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Dead cat in my driveway

Anonymous

When I left for work yesterday morning, there was a dead cat in my driveway. The first thing I did was call animal control, thinking they might come out and see if it was microchipped so we could find the owner. Instead, they told me to bury it, and then took down my information in the event anyone calls them looking for it. Thank God for internet and cell phones, because the next thing I did was email the president of our neighborhood homeowners' association. It was only a couple of minutes after she forwarded my message to everyone in the subdivision that I received a phone call from one of our neighbors. She thought it might be her cat, but she wasn't sure, so she asked if we could take a picture of it and send it to her. As luck would have it, my DD happened to be home, so she sent a cell phone pic to the lady. It was her cat, so she and her husband came and got it. Turns out the cat had some sort of infection and was on medication. I guess it just keeled over in our driveway, as it did not show evidence of being hit by a car or mauled by a predator. Still, I wonder what kind of pet owner lets their pet roam around without a collar like that. Also, I later found out (from an email I received from another neighbor) that this cat had been showing up at her doorstop to eat her cat's food. This is such a far cry from the way I treat our two cats, as it has been proven that outdoor cats only live an average of 4 years. Also, my cats are microchipped and also wear collars with both ID and rabies vaccination tags attached.

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27 replies

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Transcona Shannon

Veteran

How horrible for you to find that poor cat like that! This is an issue that I'm very passionate about - I've had cats for 20+ years and I do not understand other cat owners who let their pets roam like wild animals. First of all, why did you get a pet then if you have no intention of caring for it properly? Secondly, I'm tired of cleaning other cat poop out of my garden like it's some giant litter box - keep your pet at home so you can look after its waste. My cats do not go outside and do not miss it one bit. They are healthy, happy, well cared for and have a variety of toys and play time with us for stimulation and exercise. Even our vet says the myth that cats need to roam around to be happy is totally false. Our two babies were adopted from a no kill pet rescue shelter, have been microchipped, vaccinated etc in case they ever do get out. I worried that both having been "wild" previous to rescue that they would constantly be at the door to get out - nothing could be further from that. Two days after we brought them home, it was like they had hit the kitty lottery jackpot and were completely smitten with being doted on house pets.

rae

(website)

Veteran

1 - I'm shocked that animal control told you to *bury* this animal *yourself.* What the heck?? What if it died of disease? What if you are a poor digger and don't bury it deep enough? What else is animal control there for if not to handle stuff like this? Totally lame.

2 - I share your disappointment in how the poor kitty was cared for. I have also heard that cats live an average of 4 years outdoors - and up to 20 indoors. It is a dangerous world that regularly cuts a life down to 1/5 its potential. I am also not thrilled that the owners let the cat roam and eat who-knows-what when it was on medication... seems counter-productive...

oh well, I know there is no way to control other people, but I can't imagine my cats living on the streets. At least you and DD took the initiative and found the owners so that kitty could be mourned properly. :T

Jjsloane

Veteran

I agree with Rae's point #1 and am also sorry you had to deal with this.

I would hesitate to judge the owner too harshly. Until recently, I had 2 cats and one went outdoors (for his sanity and that of the other indoor only cat). He wore a collar (but was not microchipped) and everyone knew him by name (on his tag), but slipped his collar off until we found one he could not get off himself. He lived to be 9 and only died due to a congenital heart defect - not as a result of his outdoor activities. He came home every night in the winter and every morning in good weather. He followed us on walks around the neighborhood and made routine visits to all the school bus stops each morning. The other cat is quite content to stay indoors and only ran out once to beg to be let back in. Growing up we always let our cats out and several lived to be 12 despite a few run ins with other animals and cars.
It was kind of you to find the owners and I'm sure they are relieved to know the fate of their pet.

Diana

Veteran

Poor kitty. =(

ironkurtin

Veteran

Don't judge too harshly, please - I'm sure your neighbor tried to do what she thought was best and feasible for this poor cat.

However, I would report animal control to your governing agency. "Just bury it" is not a suitable response, jeez.

Anonymous

I don't judge my neighbor for allowing her cat to go outdoors. That's certainly her perogative. I do, however, feel strongly that her cat should have been wearing a collar with both ID and rabies tags attached. That would have allowed me to know instantly who the cat belonged to. As for the rabies tag, it's the law in our county that all pets must wear rabies tags attached to collars if allowed to go outside. For all of the reasons mentioned in this thread, I am very disappointed with animal control. Personally, I would not feel good if I knew one of my cats were eating at someone else's house. They are my cats to raise, and my expense. Still, maybe she didn't know that was going on, so I will not judge. My family and I are happy we were able to return the cat to its rightful owners so they would (1) know what happened to their cat and (2) be able to bury it themselves. Had one of my own pets been missing, I would have wanted someone to contact me and I would have wanted to give it a proper funeral. My daughters and I were all crying over this dead cat. It was so sad.

