough to see the sense in making every road in a residential area either a cul-de-sac or one-way; which would slow people down and keep away those who didn't know the area well enough to be on the look-out for pets. As for the countryside, I'm at a loss!
Respect for life should be everyone's aim before respect for wheels.

Answer 2

My neighbors kitten was hit this summer, right before my eyes.
I live on a residental street, the speed limit is 15 miles an hour...there is a playground four doors down across the street from me.
Does this stop some people from speeding...NO...they don't care.
That kitten could have just as easily been a small child but this person didn't even attempt to stop.
In fact he wouldn't have if he hadn't heard my scream "I got your license number".
Then and only then did he stop...then he said "I thought it was just a stray"...my answer "SO WHAT?"
You don't hit an animal and just keep going...not if you have a brain in your head and a heart in your chest.
I asked him if he would have stopped if it had been a child...he didn't answer...what does that tell you?

Thankfully the kitten wasn't killed and has made a full recovery...but he had to have part of his tail removed.

I think the answer is more responsible pet owners.
No matter what you've heard...cats DO NOT have to go outside...they lead longer happier lives as indoor cats.

Answer 3

I agree "only a cat" is a horrible way to write off the life of someone who was or could have been a beloved companion.
One reason I don't keep cats right now is I would never let them out for this fear as long as I live in an urban area.
Agreeing with others, cats do move fast, and dart out, I have had a couple sit in the roadway. I would have to come to a dead stop to keep from running them over.
I feel sorry for all animals considering the hazards today, a main reason I advocate dogs in fenced, safe gardens or on leads, and cats indoors or on leads. Yes, that can be done. They can be walked if trained, and using a small harness.
Thanks for your thoughtful question!!!

Answer 4

In all fairness to drivers it can be difficult, alot of the accidents happen at night and when a cat bolts out onto the road infront of you it is nearly impossible to stop. I dont agree with the ''its only a cat'' theory as I would be devestated if I killed a cat and even worse if someone killed mine. But you have to be practical as well as these small creatures are roaming freely and there are going to be accidents.

There are numerous things that owners can do to try and stop it happning to them as well.

1)do not get a cat if you live directly on a main road..
2)Have male cats spayed to stop them wandering to far.
3)give your cat a reflective collar

Answer 5

Its terrible when any animal is killed on our highways but it has been my visual experience that cats are not among the high casulity rate of road kill. I see more dogs, possums and raccoons than anything else. In west to central Texas it is deer that bite the dust, as many as 4 or 5 every mile and that is a conservative estimate. I have traveled this country, coast to coast many times and have seen a terrible waste of animal life but I suppose that is the cost of being able to travel across this great country of ours..

This subject reminds me of a joke I must tell you. Why did the chicken cross the road..............To show the possum it could be done.

Answer 6

I live on a very busy street and that is one reason my cat is an indoor cat. but she has escaped and I feel very fortunate she is still in one piece.
Sometimes it's not safe to stop on the road for an animal but from some of the anti-cat posts I see on here, I bet some people wouldn't stop for a cat or any other animal. Just smush them.

Answer 7

Dogs should be walked on a lead or kept in a fenced yard. Cats have no need to go outdoors and should be kept indoors. Cats allowed to roam free are subjected to all sorts of dangers and traffic is just one of them. While most people I know would brake, if possible, to avoid hurting an animal, there are times when the animals darts too quickly to be avoided or when a sudden stop would produce a chain reaction crash and endanger human lives, to say nothing of lawsuits, etc.

Answer 8

Its because in the highway code, it says that you cant stop if a cat is in the road because they are small and they can get under the car but its not true and mostly the cats get killed or hurt and people dont care and they drive off.

Answer 9

I think I have only ever seen one cat on the road before. I am forever seeing foxes, hedgehogs & badgers though. This cant be helped though as these animals only come out at night & its hard for drivers to spot them at night.

Answer 10

It sad to see cats dead on the road but shouldn't the owner keep the cat in the house so it wont be run over. I think the owner should be charge with animal cruelty because it their responsible to take care and keep their pet out of harm way.