Found my cat :-(

[Gizmomania]

While I was taking a morning walk, I came across my cat's body lying in the middle of the road. I can't seem to get his image out of my head.

His name was Thunder. Thunder appeared on our doorstep early last summer, frightened and extremely emaciated. He found the plate of food that we always leave outside for our other stray cat, Tilly, and decided that we ran a great kitty restaurant.

Over the summer, Thunder filled out and became a gorgeous, solid cat with the shiniest black coat that you'd ever see. We couldn't believe he was the same cat that showed up on our doorstep merely weeks before.

Thunder grew to love us as we did him. He became the most friendly, loving, and easy-going little guy. He and Tilly often played together, and they would lounge side by side on our front lawn, soaking up the sun.

Unfortunately Thunder wasn't the kind of cat that cared to stay within a small vicinity. We'd often catch him blocks away hanging out at other people's homes. We always had concerns that he could possibly be hit by a car. However, bringing him inside amongst 4 non-cat friendly German Shepherds was not an option.

I can't seem to clear my head from the image of him lying in the middle of the road. It keeps playing over and over and over again. I wonder if he suffered or if he passed quickly.

Our family has lost a great cat today. May you be at peace, Thunder. Your family loves you and misses you.

 

[Betrisher]

Oh, I'm so sorry you had to see that! Please, please be assured that when a car collides with a cat, there is rarely any conscious suffering. Thunder would have passed instantly, I reckon, so don't imagine anything else. Instead, imagine that he was in the middle of doing what he loved: living life and gadding about the neighborhood. Stray cats can bea real pain in the heart, can't they? Our Minerva tabbycat waltzed into our lives one afternoon when she was a tiny, lost feral kitten. She waltzed out again about six years later one awful day when a red dust storm had come and covered our town. We miss her dreadfully and think of her often (she was a feisty girl). What I always say when we lose an animal is 'be thankful you had him/her, even for that brief time - rejoice in the life you shared, don't mourn the end of it'.

Rest in peace, Thunder: you were a good cat. XX

 

[strudel]

I'm so sorry. Please don't dwell on whether he suffered, if he wasn't killed outright, he probably would have gone into shock very quickly.

In time, you'll be able to appreciate that you know what happened to him and that he didn't just "disappear".

So sorry.

 

[Gizmomania]

OMG, Strudel, you're right. Last night I was awakened by the sound of coyotes feasting on something, and the thought passed through my mind, what if it was Thunder? If I hadn't found him today, I would have assumed that the coyotes had eaten him last night.

Thank you both, for your comforting words. Yes, Betrisher, I AM thankful that he was a part of our lives. It's just that he was SO young...he should have had his whole life ahead of him.

 

[Terry57]

Oh no, I am so sorry for your loss So thankful that you gave him great care and love when you took him in. If you hadn't taken him and cared for him, he would never have known that. My thoughts are with you.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm so sorry to hear that!!!!! If something like that happens to my kitties it would break my heart....RIP Thunder....

 

[MomtoPercy]

Oh no! What an awful sight to have experienced.

If it helps - a friend's cat suffered the same experience and she asked the vet about possible suffering, etc. The vet assured her that a big dog may have suffered because he may not have passed instantly because of his size but, the vet said, a small breed dog or a cat in these circumstances usually pass instantly and unaware of any fright, pain or suffering.

So very sorry for your loss!

RIP Thunder.

 

[Gizmomania]

So reassuring to hear. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I am so very sorry you had to find Thunder like this. I can only imagine the shock and sadness you must have felt.

Rest easy, Thunder, and HUGS to you!!!

 

[Lovebird]

I am so sorry to hear this. I am sure that Thunder was a great cat.

 

[Jumpingtadpoles]

This may it be of comfort, but I had a cat disappear once. Still to this day, 15 years later, I wonder about her. I wish I had closure and knew what happened....
Now seeing what you saw wouldn't be my wish, but in the end it is closure.
I'm very very sorry for your loss. Give your other stray an extra helping of love and yummies. It may help you heal to know you did that kitty good. He may not have even lived that long without you assistance.

 

[strudel]

Still to this day, 15 years later, I wonder about her.

Yeh, it's awful, you don't know whether they are living with somebody else, or dead. I don't know how people cope with missing people. It's bad enough with pets.

(A friend of mine had a cat go missing. Some time later, they found its body in the roof gutter, so they did find out where it went, but as awful as the trauma is, it is better to know, I reckon, than be left wondering.)

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I am so sorry about Thunder and about the traumatic memory of finding him like that. RIP Thunder

 

[TessieB]

I must say I never knew a cat named Thunder. Very cool name. So sorry for your loss.

 

[Gizmomania]

My son named him Thunder. He was all black with a little flash of white on his chest.
He wrote a tribute to Thunder on FB that made me very teary. He misses him so:

"My name is thunder, but I feel that I was struck by lightning. Rush hour traffic really screwed me over as I'm now lifelessly lying in a box moments away from experiencing what it feels like to be buried. As some of you may not know, I was ...a starving homeless cat that was fortunate enough to be sheltered and feed for the few months I had lived with my new family's household. For once in my life I felt that I was welcomed and loved."

Let this show you guys that life really isn't long, and to spend time with those who have impacted your life for as long as you can because anything could happen to anyone, anything, anywhere.

 

[Gizmomania]

A picture of our sweet boy that my son took.

 

[Terry57]

What your son wrote made me cry. How is he dealing with Thunder's loss?

 

[Gizmomania]

That cat made an huge impact on his life in the short time he was with us. One minute he's doing okay, and the next minute he's searching for the reason why he had to leave us so early.

We were all blessed to have known him.

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I'm so sorry about Thunder. He was truly blessed to have been loved by you and your family.

 

[lotosha]

That is so sad. Sorry for your loss.