So, on my way home from work last night I encountered what I thought was a dead cat in the middle of the road. Now day to day if I was to pass a dead cat on the road my heart would wrench, I would call out "Oh!" and then :( but would ultimately keep going thinking that another scavenger animal, or even possibly DOT, would come and take the poor thing away. Last night as I came upon the cat that's exactly what I did, until just as I was passing I caught in the corner of my eye the cat moving. I drove a little further down the road and something made me stop, turn the car around, and go back. As a proud owner of 2 obese lovable fur-balls (my BABIES!!!!), I would hate to see anything in pain and suffering. As I came back I found a very beautiful orange and white stripped tabby lying in the road, he obviously had been hit by a car and left for dead (some people SUCK!!! >:( ). He had lost his stomach contents and his breathing was very heavily labored.
I called 911 immediately. I had been told at some point by someone, of whom and when I can't recall now, that you are supposed to report to the police now when you hit a dog OR a cat. Since this poor animal was lying helpless in the road by itself, I had to assume the person who hit it carelessly kept driving and probably didn't even think about calling anyone.
I waited what seemed like eternity for a state trooper to show up, it was probably only about 10-15 minutes. A very kind NYS trooper came and felt bad for the animal but stated that it was against departmental rules to transport any sick or wounded animals in his vehicle. Shortly after a Saratoga Co. Sheriff's deputy showed up, and unfortunately said the same thing. So, they asked if I would be willing to drive the poor thing to the local animal hospital. The two officers scooped up the cat in a make shift gurney made of a bio-hazard bag and plopped him into my trunk.
On the way up to the Northway Animal Emergency Clinic off of exit 17N a rabbit shot out in front of my car! I hit the brakes and swerved....now hindsight being 20/20-NOT THE BRIGHTEST MOVE, especially with the trooper following behind me at a very close distance. Well, that little scare woke me right up. We pulled into the parking lot and after we got out I asked the trooper if he hit the rabbit, he said no-he avoided it, but that "in the future keep driving straight". He said that driving at that speed (I was doing about 71-72mph) I could have very easily lost control of the car. In my head I'm naively thinking-Ya right, I was in complete control....NOT! He was right....again, I say...hindsight 20/20!
Well they were very nice at the Animal clinic. They asked me if they could save him would I keep him. I had to tell them I already lived in a house with 4 cats (I only claim ownership of 2-the other 2 are my mother's) and that if I came home with 1 more I would be shot. Unfortunately, they had to put him down. I was frankly surprised that when I opened the trunk he was still alive. I thought for sure that he would have take his last breath in the back of my car. And I think my refusal for adopting the cat had something to do with them putting him down. It's much cheaper for an animal hospital to euthanize an animal than it is to fix it up and nurse it back to health. They did have 2 very pretty cats that had been saved by a vet that now live at the hospital. They are blood donor cats-giving life to other cats that are in the same predicament they once were.
In the end I finally made it home an hour and a 1/2 after I had left work. I didn't get to sleep until well after 1am. Having to wake up at 6am this morning-not pretty. I didn't take any melatonin fearing that if I did I would feel like a train hit me. I will be taking it tonight and going to bed at a fairly reasonable time :D
So-the moral of the story-if you want to own a cat-TAKE CARE OF IT! I know some people would disagree with me, but I think cats should be in the house...my babies are indoor cats and are declawed. They couldn't hurt a fly. Well...maybe a fly...or as we call them...crunchy-munchies for the kitties.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Good Samaritan turns Recurring Insomniac
Posted by Heather in Waiting at 3:37 PM
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I know exactly how you feel. I myself have 7 cats and live in Troy. A few years ago I was driving down a city street and saw something fly across the street. I at first thought it was a grocery bag, but something made me go back. I found this little cat lying in a snowbank, hardly breathing or moving. I scooped her up, got in my car and called my vet. They were closing but said they would wait for me. I made it there in about 10 minutes and they were wonderful. I agreed to take the cat-they did xrays and found she had a shattered pelvis and broken back-right at the tail. They kept her for a while and then I took her. She lived in my apartment in a bedroom all by herself in a playpen. I would go home from work 2-3 times a day and I had to express her bladder. It was awful. I also had to give her enemas 2 times a week. I loved this little girl-whom I named: Bumpers. She was the sweetest thing. She eventually began to walk again and her tail was gaining strength-it was almost back to normal. For some reason I sensed something wrong and one night I said to her: "you need to tell mommy if you can't do this anymore" and the next morning I woke up and she was bleeding. I rushed her to the vet and her bladder ruptured. There was nothing they could do. I had to put her down. I would do it again if I had to-even though I spent well over 3,000.00 in fixing her. But I too, hate that people can't take care of their animals. Three of my cats go out, but they only stay out for a few minutes at a time and I live on a dead end street and usually don't worry. I won't let them stay out if I am leaving the house. I wish there were laws for that kind of stuff, it irritates me to no end.
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