open letter to a pet owner

[blas87]

And my parents wondered why I flipped when they said they were making Baby an outdoor cat.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I will also add that my kitty NEVER goes out at night. Why? Cuz she doesn't fucking well glow in the dark, that's why. -.- I once had to brake hard to avoid a kamakazi cat that ran in front of my motorbike at night. I only saw it cuz it had white patches; otherwise, it would have been invisible.

[HYHYBT]

I'd love to hear more about the apparently-unfounded assumptions in the original post. For example, that only those who always do what is best for their pets (not even just what they *believe* to be best) love them; that the owner let the cat out on purpose; that the owner did not care what had happened, etc. For instance, and to cover a couple of those, it could easily be that the cat got out by accident (they're sneaky when they want to be) and that the owner(s) called it and looked for a while, then gave up and went to bed because there wasn't much else they could do and because when it happened before the cat came back.

For that matter, it's a pretty big assumption to think they'd describe you as a "heartless bastard" because you ran over their cat. Unless you swerved to hit the cat, and they witnessed you doing so, neither of which fits.

[Boozy]

I'm assuming that much of what BlaqueKatt wrote was emotionally charged. She'd just been through a rather traumatic ordeal.

I'm not at all saying we can't debate her points (this IS Fratching, after all), but personally I'm giving her a bit of leeway to rant.

[HYHYBT]

That too.

Sorry if it sounded otherwise.

[Cats]

For example, that only those who always do what is best for their pets (not even just what they *believe* to be best) love them; that the owner let the cat out on purpose; that the owner did not care what had happened, etc. For instance, and to cover a couple of those, it could easily be that the cat got out by accident (they're sneaky when they want to be) and that the owner(s) called it and looked for a while, then gave up and went to bed because there wasn't much else they could do and because when it happened before the cat came back.

To me, that is precisely what makes me brand a pet owner as being irresponsible. We lost one of our cats to the outdoors many years ago BECAUSE we gave up and stopped looking for the cat, and that was the one night trouble struck. We learned that lesson the hard way. Now, with one of our cats who loves the outdoors (we live on a dead end very quiet street), we make DAMN SURE she is in by nightfall. And if she's playing games and doesn't want to come in? We grab the flashlight and go looking for her, and do not stop until she is found. I cringe every time I see a pet outside after dark. We have coyotes around here, and there's been many a pet owner who has lost a cat to one, and yet they still don't smarten up.

In my experience, pets can only sneak out either if there's an unsecured exit or the owners are not paying attention when opening windows/doors, BOTH of which can be avoided. Yes, they can be sneaky, but again, that's the exact reason one needs to be on their toes and be thinking ahead. And for those super sneaky ones, well, that's why you frequently check on them and make absolutely sure they're inside at night so things like this don't happen.

[Sunsetsky]

I'm sorry about your experience. I hope the cat is okay and gets home. I don't let my cats outside. We have foxes and coyotes where I live that have been known to go after cats. My cats have gotten out before (one of them twice)while I was at work. We had company over and they left that morning and when they left the door didn't close tight. I found one right away and my fiance and I spent an hour and a half (on my lunch break) looking for the second. We eventually found him on the wrong apartment stairwell. The other time my cat had gotten out because of the same reason. The door didn't close tightly. I ended up having to get the door fixed because I found out that it would blow open if we didn't lock the door. They haven't gotten out since thank god.

[BlaqueKatt]

For that matter, it's a pretty big assumption to think they'd describe you as a "heartless bastard" because you ran over their cat. Unless you swerved to hit the cat, and they witnessed you doing so, neither of which fits.

well I'd say this quote from a CS thread calling someone that was not seen hitting a cat proves my assumption correct. Figured it wouldn't take long, and it is from someone who responded in this very thread....interesting....

I'm so sorry. *offers you hugs and kitty snuggles* Whoever hit him and didn't stop is an ass. That's got to be about the worst thing a pet owner could experience.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Last year in November, I hit a dog. The damn thing ran out in front of me and I hit it broadside on in the gut. I went head first off my motorbike, landing on my knees in the road and scraping the visor. The motorbike, which admittedly was old and creaky but still roadworthy, had to be written off. The dog got away, but due to the internal injuries it no doubt received when my motorbike hit it, probably died afterwards.

I don't blame the dog for running out; I only caught a flash of it when I hit it (unavoidable, as it leapt out from under a hedge and right in front of me) and a rather better look as it ran yelping under a gate and into a nearby field, but it was small and collared so was undoubtedly someone's pet. I do however blame the idiot who failed to keep their dog shut up; either cuz they didn't shut their garden gate, or perhaps, cuz they were too lazy to walk it and let it out for exercise.

I felt bad for thinking this, but at the time when I was phoning the garage to come and remove my bike from the side of the road, I thought it might have been better if the dog had died on impact. True, I would have been more upset, but at least I could have found the owner by reading the tag on its collar and I could have, at the very least, gotten some money from him/her for breaking the law by having a loose dog. I certainly would have torn a few strips off him/her for having the dog running about the road.