With less traffic on our roads, you would expect it would be a bit of respite to the tragic situation of 630 cats being hit by cars every single day in the UK.
However, sadly we saw a four-fold increase in grieving owners contacting us for support and advice having lost their cat to the road.
Infrequent traffic and quieter streets have led animals to venture further than they normally would. Not only have they been roaming much further than they might usually, they will also take chances they haven’t before.
Unfortunately, some drivers have seen the clear roads as an excuse to drive in ways they would not or could not usually, and many are not anticipating anyone, or anything, to be on the clear, empty roads.
As the roads begin to fill again as lockdown eases, we fear another spike in incidents. We urge cat owners to motivate their cat to stay as close to home as possible. This can be encouraged by creating a cat-friendly garden and making yourself visible every so often. Ensuring cats have access to food, water and shelter from the elements at all times discourages them to seek these out elsewhere. We would also always advise people to bring cats in if they go out during rush hour periods, as well as during the night. We would like to urge drivers to remain vigilant when driving as unfortunately cats can suddenly dart from under parked cars.
We plead with drivers that, should they hit a cat, they never just drive off – 25% of incidents are fatal, meaning 75% stand a good chance of survival should the driver do the right thing.
If the cat is still alive, they will need to see a veterinarian straight away. Although vets are disrupted currently, they are still accepting emergencies.
Due to the current situation, some practices may prefer you to phone from your car outside and they will come out to collect the cat. As in normal times, this is free – requiring drivers to only to hand it over.
If the cat is deceased, vets will still take the cat to scan for a microchip and notify the owners.
The Catsmatter team.
Remain vigilant
I am not in any particular hurry to go back to the pubs and restaurants in seeing how much money I have saved in the last three months – and I am also mindful of the risk of a second spike in the coronavirus infection rate.
There is a distinct need for everyone to be cautious and keep up with the hand washing and wearing of face masks if we are to avoid what has happened in the US as the virus runs out of control.
Dennis Grattan, Bucksburn.
Flights off
it isn’t only Aberdeen flights that are cancelled, we were due to fly to Malaga on September 13 from Glasgow. That flight was cancelled because Ms Sturgeon said we had to isolate when we re-entered Scotland, including the flight crews.
SC.
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