My first foray into this newsgroup was not a nice one. Except for a very
select few who responded with caring and kindness (and to those, thank you
very much), the rest of those who responded were not very nice to me. I
didn't post to ask for your approval or your lectures....I was upset and
thought that maybe some others would understand. I wasn't looking for
someone to say "Oh, you did absolutely everything right ect." I was looking
for "Oh, I understand that you're upset and I'm sorry to hear about your
cat." I DO understand that cats/pets are living beings and that WE are
responsible for their safety when we have them...I'm not stupid. As for not
being allowed to have pets here...we are, but we aren't. When we first moved
in, it was fine...then the building got sold to another company...who now
says that no pets are allowed..although we are allowed to keep any animals
that we already had. So...once the cat is bigger, it won't be a problem, the
landlords won't know how old my cat is. I just wanted to keep her inside
until she was grown. Obviously that didn't happen, and I feel horrible about
it....but the plain and simple truth is...she was a cat...they aren't
NATURALLY inclined to live in the house without ever going outside, ever.
Their natural instincts tell them to go outside, and barring accidents
(which happen in EVERY facet of life), I see nothing wrong with allowing
them to go out. This was a very unfortunate ACCIDENT...no one's fault at
all....except for maybe the guy who ran over her, who didn't even think to
slow down or stop. Thank god it wasn't one of my kids out there...because
although she HAS been taught not to go into the street...she's 6...and they
DO things that they aren't supposed to do...unless some of you want to imply
that I should keep her under lock and key also and build her a "caged" in
area where she is allowed to play without ever venturing away from it. I
live in a rented house/townhome, therefore, I can't go out and fence the
yard or build an enclosure for either my kids OR my cat. That cat was
STARVING and almost dying when we found her. We brought her in and fed her
and gave her a GREAT life until the other day...yes, I blame myself,
regardless of what anyone says, because *I* called her...if I had just LEFT
her stay outside on her own, this probably wouldn't have happened. Did I run
right outside and check on her? No...I didn't....I saw the car go over top
of her...but as far as I could see, it did NOT hit her (I know better
now)....and after the car passed, she ran up the street and into the field,
just like she runs through the house...was I too stupid to know that even if
the car had hit her, she could still be fatally injured? Yes..I guess I was.
I really thought she was fine. If for ONE minute I had thought she was
injured, I would have gone out to get her. Yes, I WAS cooking dinner...and
it WOULD be a big deal if my house and all my possessions got destroyed by a
fire that could have started because I ran outside to chase my cat down. I
also have a daughter who was standing right next to me when all this
happened...right at the door with me. If *I* had taken off outside and into
the street, guess where *she* probably would have gone too?? Yep, right
there in the street with me. Should I abandon all sanity at that moment to
make sure that the cat that I SAW run up the street didn't die? I guess some
of you would say yes...I'm sorry to disappoint, but I don't feel that
way...my family/home are THE most important things to me...they come FIRST.
If I had thought the cat was injured I certainly would have gone looking for
her...it was about two hours later when I went and found the cat...when my
husband got home from work...maybe even an hour, I don't remember now. But
she had been dead for a while...I believe now that she died instantly (as
soon as she got into the field anyway).  There was nothing that I could have
done to save her, I'm pretty sure of that...not positive, no...but what's
done is done. I feel horrible about the cat....I apologized to her and to my
children and everyone else involved in this. Will I get another cat? YES I
will. This coming week. Why? Because we are animal lovers, because my
children, as "irresponsible" as some of you like to think they are, would
NEVER allow something to happen intentionally to any animal....IF anything
happens to any future animals that we get...it will be an ACCIDENT...and
those happen every single day, in every area of life. Will I try to keep the
cat inside...yes I will. Will I always be 100% successful? NO, I'm sure that
I won't. Will I run crazy out into the middle of the street if the cat gets
out? No...probably not. Will I go outside as soon as I can if something
WOULD happen? Yes, definitely, which is what I should have done this time.
It was plain old not knowing and ignorance that caused me not to this time.
Anyway, regardless, I'll keep lurking here and reading the posts, because
they are interesting to me. Just wanted to let some of you know that if
someone is coming in with a sad story and just wants an "I'm sorry", please,
just give them THAT...not a lecture, they dont' deserve it and neither do
I....unless they do something that is totally against the animal.....which
what I "did" was not.
Nancy