I Remember Why I'm A Misanthrope

[redbrunja]

On the way to pick up my mom's car from the mechanic, we found a cat that had been hit by a car by the side of the road.

She was still alive.

So we drove her to the emergency vet (over an hour away), listening to her harsh, wet breathing and encouraging her every time she went quiet and then coughed and kept breathing.

She was too badly injured to make it, so the vet euthanasized her. I won't go into the details - suffice it to say, I'm really glad she was out of pain as soon as possible and that we were there so she didn't die alone by the roadside.

As we drove back home, my mom and I had a cheerful conversation on all the instances we were involved with of animals getting injured and killed and how people consistently fail to rise to the occasion, instead sinking under it and revealing what self-centered, over-dramatic dickheads they are.

Which leads me to whatever fucker hit this in the first place and then kept on driving.

Bastard.

I just have no words.

None.

The only good part of the evening was getting the best coffee I've had in years from an Arco.

Now I'm going to go pass out - I wake up for work in six hours and counting.

Thursday is my day off - if you commented on my lj or replied to a comment of mine that's likely when you'll hear back from me.

Comments

[tobu-ishi.livejournal.com]

My grandfather (a wonderful man, by the way, who just turned eighty) still sheepishly remembers me, at age seven or so, shrieking furiously at him to stop and go back after he hit a dog on the freeway.

In retrospect, an interstate freeway is very difficult place to go back for an injured animal. Still, when he brought it up last week, it startled me that he still remembered the incident when I didn't, and seemed to still feel a bit guilty at the memory of my shouts of, "You hit that dog!"

It'll be interesting, if I ever get a car of my own, to see how things play out in my own driving career.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Still, when he brought it up last week, it startled me that he still remembered the incident when I didn't, and seemed to still feel a bit guilty at the memory of my shouts of, "You hit that dog!"

Frankly, I'm glad he does.

And I truly hope that you never have to deal with dead or injured pets. I've had to deal with it three times now and honestly? The last one that I recounted in my post? Was the best experience with it that I ever had. The others still make me furious and hate people.

A bit of advice - if you have an emergency vet, program the number into your cell. Hopefully, you'll never, ever need it. I just did that, because at the time this happened, if my mom hadn't had the phone number of the vet memorized, we wouldn't have known who to call.

[tobu-ishi.livejournal.com]

I've dealt with several dead and dying pets of my own, but never another's. (I was lucky, I suppose, to avoid either seeing or hearing too many details about the most recent, which involved a raccoon attack.) If my compassion is ever tested in that way, I guess all I can do is hope I can make whatever difference is possible at the time.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I guess all I can do is hope I can make whatever difference is possible at the time.

That's true with most things, I think.

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

Two of my dogs escape from my yard one evening, and they were both hit by the same car. That driver, however, did stop and took them to the nearest vet office (which was right next to where they'd been hit), but they were injured too badly and died soon after. While their deaths made me very sad, I was thankful that the person had tried to save them.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

*nods*

A lot of time actually hitting the animal isn't avoidable - it happens to fast or you swerve the wrong way or it's dark - what is nigh-unforgivable to my mind is just continuing on as if nothing happened.

[misora.livejournal.com]

...

I can't even re-read this post, for fear that I'll start crying -- I have an irrational phobia/revulsion to any description of animals, especially cats, being injured or killed -- but I just want to say thank you, for ending her suffering. Nothing should be subjected to agony like that, even a cat.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

[mewsrissicat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for doing that, even if the outcome couldn't be changed. Kindness is never wasted.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

It isn't.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh, this just...hurts to read. Suffering animals are just one of my pressure points as far as emotions go, and especially since the cat couldn't be saved. T_T I'm glad you stopped for her, so at least she wasn't alone. Poor thing.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it really helps to know that she wasn't alone in the end.

[iapetusneume.livejournal.com]

I remember when my mom accidentally hit a dog. We were visiting my cousins in Tennessee, and damn those roads are so twisty that the dog came out of nowhere. We tried to find a vet to take the dog in, but nowhere was open. I remember us leaving several towels with the owner (the dog was following her across the street), and they were going to try to take the dog to the vet the next day.

...we don't think it survived, but we tried. And oh man, my mom was so broken up about it.

So, thanks for trying to save the cat, even if they were too badly injured.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, your poor mom. Sometimes that happens, and there is just nothing you can do. ...Besides what you did, which was take responsibility and try to help the animal as much as you can.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yes, they did.

[neko-no-kaze.livejournal.com]

You and your mother are wonderful people. The world needs more of you two.
My family has never hit a dog or a cat (the only time I hit a gopher I stopped but my friend who got out said there was no hope), but we have found meandering pets. My aunt took in the cats she found and we took the dogs to the shelter and searched for the owners. All were found and brought back home.

And while I'm ridiculously optimistic, maybe the person didn't realize what they did? Morons instead of bastards?

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

My aunt took in the cats she found and we took the dogs to the shelter and searched for the owners. All were found and brought back home.

Oh, that's good to hear!

At that point, being a moron is just as bad as being a bastard, imho.

[mistaria.livejournal.com]

People who hurt animals in any way deserve to be shot. ::sage nods::

Major claps for you, I don't know if I could have handled it well if I'd encountered the cat. Though I would have done the same. Just cried a lot while doing it.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

*nods*

Yeah, I actually handle trauma fairly well. Although I once we arrived at the vet's I did just sit for a moment and kinda tremble from adrenaline.

[obsessive0514.livejournal.com]

I feel sick to my stomach now.

Every now and then, I have a very stressful dream/nightmare about my cat getting lost, injured, killed, etc. Usually in outrageous situations, but that doesn't make them any easier. And the other day when I was walking my dog on a street where a lot of squirrels get run over, some so bad they don't even look like organisms anymore, and I saw what looked a dead cat lying in the street. And it look like my cat. And for a brief moment, I panicked.

Speaking of horrible humans and pets, I want to go on. But it's Gilmore Girls season two time. That should help ease my stomach. But a week or so ago I posted about why Bolt reduced me to tears. (http://obsessive0514.livejournal.com/43169.html) (It doesn't seem tacky to link to a post of my own here, does it? I swear I would elaborate here, so but my mom and sister hate it when I type when we watch T.V.)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, hearing about injured pets... it just hits you where it hurts.

Have fun watching GG with the fam, and no, linking to one of your posts isn't tack at all.

[despairinbeauty.livejournal.com]

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