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

Ruth, how distressing and I share your love and compassion for cats and concur with Rae's thoughtful words. I don't understand why people let their cats outside to the harsh elements. I always feel sad when I see a cat hunkered down under a car at night (which can lead to another bad scenario where a cat wants to stay warm and sits on the engine). There are too many predators, cars, etc. for our lovely domesticated felines to have to endure and be subjected to and I am clueless as to the response by Animal Control. Isn't that their job? Sadly, not everyone feels the way we do. You did a very good thing.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

What an unfortunate incident. I have had a number of cats over the years - most that I inherited when they were already well into adulthood. There was one in particular that would sit in the windows and stare out and tried to escape every chance she got. It was not an uncommon sight for the neighbors to see me dashing into the field in hot pursuit. I tried a collar and she managed to get it off. I even tried one of those harnesses but she was adamant that it was going to come off. I finally gave up and confined her to the house. After at least two years of being housebound, she still would almost leap through the glass of the kitchen window when there were other animals in the yard (deer, rabbits, ducks, etc.)

Instinct is very strong in some animals.

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Very sad...really kind of you to do the right thing and try and figure out who the owner was. Loose and stray animals are a huge problem where I grew up and is a minor problem where I live now, but its always distressing for me to see a domesticated animal running loose Our neighbor always puts her cat out, no matter how bitter cold it is and the poor thing has lost parts of its ears and several toes missing, due to freezing/frostbite...it is a particular irritant for me, needing to shoo the cat away, due to the number of birds/squirrels I feed. Ive seen several 'road kills' and it upsets me every time.... bless you and your daughter for caring!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So sad...poor kitty and poor you. And the Animal Control people sound pretty irresponsible.

I have to confess - my cat goes outdoors. We wanted him to be an indoor animal, but after several near-decapitations (his) as he made a beeline for the door, we finally relented. And he is much happier for it.

My previous cats were all indoor animals. I do think it is safer for them. But sometimes you just have to accept the animal you've got. Fortunately, I live on a quiet street and he seems to have his wits about him. Mostly he roams the back gardens and alleyways. He is microchipped and has all his shots and will not be fathering any babies.

And right now he is sleeping in a sunny spot in my study.

Anonymous

There are squirrels, snakes, deer and coyotes in my neck of the woods; not to mention cars, as we live in a subdivision. If I had no other reason to let my cats out, the aforementioned dangers would be enough. It really bothers me that we live in an upper-income neighborhood and still see things like this going on. It's not like people aren't educated.

I wish to point out that we adopted our 2 cats from the local humane society, where they try to screen prospective pet owners carefully and try NOT to allow them to be adopted into homes where they will be let outside to roam around loose. I did everything I could to adopt cats that the humane society had determined to be indoor cats. It didn't seem right to me to adopt cats who were already used to roaming around, and then bring them to my house and make them stay indoors. That seemed like a recipe for trouble.

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

How awful. I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Ruth.

I am not a fan of free-range cats. If I were a cat owner, I would not do it and I do find it irresponsible. However, I do not judge the owners of free-range cats provided that they recognize the risk and don't get up on a high horse if/when something terrible happens to their pet. If you do it, accept the risks and don't go all ballistic when something predictable happens - that is your choice.

I own dogs that are VERY prey driven and would 100% absolutely kill a cat were they to catch one (one of them has many times when we lived out in the country). My dogs never, ever run loose - all cat deaths occurred *in my fenced back yard*. I have caught so much flack from free-range owners I do get steamed about it. Not to mention how badly I feel for the poor kitty!

I even had one lady give me an ear full recently because her cat "had been on this corner when she left earlier" but was not there when she returned and spotted me allowing my dogs to have a sniff of the nearby telephone pole (they were leashed of course). Clearly I must have allowed my dogs to do something nefarious!

christieanne

Veteran

How sad! And upsetting. My long response below - sorry for that and don't have to read it but I went down cat memory lane and was getting sad thinking of my beloved furbabies.
I am glad to know there are so many caring people on YLF.

I am surprised by Animal Controls response and would lodge some kind of complaint.
Every town or area has different rules I guess but that seems odd.

