Conference misery::feline_v1

    It wasn't me who did that, but I've stopped more than once to move
    a dead cat out of the road.  Its nice to know that others recognize
    the gesture for what it is and appreciate it.
      Nancy

    I was on my lunch hour one day and I was going up Bowers (that's 
    in Santa Clara, CA.)  If you live in CA you know how Bowers can be.
    Anyway, the traffic was all stopped up in the fast lane.  Everyone 
    kept movin (like there was an accident) When I came up I noticed it was
    a little bird floppin around on the ground.  I couldn't run over him so
    I stopped right there and put my flashers on and chased the little guy. 
    When I finally caught him I really wasn't sure what to do with him? 
    So I put him in some bushes so he wouldn't get hit.  I felt bad just
    leaving him there but figured if he died it would be in peace and not
    by a car!!!!  
    
    I know this isn't a cat story but when you both were talking about
    animals in the road I thought I'd share my little story.  Sorry if it
    isn't feline related!!  
    
    Michele, Jasmine, & Silly(the mommy-to-be)
    

    In the Palo Alto area there's an organization called Wildlife
    Rescue that will help with things like this.  I don't know if
    they go as far south as Santa Clara;  you might ask them for
    future reference, and if not, ask the shelter if some organization
    exists in your area.
    

    Yes. here in MA too. It's called NEwildlife somethingorother. Last 
    year a birdie flew right into the window of my lobby & saw him flopping
    around in a puddle outside. I called & asked what to do, I was trying
    to get him to fly, looking at him, etc.
    
    They told me that they get territorial in the spring, and that he's in 
    shock. I put him in a dark box & left him alone in peace for a couple
    of hours. Then I heard him peeping & scratching, so I went outside &
    opened the box...he flew away, happy as a {{{LARK!!}}} (^%
    
    Oh, I didn't say that he was thinking his reflection was another bird,
    so he went after it!!
    
    A couple of weeks ago, I came across a big black & white longhaired
    kitty in the road. Everyone was swirving around him. I pulled over,
    so I could get him outta the road. I walked around in front of him,
    and the poor baby wasn't dead yet. It was SO SAD!!! He just layed there
    looking up at me. I pulled him aside, as gently as possible, and before
    I could get him to the curb he was gone. I cried all the way home, and
    as soon as I got in the door my babies were there smelling me like
    crazy. I got lots of hugs from my SO, and from my kids that night!!
    
    The next day when I went by, he wasn't there NEmore. I wonder if his
    owners got him, or the dog officer?
    
    I hate sad days, but ones like the day I saved that bird ALMOST make it
    better!
    
    Bonnie

    Re: .4  kitty
    
    That's so heartbreaking.  poor baby.  at least he was cared for at the
    end.
    

    
    
          that really is SAD...I think that's great that there are
       people that take the time to stop...I was driving down a road
       near my house and went by something starting to crawl into the
       road (only at first I thought it was just a rock) and when I
       saw it crawl as I was driving by I noticed it was a turtle and
       as I rounded the corner, I said to myself that pool little guy/girl
       isn't going to make it across that road, it just doesn't move
       fast enough.
       So I turned around and went back and as I pulled my car off the
       road at this dirt turnaround area, I saw this motorcycle coming
       down the road towards it and i'm like "oh no,.., so luckily 
       being a bike, he swerved around him (and the turtle tucked all
       his little legs,tail and head inside), soo I ran over to him with
       my jacket and lightly tapped on his shell (so he would do that
       again) and picked him up and put him across the street in the
       direction he was heading down toward the water...
    
    
    Oh well, that's not a Cat story either, but I figured I'd put my
      two cents in...I just think it's nice of people who take the time
      to either help the little animals whether they are still alive,
      hurt or passed away....They just can't do it on their own..sometimes.
                                                                           
    Diana
         

a good reason to always stop:

once, I was driving down a very busy street in Maynard and I saw two cats
that appeared dead on the road.  I stopped the car (in the road to stop
others from hitting the cats - middle of morning comute - I was hated that
day!) and I gently pulled both cats back to the turf next to the road.  I
then had to move my car on so as to avoid total gridlock.  When I returned
at noon to see what was what, one cat was gone!  I asked a lady who seemed
to live in the house where I had placed the cats, and she said that one
cat "came to and ran off" after approx. 20 minutes.  Apparently, he was just
knocked cold by the car that hit him.  The other cat was dead, unfortunately,
but at least one cat had a chance at recovery.  The lady was nice enough to
arrange for the dead cat to be taken care of.

so, even if they look dead, they may not be - and removing them from the road
makes sure they won't be.

    One night while driving, I caught a dark flash in the corner of my eye
    and heard a thump.  I think the cat ran into my car rather than me
    hitting it.  At first I wasn't sure what it was, so I turned the car
    around and went back.  It was a beautiful all black kitty and I was
    sure it was dead.  So, I gently moved it to the side of the road so it
    wouldn't get hit again.  When I got home I was in a bad state, so my
    husband said he would go back and try to find the owner.  I insisted on
    going with him.  The cat was exactly where I left him.  We turned the
    car around and as we pulled up behind him, he sat up!  By the time my
    husband got out of the car and tried to pick him up so we could take
    him to the vets, the cat went crazy and my husband sortof dragged him
    way over by a field and let him go.  Last we saw of the cat, he was
    sailing over the small hill into the woods!  I'm glad I stopped because
    if I hadn't moved him, he may have been run over and killed for sure.
    
    Diane

    This reminds me of when I stopped to see if I could help when
    an animal control officer was removing an opposum from the road.  I
    would have sworn the animal was dead, but she said it was in "deep
    shock."