Well the neighbor did it. :(

**Fox-Gal** · 04-19-2004, 12:26 PM

She hit one of my strays with her car!!!!

Her speeding down the lane again as always, I was so afraid that this would happen one day and it did.

This is what she told me. Her father has cancer and the reason she speeds down the lane is because she gets calls to go see him. So the only thing she can think about is to get to him as fast as she can.

I'm sorry her father is ill and can understand her worrys and wanting to get to him fast, so she feels the need to speed down the lane out to him. The thing is she wasn't going out the lane she was coming in the lane, home when she hit my baby!!!

She never even said she was sorry, just gave me a roll of her eyes and off she went.

15 years I have lived here and never had a problem with my neighbors, they all knew to take their time going down the lane and to look out for the strays I feed. Every neighbor I've had, has been so good about it and understanding. They even tell their friends not to speed down the lane because of me. But now she moves in and I worry every time I hear a car coming down the lane, watching and waiting for something else to happen.

For some reason, she seem to think that because it was a stray cat, that I shouldn't be that upset and thats it not a big deal. I even e-mailed a friend and told her about what happened, just to vent a little and she too, thought it was no big deal. Just because they are strays make the lose no less painfull or their life less important, then any of my other pets.

My faith in people, is really being tested right now. How hard is it to at least say your sorry. As angry as I was at her, I still had the heart to tell her how sorry I was that her father was ill. It's the only kind, right thing to do.

I'm done venting, thanks for hearing me out. What a great way to come back to PT!!

And please don't anyone say anything about the fact that I have cats OUTSIDE, I couldn't take that right now and don't need it. I've done the best I can for the strays around here, I catch them, get them fixed and care for them the best I can, just some of them, refuse to become house cats. It's a shame that I even felt I had to add this.

**nibblets** · 04-19-2004, 12:40 PM

She needs to slow down just for the fact that it could be any living thing, cat, dog, child, jogger...whatever that she plows down. I had a neighbor who liked to speed up our street like it was a drag strip. I am not sure what happened, but he has slowed it down a lot. I am thinking someone in the neighborhood called the police on him. Either that or he finally blew up the engine in his truck. He was very dangerous, not to just animals but everyone.

**ramanth** · 04-19-2004, 12:41 PM

Oh Fox Gal, I'm so sorry.

How inconsiderate and rude of that woman. Would it even be worth it to complain to the guy she moved in with?

**jazzcat** · 04-19-2004, 12:41 PM

I'm so sorry!!!!

She sounds like such a witch and I'm sure her father is a convenient excuse for her driving. Like you said, she was coming in, not going out to him - grrr!!!!

Didn't you say that you are allowing them to use your drive to get to their house? Can't you use that as leverage? Like threaten to cut off their access if she doesn't slow down? Have you called the county and asked them what your options are for slowing down a speeding neighbor? It might be worth a try.

Again, I'm so sorry about the kitty.

**Karen** · 04-19-2004, 12:42 PM

Any chance of installing speed bumps?

**trayi52** · 04-19-2004, 12:48 PM

Fox-Gal, first so happy to see you back! I have missed seeing your posts.

Sorry to hear about the poor little stray kitty, that woman needs to learn to slow down and have respect for living things. I just don't know what you could have done to stop it, nothing I can think of. You have done everything to try and slow her down, so the only one to blame here is the speedy woman.

Again, I am so glad to see you back, hope you are feeling better, and things are getting at least a little better for you.

Willie

**guster girl** · 04-19-2004, 12:51 PM

Or installing strips of nails?

That'd slow her down a bit. I'm sorry about your kitty. Some people just don't get it. Heck, I know how you feel. I was upset the other day when a little baby bird I was taking to a rehabilitator died, and, I had only been aware of it's existence a few hours. It doesn't matter about the circumstances. A life lost, is a life lost, regardless. Again, in times like these, my quote (signature) rings very true.

**Fox-Gal** · 04-19-2004, 01:03 PM

Would it even be worth it to complain to the guy she moved in with?

I've done that so many times already, he says hes sorry, but I don't think he really cares. He getting sex thats all he cares about.

Didn't you say that you are allowing them to use your drive to get to their house?

Yeah, but I have to, the county says that I have to give them use of my lane. Nothing I can do about that. I knew years ago that I should have bought that 1 acer of land and then I wouldn't have this problem.

Any chance of installing speed bumps?

We are working on that idea, we just have to figure out how and where. It is a dirt lane so that makes it a little harder to build speed bumps. I'm thinking about dig out small ruts along the road, so instread of bumps up, there will be bumps down. We just need to make it so it doesn't effect us to much. My husband drive a show car and the road, as it is now, is hard enough for us to drive without adding bumps. It alread takes us forever to get down the lane at .1 mile an hour.

**lizbud** · 04-19-2004, 01:05 PM

I see nothing wrong with installing speed bumps or even a
gate across the road. It would not have to be locked, but she
would have to stop her car to open & enter & stop again to close
the gate back.

I'm sorry Fox-Gal, but you are being way to nice to this person.
She & the boy friend are showing no respect or regard for you
or the animals who live there. This really ticks me off that it's the
poor kitties that have to pay the price for her stupidity.

**lizbud** · 04-19-2004, 01:23 PM

Fox-Gal,

Sorry, we must have been posting at the same time. I see
you all have considered the bumps.

This just makes me so angry & sad for the animals & I know
you sure don't need the aggravation. I have two outside cats,
my feral Momma cat & another stray (Baby) cat who spend their
nights in my garage. They are free to come & go as they wish
during the day. It would brake my heart if either one was hurt
by some stupid & careless person.

I wish you the best in solving this problem. Liz.

**emily_the_spoiled** · 04-19-2004, 01:41 PM

Instead of installing speed bumps have you thought about installing cattle "rails". I am sure the people out in cattle country can give you a better description but here is mine:

There is a trench that is dug into the road and then a piece of square metal with a number of pipes inside is laid into the trench. It looks kind of like a tic-tac-toe board without the vertical lines. They are designed so that cattle can not get out of the pasture area on the road. Having driven over them in the past, you definitely do not want to be going very fast!!!

I am very sorry to hear about your kitty. One of my strays was killed last winter because of anti-freeze so I understand your feelings. Even though they are not inside your home they are inside your heart

**Fox-Gal** · 04-19-2004, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by emily_the_spoiled
Instead of installing speed bumps have you thought about installing cattle "rails". I am sure the people out in cattle country can give you a better description but here is mine:

I've seen those and they are a great idea, it should make things a lot harder for her. Thanks for the idea. I was worried about digging ruts, thinking they might just fill them back in, but with the cattle rails they can't.

They are going to hate me, but who cares at this point, they showed me no respect, so they can't expect me to be forgiving forever.

**emily_the_spoiled** · 04-19-2004, 02:22 PM

At this point, do you really care what your neighbor's think of you... If you really want to slow her down add a gate onto the road (without the automatic opener). Using the cattle rails probably won't bother your husband's show car as much as a speed bump might...

**bluekat** · 04-19-2004, 03:56 PM

Aww I'm so sorry

That woman was very inconsiderate and I'd be really really mad too if I were you. Not even a sorry or anything? And I hate when people think that its "just a stray". So what difference is that anyways...its still a living thing.
I hope you get something done and hope it doesn't happen again.

**rg_girlca** · 04-19-2004, 04:11 PM

I'm so sorry about your stray. May he/she Rest in Peace.

I hope whatever you decide to do works, so this inconsiderate, coldhearted woman finally learns to slow down. What irks me is the fact that it concerns a danger for animals and it is no big deal to her. Now, would she have the same thoughtfullness if it concerned a child?