Ran over a cat! - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

CManT1914 · 04-13-2006, 01:42 AM

On my way to town earlier this evening on a back road. There's a cat sitting on the side of the road so I slow down to about 45 or so. Well he's just sitting there, so I proceed to ride by when all of the sudden he panics and runs right in front of me. Goes right under the front tire. I think the fairing deflected him cus the back tire didn't hit him. Caused the front end to sidestep a little bit, nothing serious though. I pulled over to check the bike over and found no damage. The poor kitty was laying in the road flopping around though. I felt kinda bad about it, I probably shoulda just stopped or slowed down some more. Oh well, not the first animal I've hit on the bike, I'm sure it won't be the last. As long as they're not any bigger than that then I should be okay. Hopefully I don't hit a deer!

Moral of the story: NEVER assume the animal is gonna stay where it is. Always be prepared for it to jump in front of you at the last second.

D_Klein · 04-13-2006, 02:21 AM

It might sound twisted, but the humane thing would have been to put the cat out of it's misery or try to get it some medical attention.

Just throwing my two beans in.

**Trapper** · 04-13-2006, 07:16 AM

Chris, boy, it is an adventure every time you throw a leg over, isn't it?

**Louis** · 04-13-2006, 07:26 AM

Never hit anything alive except bugs so far... Congrats on keeping your composure Chris.

CManT1914 · 04-13-2006, 07:34 AM

Klein, I know, but by the time I finished looking the bike over he was dead.

Trapper, it seems like I have something weird happen to me on almost a daily basis, lol.

Louis, thanks man. I was really surprised at how well the bike responded to hitting something that big. Could have been worse for sure I imagine.

RampageRider · 04-13-2006, 08:19 AM

I have hit a ground hog once, with the same results. It was kind of scary not knowing if you will go down or not.

stp1971 · 04-13-2006, 08:23 AM

CmanT,,, you aren't coming to Gatlinburg are you????? Just kidding. I say good kitty!!!!! JUST KIDDING FOLKS!!!!!! Well I have hit my share of things in the past and I hit a squirrel with the LC last season. Wasn't any of that swerving to miss it at all. I nailed that sucker dead on. I figured it was me either hitting it or wrecking the bike. The rodent had to go.

I didn't want to be the next progressive commercial where the squirrel runs over to his buddy and high fives him.

viper94bite · 04-13-2006, 09:42 AM

whooo hooooo one less cat in the world. only like eleventy billion to go. lol

DrBob · 04-13-2006, 09:45 AM

Well, at least you're having a better day than the cat is.

Rockhead · 04-13-2006, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trapper

Chris, boy, it is an adventure every time you throw a leg over, isn't it?

+1 My rides are never as eventful as yours.

50 points good shot

jpwM50 · 04-13-2006, 10:49 AM

Gee, has anybody considered that cat probably belongs to somebody (a human) and they are feeling pretty bad right about now.

Firedog · 04-13-2006, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpwM50

Gee, has anybody considered that cat probably belongs to somebody (a human) and they are feeling pretty bad right about now.

I did. I have two cats and would be devistated if either got run over.

tlwisner · 04-13-2006, 11:01 AM

Motorcycle Safety tips:
If the animal is small enough to eat in one sitting - just hit it. If the animal is bigger than that, try to avoid it

Animal Safety Tips:
Stay off the frickin' road.

MagnumForce · 04-13-2006, 11:13 AM

Hmm... let me do one better. Has anyone taken into any consideration that there are many cat owners on this board? I would certainly feel bad if it were my cat. That's the reason why I keep mine indoors at all times.

I don't, however, want these sentiments to detract from the topic at hand. You can never really anticipate the reactions of an animal when a vehicle is approaching. Slowing down, then proceeding slowly past the animal, then picking up speed as soon as the animal is passed may help.

