What to do if you find a cat thats been involved in an RTA

[Ela]

Is that a mistype Ela, six pounds - not Sixty

Oh! dear, yes it should be £60

[Millys Mum]

Thanks for making it a sticky Sam 

As microchipping becomes more popular its important to get vets scanning everything, as we all know many councils dont bother and they are ones who regularly pick up RTAs 

[Tiggy's Mum]

  often ring the RSPCA inspectorate for them to  authorise £6' s worth of treatment.

Is that a mistype Ela, six pounds - not Sixty?  What could they do for an animal with £6 

[carl (billy and baggys dad)]

I found a big old black cat on the side of the road, been hit, and had died. Scooped him up and took him to the vet, checked for a chip but nothing was found. Checked with the cottages near where I found him (it was out in the middle of nowhere where I live) but noone had lost him. I took him home and buried him out in the meadow on a lovely summers afternoon 

[Ela]

said they wouldn't treat unless knew who owner was

I think by law they have to give pain relief. then usually after scanning to see if there is a chip in which case they would try to contact the owner, then they  often ring the RSPCA inspectorate for them to  authorise £6' s worth of treatment. After this our vet rings us and asks if we will take the cat on. Of course we never refuse.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Good advice.  I'll admit there was a time when I wouldn't have known what to do.  Years ago I came across a cat lying by the side of the road.  He had clearly been run over and had passed on to rainbow bridge, and someone had obviously moved him onto the pavement.  I checked for a collar and id tag but there was none.  It didn't occur to me to take him to a vet to check for a microchip or to post details on lost and found places.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Good advice MM.  I found a cat at the roadside on my way home from a night shift once, she had a collar with a phone number on so I rang the owner in tears saying I had found her, I'm sure the lady thought I had done it - still upsets me to this day, she looked so peaceful but she was dead, such a waste of a beautiful life

The only other cat I have found was on the way to decomposing, I stopped and someone else had already taken the collar off him/her but there were no contact details so I rang the CP & RSPCA to add him/her to the 'found' list.  I've been fortuante enough never to have lost a cat to the road, really don't think I could take it 

[Schmew]

Don't know if anyone remembers but earlier this year someone in front of me ran a cat over. It was still alive and I quickly knocked on a couple of doors but no one seemed to know anything and I was more concerned to get it to the vet. I rang the vet on the way to let them know I was coming and the vet nurse (who I didn't like and who has now left) said they wouldn't treat unless knew who owner was. I am not sure if this would be due to bills (which I would have paid if required, just wanted the poor thing to be ok) or about a consent (*)issue. As it was the poor little mite had passed away by the time I got to the vets, and was an unneutered un microchipped tom which had probably come off the farm near where it all happened.

Is there any advice/guidance/rules on treating injured animals in that situation? I'd like to think a vet wouldn't let them suffer, would it be they would make it comfortable and see if owner could be found/rescue to foot the bill?

(*) meaning here consent rather than payment issues - I used to work for a large well known dog rescue, we had to be careful about chipping dogs before their 7 days were up as apparently if we chipped them before 7 days and owner turned up we could be sued for criminal damage.......so we were told

[gibraltarcat]

I would never have thought of taking this little cat  that my friend and I found to the Vet either, and have felt awful about it. So very glad that i now would know what to do. He / she was a black and white puss and lived very near.

[smudgepickles]

I really feel quite sad now  as it never crossed my mind to take the little black and white cat to the vet. I did however knock on lots and lots of doors to try and find his mummy but nobody knew where he belonged.

I did leave him laying on the grass verge and laid him as though he had laid down and gone to sleep curled up 

XXXXXXXX

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Thats very sad  RIP little cat in the bushes

[gibraltarcat]

I was visiting a friend today and when we were out walking her dog, we sadly found a poor cat's body hidden in some bushes near the verge of the road. She took it to the vet's to see if it was microchipped, which fortunately it was. The owner had rung the Vet's to say thather cat was missing and they have broken the tragic news to her. I feel so sad this evening for her.
I wish there was some way of making microchipping compulsary.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Excellent Idea Gill.

I have copied the information and made it a sticky.

Thanks MM very useful.

[blackcat]

I once saw a kitten run over by the car in front of me. They did not stop so I did to check the kitten was not injured and in pain. It had already passed over, so I took it an knocked on several doors before i found the owners. I was subjected to incredible abuse because they assumed I had killed their kitten. What should have been a sad duty became a situation of having to defend my actions (or rather non-action). In the end I yelled at them for having let a kitten of that size out after dark, after which they calmed down. But do be aware that if the body is still warm, the owners may not be as immediately appreciative as you or I might be ... Especially if their small children are the ones who open the door ...

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

This is a great post MM, I think that maybe it should go in lost and found in Sams section,lets see what she thinks 

Thanks very much for posting it and confess I would not know what to do, I hope I never ever need to use this.

[unseeliechylde]

 :thanks:Thanks MM - we all like to think we would know what to do, but I have to admit I wouldn't think to ask that the body be held for a week. Great advice - especially at this time of year. Lets just hope none of us ever have to use it anytime soon.

[Millys Mum]

Wasnt sure what bit to put this in    but more views here.

Alot of people dont know the best thing to do with an RTA victim to hopefully reunite with its owner.

Take the body to the nearest vet and get them to scan for a chip and ask them to hold the body for a week.
Knock on doors in the surrounding areas and put up posters.
Report to all your local rescues, find them here www.catchat.org and all vet surgeries too. List on lost and found sites (borrowed from sams list  )
http://www.catchat.org/forum.html

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

http://www.mymoggy.com/  contact Sue at mymoggy.

http://thehovel.com/bb/index.php?f=28&ppage=20&sort=lastpost&order=DESC

http://nationalpetregister.org

http://www.soyouhavelostyourcat.co.uk/#1

http://www.petsearchuk.org.uk/

http://www.amissingpet.co.uk/lostandfound.html

http://www.animalsearchuk.com/

http://pet-rescue.org.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=308

http://www.lostmycat.org/index.php

http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/lostfound.html

http://www.foundandlostpets.co.uk/

http://www1.freewebs.com/pettalk/missingpetsbulletinboard.htm

http://www.petsmiles.com/v1/found.php