I found a cat on the road…

I found a cat on the road…

We were driving back home returning from our night visit to friends. I was tired and almost asleep. Cars were roaming here and there near our place, which is a bit unusual for 11pm.

Suddenly on the upcoming lane I noticed something laying down on the road.
Sometimes people drop hamburger bags and they end up on a road, but this one looked unusual.

“A cat?”, I ask my hubby. “What is that? Is it a cat?”
It was laying down without any movement.
We passed it but I could not go without checking what that was. Because if it is an injured cat or even a dead cat, I would not want it to be on the road where cars can cross it over. It would be wrong to me.

So I did a U-turn and slowly drove closer to the body.
“A possum?”, but we don’t have possums there. We slowly passed it letting upcoming cars to pass us and drive away. “It’s too many cars at this time at this place!”
I asked hubby to look out of the window and check who that was.

It was a cat.
“So what do I do?”, I thought. I needed to check whether it was alive. I did not feel it was dead.
I drove a bit farther and turned back.
I stopped my car and went to have a look.

It was a lovely tortoiseshell cat with a dark brown coat. I felt it was “she”. A small tiny cat, like my beloved Manya. A fluffy tail. A very beautiful coat. A gorgeous domestic cat. I felt she was loved and had a loving home.

“Should I touch her? What if any disease (I have three cats…)? What if she is cold already, how will I react…”, you know, that type of thousand thoughts flew through my head.

I touched her. Her fur was very soft and she looked and was so tender on touch. I pat her side. No wounds. Her eyes were opened with a transparent film covering each eye. The same look cats have when they are under anesthesia… Oh, I know that look so well…

I held her head, no movement. But she was not cold, she was quite warm or of a normal temperature. It confused me. I put my palm on her chest, but I could not hear the heart beating.

With every moment being with her, I felt a great respect to her. Even she was probably dead, I respected her and were treating her with tender as if she would have been alive and just injured.

“I want to move her from the road at least. I don’t want her to be crossed over by a car. Even if she is dead, she does not deserve that.” I am respectful to death and treat any fur creature with love till the very end. I could easily imagine her owner finding her crossed over by a car. It would be terrible, I would not wish that to anyone. And this gorgeous cat did not deserve such a treatment, she deserved to be respected and loved even if she was dead.

I gently took her into my arms, she was not moving and was soft on touch. I gently moved her from the road and put her on the soft grass. Then I returned to the car.

I noticed that my hands are in something a bit sticky… It smelt like saliva, dog’s saliva. One day I was rescuing a cat from a dog’s mouth, it smelt the same.

“So what do we do? What could be done? Is anything can be done at all? Is she definitely dead or is she in coma?”, I asked mostly myself. I clearly imagined her owner looking for her and not founding her. I could feel their pain and grief of now knowing what happened. I’ve made a decision.

We are lucky to have Werribee Veterinary Hospital nearby. “I’ll drive her to the Vet Hospital”, I said. So I dropped hubby at home and took old newspapers. I drove back to her, finding her in the same position. I gently took her in my hands, she was a bit cooler this time, but may be it was just cold grass at midnight. I put her on the front seat and rushed to the Hospital.

There is an emergency room there opened 24/7. I’m thankful for that.
I gently took the cat from the car and walked towards the emergency department. I noticed a light pink saliva on newspapers where her head was. If not her eyes and her not-breathing, I felt her and treated her like if she was alive.

“I found a cat on the road”, I said to the girl at the reception. “I’m not sure if she’s alive, but she was quite warm when I found her…”

“Yes, she is not breathing”, said the lady. “I’ll take her. Thank you for bringing her in and not leaving her out there. I will need you to feel out the papers, can you wait?”

“Sure”, I said. I could wait the whole night if it would be required even I had an early appointment the next day. “I will wait”, I said. When my Manya was very sick in Singapore during her relocation to Australia, I was with her for 8 hours a day without leaving the tiny hospital room where she was laying down with all her medical equipment. I could definitely wait.

She took her into the big emergency room and the door closed behind her.
I sat in the chair and thought how much it would cost to cover whatever treatment is needed. Is it possible to understand what happened to her? Is there any chance to save or to recover? I was confused, because for me she did not look dead, but her eyes – I know that look very well…

The girl returned from the emergency room. “Please fill out this form. Thank you for bringing her in”. She was very calm without sad emotions on her face.

