Thank You to the Person who Helped Our Cat

[Cookham Webmaster]

From a Cookham Resident

I would like to send a message of thanks to the extremely kind hearted and compassionate lady who took the time and trouble during her journey last night to move our lovely cat Tilly to safety after finding her on Dean Lane, Cookham Dean. Around 8.30/9pm she had been hit by a car and left in the road. The lady moved her to safety then knocked on doors until she found the right house, so we were able to have a few last precious moments with her at home before she passed away.

In the panic we did not take the lady’s name or thank her properly, so I hope this message somehow finds her to say how grateful we are. Middle aged lady, blonde hair, red jacket, had her daughter in her car, traveling along Dean Lane Monday evening 8.30/9pm.

As for the person who was probably driving too fast to stop (Dean Lane is 30mph) and who left her for dead, you are disgusting.

[Bagheera]

I am sorry to hear of Tilly's accident but I do not think the comment about the driver is necessarily fair.

I doubt a driver would choose to hit an animal - if only because the damage to their vehicle is likely to be expensive to repair. However, cats have a tendency to shoot out from hedges leaving no time to react - or even see if the cat is so close that the bonnet of the car is in the line of sight.

And in the dark, the driver would not know what they had hit and may have assumed it was simply debris in the road - possibly as a result of the recent bad weather.

[Watchman]

Nonsense.

A driver KNOWS when he's hit something, whether a glancing blow or a full on hit.
The immediate reaction is then to either slow right down or else stop to check the incident.
How do I know?

I was following a car through Pinkneys Green around dusk some month ago, when a tabby cat darted out some 50 yards ahead.
I saw it and so must have the driver ahead, but there was a thud (I heard it from 20 yards behind) and, whilst the car ahead
slowed down, the driver knew what he'd done,and sure enough sped off, clearly not intending to stop and check the animal out.

I did.
It was too far gone to have survived, but the agony it was suffering was enough to make a grown man weep.
I checked the collar, called the owner and delivered the cat to their door, by which time it had died.
They were most grateful but it wasn't gratitude I was looking for.

I just wish I'd taken the car's number plate - if only to berate the driver for being both a coward and also bloody heartless.

[Cat]

Well said Watchman.
Your compassion and pity for the physical agony and suffering of the poor animal is touching.
At present, Tilly's family are suffering emotional trauma and grief for their beloved cat.
They certainly (I would think) do not wish to hear excuses for the person who killed their pet and didn't stop!

[Bagheera]

I am afraid, Watchman, what I say is true because I have seen it happen.

Cat shot out, caught a glancing blow by the nearside rear wheel of the car. Absolutely no way the driver could have seen it. There was virtually no noise.

I saw it because it was broad daylight. This was at night.

Also, you assume it was a car. What if it was a medium or heavy goods vehicle?

I am not saying it was - simply that people are jumping to conclusions when none of us was there so we do not know.

[Watchman]

And, having heard and most certainly felt a thump to the car, the driver still does not stop.
Even out of curiosity?

Strange behaviour!

[Bagheera]

As I say, "There was virtually no noise." - and I was outside the car in the instance I refer to.

Incidentally (and whilst I WOULD stop if I was aware I had hit an animal), there is no legal requirement to report hitting a cat.

See https://www.gov.uk/report-dead-animal

I remember being told many years ago that this is because, unlike dogs, cats are not deemed to be "owned" by humans.

[Watchman]

Sadly, from your comments it is clear that you are not an animal lover.

So let's just leave things as they are - Tilly's owners can make their own minds up.

[Bagheera]

I am afraid, Watchman that, you seem too keen to judge others.

I have simply explained why it is possible that a driver might not have realised that they had hit a cat.

That has no relevance to whether I love animals or not.

I have also stated, as a matter of legal fact, that it is not a legal requirement for a driver to report hitting a cat.

That, too, has no bearing on whether I love animals or not.

I could also have pointed out that if the driver was deaf then they would not have heard and collision.

That would not have any bearing on whether I love animals or not either. On the other hand, would it be right to judge such a person with such a disability for not responding to an incident they did not realise had happened - or prevent them from driving if they have passed their test?

But you have no idea whether I love animals or not.

You do not know if I have pets, or, if I do, what species or how they are treated.


I am sad about Tilly, and I am sad for her humans.

But I will not condemn the driver because I do not know whether they ever realised what they have done or what their reaction would have been if they did.

[Watchman]

Your comments on this issue judge you, not me.

Rather than showing a tinge of sympathy, just a tinge mind, you groan on about the legalities of hitting a cat,
the damage to the vehicle, deaf drivers and the fact that you may or may not have pets yourself and how you treat them
(a totally insignificant addendum!)

Ah but you did add your sympathies about the loss of Tilly and her "humans", almost as a nota bene, to your last post.

Listen, we both have views on this matter.
They differ.
Let's just leave it at that.

[Bagheera]

I said:

"I am sad about Tilly, and I am sad for her humans."

I said:

"I am sorry to hear of Tilly's accident but I do not think the comment about the driver is necessarily fair."


Yet you say do not have " a tinge of sympathy".

You say "it is clear that you are not an animal lover."

But you say whether I have animals or not "totally insignificant".


So I am afraid that you seem to have by disregarding those that do not concur with your preconceived view.

And that is my point with regard to the driver of the vehicle that hit Tilly.

Of course if they knew then they should have stopped.  But they fact that you or I might have noticed and stopped does not mean that they noticed.

And how do we know that we have never hit an animal without realising?

That is not being unsympathetic. It is simply following a logical thought process.

But I will once more say that I am sad at the loss of Tilly and the distress it has undoubtedly caused her family. But being bitter at the driver, whether or not they knew about the accident at the time, will only make that distress worse.

Better to remember Tilly as a loving member of the family.