Taking what I have stated previously, if a collision between me and an animal is unavoidable, I may not have time to make that crucial choice. In the end, the instinct for self preservation takes over. I would have killed the cat in this situation. I would feel very bad about it initially, but in the end, not only would I live to ride another day; I would not have to put my family through the emotional pain and trauma that comes with a death or serious injury of a loved one.

CManT1914, I'm very glad to hear that you made it through safely. This is yet another learning experience for you. I'm starting to wonder though if you may need one of those gremlin bells that the cruiser types normally put on their bikes to drive away the road demons.

**drgibson** · 04-13-2006, 11:17 AM

Be glad it wasn't an armadillo

viper94bite · 04-13-2006, 01:30 PM

The cat remark is just a joke people. don't take it so seriously. --
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Alhough I for one am allergic to cats, and we have a lot of strays around here. I will not swerve to miss a cat on any occasion. To me they are no different then a rabbit, squirrel or ground hog. I'm sorry if that offend any of the kitty owners, but i'm sure there are people that feel the same about dogs.

And Cman good job keeping your cool and the shiny side up!

cjjtulsa · 04-13-2006, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgibson

Be glad it wasn't an armadillo

Amen. Those devils scare me. And it doesn't help that my commute is rural and late at night. I've dodged a few grinners, worry about skunks (they are thick here - and nothing like getting knocked off your bike and/or sh*t on), and deer. Those worry me as much as the two legged mammals. But I'm sure a 'dillo would just about put you into a slide. So far I've only seen the armadillos when in the car.

CManT1914 · 04-13-2006, 02:30 PM

Yea I like cats myself, so I felt bad. Especially since it was in front of a dirt road going to somebody's house. It was probably some little girl's kitty. I would hate it if somebody ran over my cat. Luckily, we live over a mile away from the nearest paved road.

Thanks for the comments guys! For a split second I wasn't sure if I was going down or not, I think I'm more lucky than anything else though.

EDIT: Oh yea, I straddled a skunk once in the mustang. He lived, but my car stank for a week!

HAMMERPETE · 04-14-2006, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CManT1914

Yea I like cats myself, so I felt bad. Especially since it was in front of a dirt road going to somebody's house. It was probably some little girl's kitty. I would hate it if somebody ran over my cat. Luckily, we live over a mile away from the nearest paved road.

Thanks for the comments guys! For a split second I wasn't sure if I was going down or not, I think I'm more lucky than anything else though.

EDIT: Oh yea, I straddled a skunk once in the mustang. He lived, but my car stank for a week!

Seems like this kitty was on the verge of his 9th life and couldn't take the pressure. Stress will do that to ya. So he took the plunge. Or he was debating if the whole 9 lives thing was theory of myth.
Hit a dove one morning. It lighted up from the side of the road...blam bike barely flinched. Bird exploded and coated me with feathers and blood.
While my turn signal was hanging by the wires.

Bluecruzer · 04-14-2006, 11:16 AM

er... I'm not losing sleep over one less cat.

I hit a Coyote with my Avalanche that came out of the bullrushes, and also dog on the highway that ran out halfway, I swerved around to miss him and he ran back right under my tire (dammit) and both of those ticked me off.... hate to think what either would have been like to hit on a bike.

I once had a bird go under my tire on my last bike too - all I heard was a *pop* and I knew he exploded - that made me queezy - kinda like in Kill Bill 2 when the eyeball was stepped on.

My rule - don't be roaring the backroads at dusk or dawn - that's prime time to hit a deer or moose...