“Is there still a chance?”, I thought. The girl’s thank-you sounded like if they get animals from roads in this condition quite often. For some reason I thought that she might think I did that to the cat… I dropped these thoughts as it did not matter because I knew it was not me and I was doing the right thing for the cat trying any last chance if there was any at all.

It was a form about found animals. I put my details in and there was a question to answer “If the animal is saved, would you be able to re-home the abandoned animal? Yes/No” I did not know what to answer because I was no sure whether she was dead or alive. “And I have the maximum cats that I’m allowed to have at the moment… But what if she’s alive or could be saved, where will they put her? To the pound? To the shelter that is not good with re-homing?

Not filling out the question I asked whether I needed to fill out anything else apart from my contact details. “No, that’s it. I will enter the rest else myself”, said the lady.

“What will she put as the answer to that question?”, I thought. I made a decision. I will take her and I will find her home. She could already have an owner.

“Look, this question…”, I started, “If she’s alive I can take her and…”
“She’s not”, softly said the lady. She is not.

“Do you know what could happen to her? Was it a car or a dog bite? It was saliva on her head…” – “I can’t say, I have not examined her.”

“Can you please check if she has a microchip? She could have an owner” – “I’ll do.”
The girl returned in a minute, “She has a microchip.”

“Will you contact the owner?”, I was ready to find and talk to the poor person. “We will contact the owner.”

It’s a funny feeling. I’m very strong while I’m fighting for something. Even it’s emotionally hard, I’m strong in making decisions and moving further. But when it’s the absolute end, when it is a definitely full stop – this is really hard for me. Have I done everything I could? Could anything be done differently? These are things I always question at the full end.

So I went back to my car and tears were dropping from my eyes. I still felt her not dead. But on the back on my mind I probably knew the truth from the very beginning. It’s just my nature of fighting till the end, trying even what looks impossible, and my respect and love to the leaving creatures in any of their state.

I suddenly noticed that it’s the same car spot in the parking where I parked when I drove my beloved Manya here the last time…

In tears I back home. I wanted to share with you the story of a lovely cat who was loved to the end. You never know how you will react and what you will do. Many decisions will depend on ability to do certain things that are required and on your internal desire to do anything.

Things I will question myself? (should I?)

I wish I took a photo of her. I wanted to do that on the road, but thought it’s better to rush to the Hospital just in case anything could be done.

I wish I took a photo of her in the Hospital when I brought her there. But she was taken from me very quickly and that was fine in case something could be done for her.

I wish I asked who the owner was. I thought the hospital lady would have to check it somewhere to find that out. Why didn’t I ask? I could wait. I could do a bit more. Should I? I still feel unsure whether they are going to contact the owner. But probably I have to trust in that.

I just recalled that they called an owner of another found pet one day while I was in the Hospital with another cat case. So probably they will do.
But what will they tell the owner? Will he or she know that their lovely cat was loved and treated with respect even they were not nearby? I wish I new their contacts…

What I want to say to the owner who I don’t know:

Just know that your awesome cat was loved and respected till the very end. She looked very peaceful and not suffering. She was not damaged and looked beautiful till the very end. I am so sorry that she is not with us anymore. I did everything I could (and people who know me know that I will do a lot and even more trying to save and help till the very end). She was treated with love and tender. She was loved and in very good hands till the very end.

I wish I knew who you are and more about your lovely fur baby. Now she rests in peace and she in the better place. And she will always remember you as she had a loving home and was treated with love and respect to the end.

I would hug you, my dear friend, sharing your grief, knowing how much she meant to you. She is a lovely fur baby, and will stay that forever.

xx Natalie

PS: I back home and hugged all my three fur boys. If something unexpected happens, I wish they would be treated with love and respect till the very end, even by a completely stranger.

xx

It is my true story about one night in my and a gorgeous cat life.
(The cat on these photographs look very similar to that lovely cat. She was an Australian shorthair tortoiseshell domestic cat.)

Tagged accident, care, cat, domestic, hospital, love, respect, shorthair, story, stranger, Tortoiseshell, Werribee Veterinary Hospital, what to do