That was lovely, that someone would take the time to take care of this cat's body and show respect to him as a once living being.

So often, you can't stop and have to drive on but I try to when I can. Some years ago, I saw a long-haired tabby in the middle of the road fairly near to home and people were driving around the body. I couldn't bear to leave him there because sooner or later someone wouldn't swerve, so I went back with rubber gloves - which turned out to be very lucky because as I picked up the body I realized it had been there for a number of hours. No-one in the area knew who he belonged to, so I simply laid him on the grass at the side of the road hoping that his owner would see and still be able to recognize him.

Another time, I was driving along my home road when I saw a white cat that I'd seen wander slowly across the road hundreds of times lying in the gutter right outside the house where he lived. I stopped and backed up to check that he was dead, and was shocked to see his head come up. When I called at the house, they were very concerned but couldn't leave to take him to the vet for an hour or so!!!!!! So, I asked for a towel, laid him on my passenger seat and drove him to the vet about five minutes away. He was very gentle and simply kept lifting up his head, meowing at me so pitifully. I found out later that he had two broken ribs and they had pierced his spinal column, paralysing him, and his owner had him euthanized since nothing could be done.

It was obvious from the way his body was laid out straight that someone had at least stopped and moved him to the gutter, but I wish they'd checked his chest for a heartbeat because he had been lying there for possibly hours as cars drove right past him. It's a lesson I have not forgotten - that an inert body does not mean the cat, or dog, is dead.