We have had two experiences with AC in two cities over last fifteen years - we did home hospice care for two indoor beloved cats (one was 10 and had a brain tumor that very expensive chemo didn't help - yes we are those crazy cat people and one was a 13 year old who didn't recover from an infection) and the Berkeley animal control has a service where you can bring your pet for cremation and pay $50 (you don't get the ashes) donation. If we used our vet it would be much more. You have to be able to transport your beloved pet yourself.
They will take abandoned, deceased strays for free and I would imagine they pick up because why would the city want animals buried or abandoned all over? It may be a delay though with budget cuts as they are.

All of our cats have been indoor - we have had 6 altogether - but we did have one many years ago who loved going on the front porch and sitting next to us. She only went outside with us. But one day, she must have opened the screen door and gone out alone. At some point she went into the street and was hit by a city bus. The bus driver actually stopped and told a neighbor. He had already called Animal Control and then decided to ask around. AC came and asked my DH if it was ours or a stray. I was hysterical but AC officer told him to sign that it was a stray since that was free if you don't want the ashes.

I have never let a cat outside since then and they don;t seem to miss it. They LOVE looking out the window but I think they wouldn't know what to do out there. They get tons of exercise and fresh air indoors. And yes they are chipped and vaccinated even as indoor boys.

My parents cat lived to be 19 years old and was an indoor/outdoor roamer. She was abused as a kitten and a neighborhood rescue and I think indoors wouldn't have worked for her. She seemed pretty successful for 19 years! You just never know.

I am very upset with my next door neighbor as there was a sweet stray lurking about that she started to feed. We would feed outside if she was gone and he begged (loudly). My DH convinced her to have him fixed and a check up but she decided it was too pricey. We even offered to pay and take him to local city program that does this and she refused. Then my DH found him a good home with another neighbor - this girl refused and said it was her cat. I think she ignores Mr.Buddy (our name for him) and it bothers me so I do feed him occasionally.

Hopefully this kitty had a nice life and I am sad at how he died but don't want to make assumptions about the owners. I am glad you cared about him

catgirl

Veteran

I CAN"T believe animal control would tell you to take care of it. What if it died of something awful like rabies? Sorry for your neighbor but glad you found a solution.

Our cat goes outside (only in summer, of course) mostly because it's too hard to keep her in with the dog going in and out all the time. She mainly stays in the fenced yard, and she does hunt voles. She is microchipped, and we have a lot of yard space. She generally comes in when called (at night, or when we leave for work). If she was sick or on meds I would not let her roam outside, though. There is the off-chance she could get picked up by an eagle, but that has happened to small dogs here too.

Our last cat was also an outdoor cat and lived to be 19 when he died of liver disease. Once they go outside, it's really hard to stop them from wanting to be out there - Riley would howl and tear up the screen, or just lurk and make a run for it when we let the dog out.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oh - and I would never leave my guy outside all night. He comes in. Or else!

The truth is, he's probably best described as an indoor cat who takes excursions. What he really loves to do is follow me when I go for a walk. He won't tolerate a leash (we tried) but he will "heel" as I walk around the block - or anywhere, really!

Anonymous

When I was growing up, all of our pets--cats and dogs--were outside. BUT we lived way out in the country where there were very few cars, and everybody knew us. It was a different era. We were responsible pet owners, though, and our pets were always very well cared for, collared and tagged. We certainly never allowed any sick or diseased animal to roam around. Seems to me like a sick or diseased animal might possibly infect another animal or human--NOT a good idea!

Interesting to me was when the lady said her cat didn't have a collar because his collar had gotten caught on something and from then on she decided to let him go without. Our cats have break-away collars that stay on unless caught, at which time they snap free so the pet's neck is not caught or hung on something.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Ew. Gross. What a delightful way to start your day.

That's the trouble with cats. Even if they're microchipped and collared, they still get hit by cars and get into fights with other cats. But it seems unfair to keep them inside all the time. I'm not sure what the solution is. (Well, except to own a dog instead of a cat....hehehe)

Echo

Veteran

I won't comment on cats being outdoor or indoor, but in a neighborhood with a homeowner's association I am surprised that no one had complained about an outdoor cat. Cats can often be trouble for neighbors who enjoy birds or feeding small mammals, and animal waste in a nice neighborhood is usually frowned upon. Someone ought to bring up at the next neighborhood meeting.

Anonymous

Our homeowners association president just sent out an email last week reminding everyone about the leash law. There have been complaints about dogs running around loose. I haven't complained about it lately, but there's a certain street my DH and I never walk down because of a big black lab that's not on a leash. He's big and has a fierce-sounding bark. I don't want to get close to him.

