Yet Another Cycling Forum

Random Musings => Miscellany => Where The Wild Things Are => Topic started by: Pancho on 20 November, 2014, 12:40:28 am

Title: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Pancho on 20 November, 2014, 12:40:28 am
She didn't come in for tea. Or supper. Or bedtime. So I went hunting for her.

Found her lying on her side in the garage. Frozen cold but still just about alive. She must have dragged herself from the road - quite a distance. She's very ill and I hope hasn't got a broken back but it's not looking too good.

She's now at the vet's (crumbs, that's expensive) for a few days.

What's really sad is that she's nominally my eldest daughter's cat. A daughter who's coming home for the weekend from university where she's been very homesick and told me the other day how much she misses sitting on the sofa with her cat.  :'(
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Jaded on 20 November, 2014, 07:10:10 am
Oh, Thats really horrible. Fingers crossed. Depending on the injury they can be very resilient and have good powers of recovery, fingers still crossed.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: marcusjb on 20 November, 2014, 07:56:32 am
Just awful.

Keeping my fingers crossed for her.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: T42 on 20 November, 2014, 08:32:26 am
Horrible.  Sympathies to your daughter, too. Shame to be homesick at university, I was always sorry when term was over.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 20 November, 2014, 09:05:28 am
Oh Pancho, I'm so sorry to hear that. All fingers and toes crossed that the vet can help.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Gattopardo on 20 November, 2014, 09:48:47 am
Sorry to read, hope the furball heals quickly.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Moultonaught on 20 November, 2014, 10:17:15 am
Dreadful. Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: andrewc on 20 November, 2014, 11:39:55 am
Sorry to hear this Pancho.   Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Redlight on 20 November, 2014, 12:35:08 pm
Hope she recovers, Pancho. They are astonishingly resilient critters. But I still get edgy if either of ours don't appear at breakfast time.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Pancho on 20 November, 2014, 06:02:08 pm
Not looking good. More cat ICU needed - even before X rays. Worse in some ways - she seems perky and like her old self with the exception that she's dragging her rear around. I've promised tearful children that I'll not make any precipitous decisions until they've come home at the weekend to say goodbye.

And I'm racking up 100s of pounds a day on bills. I feel appalled at spending that sort of money on a cat when there are people in the world without even the most rudimentary medical care.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Wowbagger on 20 November, 2014, 06:58:15 pm
Best wishes to all, Pancho. I know exactly what you mean about the money for an animal. I didn't feel too bad about it when Morphy was insured as I didn't really notice the £30 or so going out each month. However, since he was 8 the terms of the insurance became very unfavourable so I cancelled it and stuck the money in an account. As luck would have it I have spent virtually nothing at the vet's in the past two years or so, but much as it would grieve me, one has to be pragmatic about the recovery chances and life expectancy of an 11 year old red setter.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Pingu on 20 November, 2014, 07:01:31 pm
Best wishes to you & your family, Pancho. I hope she pulls through.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Chris S on 20 November, 2014, 07:05:19 pm
Ugh. Pet ownership t'was ever thus. I wish you and your family well through this tricky time.

I've been in a similar situation when #1 daughter's kitten was run over and killed, but #1 son's kitten (sister of his sister's kitten - IYSWIM) was just fine. It teaches everyone important lessons - which is code for It Sucks.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: peliroja on 20 November, 2014, 10:28:27 pm
Sorry to hear this. She sounds like a tough kitty. Fingers crossed for her.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: perpetual dan on 21 November, 2014, 12:29:19 am
Fingers crossed for you, family and cat. I'll take perky as good for the cat, even if not for your conscience or wallet.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Jaded on 21 November, 2014, 08:36:03 am
Hoping that the damage is not as serious as it looks.

We had a cat hit by a car, he was totally paralysed and un responsive, but  after a day I noticed him moving his eyes when he saw me. The vet said she had seen a cat recover from similar, and he did improve, to the extent we took him home for the next weekend. It's a long story, with a long slow improvement, but we said that if he could feed himself and go to the litter tray himself we'd keep him. It was brain damage rather than spinal, and we got a little identity disc for him marked "Disabled Cat", for when he went out. He lived about another six years.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Pancho on 21 November, 2014, 07:23:37 pm
She went downhill today. Pupils of different sizes isn't a good sign. And I'm not sure she was recognising us. No improvement on the back end and she seemed to have lost control of her front legs as well.

It made the decision to euthanase a little easier. Which we did with my daughter holding her and sobbing.

Thanks for all the supportive thoughts.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: peliroja on 21 November, 2014, 07:30:16 pm
 :'(
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Jaded on 21 November, 2014, 07:31:52 pm
That's very sad. so sorry to hear that.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Basil on 21 November, 2014, 07:36:15 pm
So sorry, the Panchos.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: hellymedic on 21 November, 2014, 07:57:54 pm
Very sad. You did the right thing.
 :'( :'(
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: andrewc on 21 November, 2014, 08:09:43 pm
 :'(
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: SteveC on 21 November, 2014, 08:35:08 pm
So sorry to hear this.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Wowbagger on 21 November, 2014, 08:48:37 pm
Condolences, Pancho.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: barakta on 21 November, 2014, 09:10:07 pm
Sorry to hear this. :(
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Gattopardo on 21 November, 2014, 09:26:24 pm
Sirry to hear, hope that the daughter is ok.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Ashaman42 on 21 November, 2014, 09:34:06 pm
Sad news indeed, condolences.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Pancho on 21 November, 2014, 09:49:37 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/2Oh57Or.jpg)
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: marcusjb on 22 November, 2014, 08:28:10 am
I am so sorry to hear this. My condolences to you all.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: perpetual dan on 22 November, 2014, 08:49:28 am
Condolences to all the family, looks like a lovely cat.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Mrs Pingu on 22 November, 2014, 09:01:48 am
So sorry to hear that, condolences & hugs to you all from us.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 November, 2014, 10:54:42 am
 :(
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 22 November, 2014, 11:06:38 am
Oh, what a shame. Glad your daughter got to say goodbye.
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Peter on 22 November, 2014, 01:36:39 pm
Very sorry about that, Pancho, what a horrible experience.

Peter
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Pancho on 22 November, 2014, 02:00:27 pm
She's buried now. In her favourite sunny spot in the garden. In the summer, when the grass was unmown and full of wildflowers, you'd just see her ears or tail poking up as she rolled over, mid snooze.

For the practical minded, digging a sufficiently deep and cat-size hole takes an hour of toil in our stoney soil. And another 5 minutes to place a fantastically heavy paving slab on top - to prevent the badger population from being disrespectful of the dead.

For the accountancy minded, three days of cat ICU will set you back £1500. Apart from my ethical worries mentioned above, it was probably worth it as the cat was kept out of pain for long enough for the family to see her for one last time.

All in all, a ghastly experience. I hadn't realised how attached we'd all become to the poor creature who was only really acquired for mousing duties (which she was very good at).
Title: Re: My cat was in a collision with a car
Post by: Riggers on 19 December, 2014, 11:35:35 am
Just read all this Panchers, and like others, I'm sorry to hear about your poor old cat. You always think you'll be emotionally ambivalent with a cat passing, as they're not as companionable as a dog, say, and don't give back the same love you send to them.

In our own cat-swingonmeter, it seems disproportionately weighted from: "I love you", to: "Cheers for the food, I've sicked up most of it over there on the carpet for you to deal with." Or: "It's no point shouting, waving your arms at me from over there, I'm carrying on regardless, ensuring your lovely sofa looks like shit with my claws." And: "If it's something you don't want me to sit on… I'll sit on it."

They are missed though.