04-13-2006, 01:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
CManT1914 Fourth gear and illegal Joined: Aug 2005 Bike: 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 Location: Killeen, Texas Posts: 745	Ran over a cat! On my way to town earlier this evening on a back road. There's a cat sitting on the side of the road so I slow down to about 45 or so. Well he's just sitting there, so I proceed to ride by when all of the sudden he panics and runs right in front of me. Goes right under the front tire. I think the fairing deflected him cus the back tire didn't hit him. Caused the front end to sidestep a little bit, nothing serious though. I pulled over to check the bike over and found no damage. The poor kitty was laying in the road flopping around though. I felt kinda bad about it, I probably shoulda just stopped or slowed down some more. Oh well, not the first animal I've hit on the bike, I'm sure it won't be the last. As long as they're not any bigger than that then I should be okay. Hopefully I don't hit a deer! Moral of the story: NEVER assume the animal is gonna stay where it is. Always be prepared for it to jump in front of you at the last second. __________________ Chris 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 \| 2001 Suzuki GZ250 SOLD \| 1994 Ford Mustang GT SOLD

04-13-2006, 02:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
D_Klein 100% Title Free Joined: Feb 2006 Bike: '05 GSX-R750 (Anniversary Edition) Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,544	It might sound twisted, but the humane thing would have been to put the cat out of it's misery or try to get it some medical attention. Just throwing my two beans in. __________________ "Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba...." ~Hunter S. Thompson

04-13-2006, 07:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
Trapper Dogs Best Friend(admin) Joined: Jul 2004 Bike: SOLD Location: Moncton NB Canada Posts: 9,174	Chris, boy, it is an adventure every time you throw a leg over, isn't it? __________________ PointFlushRetrieve.com - Bird Dog Blog Motorcycle-Journal.com Blog

04-13-2006, 07:26 AM	#4 (permalink)
Louis Administrator Joined: Sep 2003 Bike: SV650S '05 (Blue) Location: Gatineau, QC, Canada Posts: 10,657	Never hit anything alive except bugs so far... Congrats on keeping your composure Chris. __________________ Louis

04-13-2006, 07:34 AM	#5 (permalink)
CManT1914 Fourth gear and illegal Joined: Aug 2005 Bike: 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 Location: Killeen, Texas Posts: 745	Klein, I know, but by the time I finished looking the bike over he was dead. Trapper, it seems like I have something weird happen to me on almost a daily basis, lol. Louis, thanks man. I was really surprised at how well the bike responded to hitting something that big. Could have been worse for sure I imagine. __________________ Chris 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 \| 2001 Suzuki GZ250 SOLD \| 1994 Ford Mustang GT SOLD

04-13-2006, 08:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
RampageRider Fourth gear and illegal Joined: Oct 2005 Bike: 05 Red M50 Location: Iowa, riding in the Rain! Posts: 782	I have hit a ground hog once, with the same results. It was kind of scary not knowing if you will go down or not. __________________ . "Grow up, what a waste of a good time, if Peter Pan can do it so can we............... " 05 Red M50 (mine) 97 Yellow Honda Rebel (her's)

04-13-2006, 08:23 AM	#7 (permalink)
stp1971 May 2007 Member of the month Joined: Mar 2005 Bike: 2004 Suzuki Intruder 1500LC / 2005 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Location: Douglasville, Georgia Posts: 7,833	CmanT,,, you aren't coming to Gatlinburg are you????? Just kidding. I say good kitty!!!!! JUST KIDDING FOLKS!!!!!! Well I have hit my share of things in the past and I hit a squirrel with the LC last season. Wasn't any of that swerving to miss it at all. I nailed that sucker dead on. I figured it was me either hitting it or wrecking the bike. The rodent had to go. I didn't want to be the next progressive commercial where the squirrel runs over to his buddy and high fives him. __________________ Biketoberfest 2006 flashback courtesy of Intimid8er: "Like you knew damn well you shouldn't eat something like that, but all be damned to hell, you were gonna eat it!" __________________

04-13-2006, 09:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
viper94bite Sit speling cheker Joined: Jan 2005 Bike: 2008 Yamaha FZ6 Location: omaha, ne Posts: 1,792	whooo hooooo one less cat in the world. only like eleventy billion to go. lol __________________ *yippee*

04-13-2006, 09:45 AM	#9 (permalink)
DrBob In The Zone Joined: May 2004 Bike: several Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 2,751	Well, at least you're having a better day than the cat is. __________________ Dream like you'll live forever, live like you'll die tomorrow. You MUST obey the pug dog!

