Tommy was hit by a car tonight

Tommy was hit by a car tonight. He was coming to eat, crossing the road and a car came speeding by and the neighbor heard a thump. He did get up and run off, although wobbly. I just spent an hour looking for him, but can't find him. I feel awful that he's been badly hurt and just suffering somewhere.

Is there anything I can do? Is there anywhere I can look? Prayers just don't seem enough right now.

Please tell me if there is anything you think I can do to find him. Some of the neighbors know to be on the lookout for him, but this is killing me.

Tommy could use some serious prayers tonight.

catmom5

I am so so so so sorry.

All I can suggest is to grab a few friends and keep looking.



Tommy, if you can, please find your way to this someone who loves you and can get you the care you need. :heart3:

Oh my god, I'm so so sorry for you. As a feral feeder, this is my nightmare. I hope your kitty finds his way back to you.

I'm so sorry. I pray to God you will find him or he makes his way back to you and will somehow be ok. This stuff breaks my heart.

I am so sorry; that is what I fear about my colony.  Especially a new one who already has a bad front paw.

I would leave food out in different places; if he is injured, he may not be able to hunt for food.

Other than that, look for him in the dark with a flashlight; the light will pick up his eyes better.  Look under/around bushes, too, and near culverts (where the water drains off).

Vibes...

Thank you all. This is my worst nightmare coming true. I have food out (kibble and water) in 3 separate locations, just in case. I have put up flyers in some of the local stores and have been talking with neighbors. Those of you who have been taking care of ferals and understand them better than I, what are his chances? (I know that you don't know what his injuries are) How long can he reasonably survive in the hot Michigan summer heat with any injury? Where is he likely to go, if he's hurt so bad he's dying? What are the chances of someone finding his body if he has died? How long can I hope that he's going to be okay? I need to be realistic here. I think the not knowing is absolutely the worst part.

I'm going to put food out tonight, as always and hope for the best.

Please continue to keep my Tommy in your prayers. I know he can use all the help he can get right now.

Thanks again - you understand how heartbreaking it can be to love these guys, even when you can only love them from a distance.

catmom5
 

I know you probably don't want to hear this, but my guess is he has crawled under a bush or in a crawlspace or something of the sort to die. I've heard of this happening. If there was a thump, then he was hit badly. Most of the time there's some blow to the head, and if he did run off he would probably be dead from internal bleeding. I'm sorry to say that his chance of survival would be slim at this point.

Thank you for your honest reply. If that is the case, I hope that he has died and is no longer suffering. What are the chances that someone will find the body? Probably not good in this heat . . .

I don't know how a small cat can survive a car - but it is very hard to not know. Any guesses on how far he could have gotten? If he is dead, I would very much like to retrieve his body and bring him home with me.

catmom5
 

It's probably not far from where he ran off.  Look in bushes or under spaces he could fit.  Usually they just make it a few feet.  I am sorry.

I'm really sorry.

Shortly after Kimba disappeared (feral cat colony, she climbed on my lap for a cuddle and batted away the others), I was walking along the road and smelled something bad.

I did not investigate, didn't want to know.

Im so sorry.

I was recently with a friend at the farm where she releases ferals. There was one female who had been released months before who had been hit by a car and made it back a decent distance from the road to the house and was laying outside the front door. She had been severely injured with a badly broken leg and pelvis and her back had an open maggoty infested wound. We were lucky to be able to catch her when she made it under an old sink behind the barn. She didn't even try to fight me when I scruffed her and she was very feral. We took her to the Emergency vet and had her euthanized so that she would no longer be suffering.   If he is not dead he may try to make his way back to you if that's where he felt safe and considered home.
 

Thank you all. I have had no sightings at all and many neighbors are keeping an eye out for him. I suspect that he has probably died, although I would think someone would smell something if that was the case. It will be a huge surprise if I find him now. He was loved and cared for (as much as one can care for a very feral fellow) during his much too short life. Still keeping a bit of hope alive in my heart, but realistically, he probably didn't survive the accident. A friend who is very knowledgeable explained that with severe trauma, the body shuts down and there is no pain. I hope that my Tommy just went to sleep and slipped over to the Rainbow Bridge. (But I still find myself watching for him in all his favorite places . . . )

There is a huge Tommy-sized hole in my heart.

catmom5
 

This is certainly the worst part about caring (and loving) feral cats. :heart2:

I remember missing my Oreo (also feral, but very friendly, but I knew feral because we had seen him since he was a teeny kitten) for about three days. He hadn't been hit by a car but although we were feeding him up he was getting thinner, coughing, sneezing, and at that point feeding was all we could do for him. Our landlord wouldn't budge on the no pets rule at that time, and we couldn't even afford litter at that time. They found him under the porch of the coffeehouse next door. He didn't want us to see him die. He was only a year old.

It's very hard loving these cats who seem to have no foreseeable future.
 

OMG OH I am sooooo very upset by this news. I am so sorry sweetie. I am sure that Tommy is gone. There really is no way that he survived. OMG the life of these ferals, just breaks my heart to pieces. :sobbing: You did everything you could for Tommy and believe me, he knew how much you cared and that you were trying to help him. We just can't save them all from these terrible tradegies. I am sorry about all of the sadness on top of Lucy missing too. So very sorry..... my heart goes out to you tonight.

Thank you all for your kindness. There is nothing to report. No one has contacted me about finding him and no one has come to eat the food I put out. It would be easier for me to know one way or the other, but I may never know. With all of the hot, dry weather we're having, I'm not holding out much hope that he has survived. It is so very difficult - I know you all understand that.

catmom5

My thoughts & prayers are with you & Tommy, God works in strange ways and there still could be a chance he's out there healing either way he's in God's hands.  Gee I hope that I dont sound like a preacher.

Christine
 

I'm so sorry again, hun. We are all here for you.

You and Tommy are in my prayers. I hope that you will get some closure soon. It's definitely hard not knowing what happened to your baby. I found my Ruby deceased in someone's driveway on June 3rd, it broke my heart deeply. She was a socialized feral that I had raised from the age of six weeks. We believe she may have been poisoned. I totally understand what you are going through, as I searched for her for days on end.

I hope your Tommy is alright. If not, have closure in the fact that he is no longer in any pain, and is playing up above at the Rainbow Bridge.



Peace and love,
Jen.

He is truly one of God's creatures so I have to trust that God will take care of Tommy.

Thanks for your kind words.

catmom5

I'm so so sorry. God is watching over him now.