Also, you'd think people would be concerned about burying animals in the neighborhood. I did take the time to ask my boss, the county ag. agent, if there would possibly be any liability associated with finding a dead cat in our yard. He said there wouldn't be because it's a "he said, she said" kinda thing. Still, I did think about the possible legal ramifications of burying or disposing of someone else's pet. I had it in my mind that if no one in the neighborhood responded that same day to the email that was sent out, I would get the cat off my property because I didn't want it to sit there and decompose, and I didn't want it bagged up and stinking up my trashcan. I didn't want to touch it, either. Because I could see it had not been hit or mauled, I figured it had been sick or diseased. Turns out I was right.

So yeah, finding the owner was the right thing to do for the sake of the owner, but also for my own protection. I called animal control back to let them know I found the owner so I don't get calls from people looking for a lost gray cat. I'm still debating what to do about animal control. I may call the human society and ask them what they think.

Victoria

(website)

Veteran

I am sorry you had to deal with somthing like that, it sounds awful. I have bleeding heart for animals so that would have been horrible for me to deal with. I know people let their animals go outside but I don't approve of that. There are too many things that can happen to them if you live in the city. I have a friend who had 2 cats so far and lost both of them because she let them go outside.

Anonymous

I sincerely hope that lady was responsible enough to spay or neuter her cat. Since the cat didn't wear a collar and was eating food at another neighbor's house, I kinda wonder. Let's hope she cared about the cat and was perhaps not as irresponsible as it appears. I hate to judge that harshly.

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

I thought I would just throw this out there....

In some cities and states where there are leash laws, drivers can sue the owners of pets if there is damage to their car when the animal is hit.

I thought I should mention too, that I did tell my free range cat owning neighbors on either side of my house of the mortal danger to their pets. So far we seem to have a higher cat intelligence quotient in the "new" neighborhood.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I can understand free range cats outside the cities, but I grew up in the suburbs even. We had something like 8 cats while I lived there, and 6 of them disappeared. Coyotes, cars, possums. The neighbor's cat was beaten by *humans* and had to be put down. Sorry to be graphic, but I've seen too many lives cut short and I feel so strongly about this. If you have a free range cat in the city, please consider taking it in - exercise and entertainment are all the cat needs. If you provide this with toys and conversation, the cat won't crave the outdoors that badly.

Louise

Veteran

How sad for you to find that poor kitty and what a rubbish response from animal control. Our furbabies are allowed out in the day but we get them in before dark. They are all microchipped but don't wear collars because of the safety issues of them getting caught on something and hanging themselves I know you can get quick release ones but we'd rather not risk it x

Anonymous

We're in the suburbs, in a neighborhood that looks and feels like it's way out in the country but in actuality is close to the highway.

@ Louise: Since the cat looked well fed, I assumed it was somebody's pet. That's why I called animal control. I thought maybe they could check to see if it was microchipped, and thus lead me to its owner. Had I known they were just going to take down my information and then tell me to bury it myself, I would never have bothered to call them. My reason for having collars on my cats is because (1) not everyone is going to check to see if they're microchipped and (2) it is the law in our county that all pets that go outdoors must wear a collar with a rabies tag attached. My cats don't go outdoors, but if they ever do get out, at least I know they're properly ID'd and in compliance with the law.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, I believe animal control told you that, scandalous as it is. It is unclear to me what they do. I tried calling them once about a stray dog, un-neutered, running around our neighborhood spraying everything (and we have nothing but massive boulevards). They said, if he hadn't bitten anyone, they wouldn't come out. And if he had, they wouldn't come out until the next day. Hello! And then I had a friend whose dog got mauled at an off-leash dog park, 40 stitches. They fined her because her dog was off-leash but the other dog had a leash on that he was dragging around while he ran all over and had her dog's throat between his jaws. To me, the most dangerous sort is the kind that has their medium-to-big dog on leash-and-collar and doesn't know what that's about. That leash isn't going to do a darn thing to hold the dog back, but it's a good way for them to incite their dog to riot.

Anonymous

The cat story gets sadder. My DD told me last night that when our neighbor and her husband came to get the cat, she said she didn't know if it was microchipped or not and said, "My husband would know. He's the one that takes it to the vet." Also, the woman's husband asked her, "Are you sure this is your cat?" Had I been there (I was at work), I would have been tempted to tell them that if the cat had a collar and ID tag, they would know for sure that it was their cat. Good thing I wasn't there, I guess.