Conference misery::feline_v1

    
       I can sympathize, as I hit a squirrel once and it was years ago
    and I cried and i've never forgotten it...I think it comes from
    having such a strong love for animals.
    I think it's great that you cared enough to try and miss it, there are 
    alot of inconsiderate people out there, that wouldn't care or give it 
    a 2nd thought of trying to avoid hitting it...
    

    It's OK, Lynne...we know you didn't mean it. Try not to beat yourself
    up about it, I know it may be tuff, but you have a good heart, and care 
    for and give a good life to many other animals. Try to think about
    that.
    
    I almost hit a kitty cat a few weeks ago. Thank god I missed him, but
    for the first time in my life, I was faced w/ the thought of how I'd
    feel & what I'd do if I hit a kitty. I cried. It's funny (not
    funny-funny, but you know what I mean) I always thought of people who
    hit cats as mean cat killers...til it almost happened to me!
    
    Bonnie

    
    I too hit a squirrel a few years back, and still have nightmares about
    it.  I love animals so much, and I can't believe that I did such a
    thing.  It ran right under my car and I got it with my back tire, I
    know it wasn't my fault, but I still feel guilty.  Just the other day
    another came running in front of my car, and I slammed on the brakes.  I
    did miss it, but I was lucky that no other cars were around, I just
    couldn't hit another one.  Also just Monday while I was driving a bird
    flew into the side of my car.  I was so upset.  Why does this keep
    happening to me, a person who can't even step on a bug?
    
    Nancy
    
    P.s.  I went back after the bird hit the car and he was fine, just a
    little stunned, he did fly off. 
    

       It isn't anyone's fault when this happens..it's just part of the
    BIG picture. Someone who's bigger and more powerful than any of us
    "calls the shots"..   Just be happy it was not someone's "Mew" or puppy
    that was there.
    
      This time of year it would be very unusual for any squirrels born
    this year not to vbe old enough to survive. Most baby squirrels are
    born in late March or early April, so they'd be over 2 months old now,
    and with the abundant food available in the woods now, any babies could
    make it without too much problem..
    
    John McD  

    	
        	
            It happen to me too on Sunday I almost hit a squirrel on the
            highway, this can be dangerous when you try not to hit the
            squirrel you could loose the controle of the car, imagine if
            there another car behind you and you suddenly stop and the
            other hit you, you have to think of what might happen when you
            try to not hit an animal. 	
                                     		
            It hard to do but your life is more important, and also I think
            if you cause an accident for that reason your are in fault.So
            my point is if you are going at 70 miles an hour I'm sorry to
            tell you that "BUT" you are better off hit the squirrel than
            having an accident.

    As I was driving one day, I saw two birds running across the road.  By
    the time I saw them, it was too late to slow down or stop.  As I looked
    in my rearview mirror, I saw feathers flying.  I must have been in
    shock because before I knew it, I was home.  I went into the house and
    started crying.  My husband didn't know what happened!  It took me a
    few minutes to calm down and explain to him what happened.  He was kind
    enough to drive me back to the spot where I hit the birds.  But when we
    got there, there were no birds or blood--just a few feathers.  I was so
    relieved!  That would have been my first.

    Re: .5
    
    Drivers are legally required to leave enough room between their car and
    the car in front of it so that if the front car stops, they can
    also stop without hitting it.  In California, for example, an accident
    of this type is automatically the following drivers fault and his or
    her insurance company hsa to pay up. 
    

    Lynne,
    
    I was driving home for lunch one day, and a bird flew right into
    my windshield.  I felt so bad.  I immediately thought it was dead.
    When I left home to return to work, I drove the same way back to the
    office.  I didn't see any bird in the road.  I hope that it was stunned
    and then flew away.
    
    The house I grew up in in Maryland had BIG windows.  The birds would
    fly into them all the time.  We used to find them on the patio.  Sad.
    
    Keep on smiling,
    
    Julie + Heather kitty

    I have had occasion to watch squirrels running across the road
    many times.  They can have the most irratic behavior!   Please do
    NOT blame yourself.  Sometimes a squirrel will continue in a 
    straight line, but very very often I've seen them panic and run
    back and forth which makes it IMPOSSIBLE for a driver to anticipate
    their paths and miss them.  Sometimes your actions actually result in
    your driving over the squirrel because at the last moment it
    changed its direction.  
    
    I once had a bird fly right down in front of my car when I was
    driving down the highway.  It got caught in the grill and died
    instantly.  I felt HORRIBLE.  I pulled over and removed the poor
    thing from my grill and gently laid it on the side of the road and 
    covered it with leaves.  I guess I was hoping it would wake up
    again.
      Nancy

    My wife and I were out for a walk Monday night. As we passed Greeley
    Park (in Nashua) I noticed a squirrel lying in the grass by the
    roadside. I approached it and it stirred but it was obvious it couldn't
    walk. He was writhing and flopping around as though he was in some
    major distress. I crossed the street to use the pay phone and called
    the Humane Society's 24 hour rescue service. Within 7 minutes the
    person on call was at the park. She thought it could have been
    distemper or he'd been hit by a car and had a concussion. Sadly, the
    little guy had to be euthanized but at least we spared him further
    suffering and possible teasing by kids or other animals.
    
    We live very near the park so we see a dead squirrel on the road almost
    every day. I've never hit a squirrel although I've had a number of
    close calls -- I can't help but think that if people we less careless
    and not always in such a rush that fewer animals would die on the road.
    
    Mike

So many thoughts are going through my head now on this subject.

re .5 and .7 (highways and squirrels)

My husband swerved to avoid hitting a squirrel on the highway several years
ago.  Luckily, he was the only car around.  The car was totalled (though
they didn't realize it til they had done a lot of work already) by the time it
came to a stop facing the wrong way on the side of the road.  Swerving at
65 mph is not something you want to try (and Bill is an excellent driver).  He
did hit the squirrel (the cop pointed it out, nice guy), and he was indeed at
fault, being the only car involved, though he had a good argument and he did
try to fight it.  You don't have much time to decide "oh, a squirrel, it's not
a young child (or cat).  should I try to avoid it?  (etc, etc)".

On the other side, I watched a car run over a large dog that unexpectedly ran
across the street (I was in high school, and walking our own dog at the time).
The man who was driving was very upset, and I did my best to convince him he
couldn't have done anything about it.

Sure, there are always times when being alert and careful will allow you to
avoid hitting an animal, but there are also times when you just can't do a
thing to prevent it, and you need to go easy on yourself.

Jill

    I hit a squirrel a few months ago.  I cried and my boyfriend told me to
    apologize and not worry about it.  And reminded me that even though
    tailgating is illegal, dead is dead (for me--he knows my instincts
    would be to come to a screeching halt, particularly for a pet.)  I
    think I'll just start driving a little slower on those back roads,
    bearing in mind what they tell you in drivers' ed: a 'screeching halt'
    can actually take up more space than you have (but the difference
    shrinks the slower you drive.)