Please don't read if you get upset easily

[Anikaca77]

Well as much as everyone here knows I love cats to death I mean I do. Last night something very terrible happened to me.

I was driving 25 which was the speed limit and I was with my husband and I was watching the road and out of no where I felt 2 bumps in the car.

I looked in my rear view mirror and there was this cat lying on the road well at first I didn't know what it was until I stepped out of my car and heard it meow once and I yelled to my husband oh god it's a cat. I ran over to it and I just said oh god i'm so sorry and I gave it a pat on the head and I heard it take 2 deep breaths and Rob told me to go get a blanket so I ran back to the car and by the time I ran back to the cat he was already gone.

I cried so hard so we just moved it to the grass area and I just cried and cried.

There was no collar on the cat and I didn't think to take it to the vets to see if it had a microchip. I cried so bad last night and all I can do is think about it.

I'm so sorry I never saw you orange cat. I'm so sorry.

Melissa

[Medusa]

You can't blame yourself for something that was inevitable. This has happened to so many of us and though it makes us feel terrible, it's accidental. Several years ago I too hit a cat and she ran away. I pulled off to the side of the road and knocked on the door of the nearest house and the woman said "Yes, that was my cat. You hit my favorite cat and she's pregnant!" That really upset me even more but I told her "If she's your favorite and pregnant, then why are you letting her roam where something like this could happen? I'll do my best to find her w/your help. I could've just kept going but I want to make sure she's ok." The woman told me "Just leave." So I did. I cried for days but I had to accept the fact that it truly wasn't my fault. And this wasn't your fault either. So dry your tears and know that I and all other PTers are feeling your pain and are sending out prayers for your peace of mind. The beautiful orangie is now at rest and she's already forgiven you.

[Medusa]

You can't blame yourself for something that was inevitable. This has happened to so many of us and though it makes us feel terrible, it's accidental. Several years ago I too hit a cat and she ran away. I pulled off to the side of the road and knocked on the door of the nearest house and the woman said "Yes, that was my cat. You hit my favorite cat and she's pregnant!" That really upset me even more but I told her "If she's your favorite and pregnant, then why are you letting her roam where something like this could happen? I'll do my best to find her w/your help. I could've just kept going but I want to make sure she's ok." The woman told me "Just leave." So I did. I cried for days but I had to accept the fact that it truly wasn't my fault. And this wasn't your fault either. So dry your tears and know that I and all other PTers are feeling your pain and are sending out prayers for your peace of mind. The beautiful orangie is now at rest and he's already forgiven you.

[Taz_Zoee]

I am in tears reading this. I had a similar experience. I worked at a day care and we did van runs to local schools to pick up children. This one day we had to take two vans. I was in the front van and my co-worker was following me. Me and this other person didn't get along too well.
On the way a black cat came out of no where and I didn't have time to do anything. I cried so hard on the way to the school. When we got there the other driver just came up to me and grabbed me in the biggest hug. She helped me calm down, because I didn't want the children to see me so upset and ask what happened.
On the way back to the center we passed the spot and the kitty was laying lifeless in the middle of the road. I couldn't even do anything about it. I tried my hardest to control the tears from flowing again since I had the kids in the van.
I can only take comfort that it didn't appear that the kitty suffered too much.
Please don't beat yourself up about it. You did stop, something I couldn't do.

[Laura's Babies]

That is a nightmare for those of us who love them like we do. At least you stopped and tried to help the poor kitty. I simply do not understand people who let them outside.

[jennielynn1970]

I have moved many I have found killed out of the middle of the road, and a few that were up by my mom and dad's on the back country roads are now buried on our farm at home. It just breaks my heart that they are left there to die a cold and lonely death.

Melissa, you did what you could. It's unfortunate that the owner left it outside.

Play hard at the bridge little one...

[Lizzie]

Melissa - I am so sorry that this happened to you, and it did happen to you, you didn't do anything to hurt this cat. You stopped, very many do not, and you tried. I'm willing to bet that if he'd survived the bump you would have rushed him off to the emergency vet, frantically worrying about how you were going to find the funds to treat him. His owner is to blame, and fate.

It's my worst nightmare, worrying about hitting an animal, especially a cat. I did have a mallard fly into my windscreen, shattering it completely, many summers ago. I spent hours and hours, all the time crying, scrambling through brush trying to find that bird but I never did. For many, many months afterwards I blamed myself for driving 2 miles an hour over the speed limit - it was a highway. If I'd been driving at exactly the speed limit, chances are that it would have cleared my car.

Forgive yourself.