04-13-2006, 10:49 AM	#11 (permalink)
jpwM50 Clutch Cadet Joined: Jul 2005 Bike: Blue M50 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 944	Gee, has anybody considered that cat probably belongs to somebody (a human) and they are feeling pretty bad right about now. __________________

04-13-2006, 11:01 AM	#13 (permalink)
tlwisner Throttle Jockey Joined: Apr 2004 Bike: '05 Boulevard C50 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 3,208	Motorcycle Safety tips: If the animal is small enough to eat in one sitting - just hit it. If the animal is bigger than that, try to avoid it Animal Safety Tips: Stay off the frickin' road. __________________ Tim Wisner AMA, SCRC Happiness is something we create

04-13-2006, 11:13 AM	#14 (permalink)
MagnumForce Throttle Jockey Joined: May 2005 Bike: 05 M50, 06 CBR600F4i Location: Sitting on the can... duh! Posts: 3,160	Hmm... let me do one better. Has anyone taken into any consideration that there are many cat owners on this board? I would certainly feel bad if it were my cat. That's the reason why I keep mine indoors at all times. I don't, however, want these sentiments to detract from the topic at hand. You can never really anticipate the reactions of an animal when a vehicle is approaching. Slowing down, then proceeding slowly past the animal, then picking up speed as soon as the animal is passed may help. Taking what I have stated previously, if a collision between me and an animal is unavoidable, I may not have time to make that crucial choice. In the end, the instinct for self preservation takes over. I would have killed the cat in this situation. I would feel very bad about it initially, but in the end, not only would I live to ride another day; I would not have to put my family through the emotional pain and trauma that comes with a death or serious injury of a loved one. CManT1914, I'm very glad to hear that you made it through safely. This is yet another learning experience for you. I'm starting to wonder though if you may need one of those gremlin bells that the cruiser types normally put on their bikes to drive away the road demons. __________________ "I love the smell of toner in the morning… it's the smell of victory!" MAJ M, Staff Officer

04-13-2006, 11:17 AM	#15 (permalink)
drgibson Antebellum Mod Joined: Jul 2005 Bike: 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 Location: Dallas, Texas Directly above the center of the earth. Posts: 10,732	Be glad it wasn't an armadillo __________________ “Please Remember to Kazoo Responsibly.”

04-13-2006, 01:30 PM	#16 (permalink)
viper94bite Sit speling cheker Joined: Jan 2005 Bike: 2008 Yamaha FZ6 Location: omaha, ne Posts: 1,792	The cat remark is just a joke people. don't take it so seriously. -- - - - - - - - - Alhough I for one am allergic to cats, and we have a lot of strays around here. I will not swerve to miss a cat on any occasion. To me they are no different then a rabbit, squirrel or ground hog. I'm sorry if that offend any of the kitty owners, but i'm sure there are people that feel the same about dogs. And Cman good job keeping your cool and the shiny side up! __________________ *yippee*

04-13-2006, 02:30 PM	#18 (permalink)
CManT1914 Fourth gear and illegal Joined: Aug 2005 Bike: 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 Location: Killeen, Texas Posts: 745	Yea I like cats myself, so I felt bad. Especially since it was in front of a dirt road going to somebody's house. It was probably some little girl's kitty. I would hate it if somebody ran over my cat. Luckily, we live over a mile away from the nearest paved road. Thanks for the comments guys! For a split second I wasn't sure if I was going down or not, I think I'm more lucky than anything else though. EDIT: Oh yea, I straddled a skunk once in the mustang. He lived, but my car stank for a week! __________________ Chris 2003 Suzuki GSX-R600 \| 2001 Suzuki GZ250 SOLD \| 1994 Ford Mustang GT SOLD

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04-14-2006, 11:16 AM	#20 (permalink)
Bluecruzer Ditch Magnet Joined: Feb 2006 Bike: Black - M109R Location: Edmonton, Canada Posts: 155	er... I'm not losing sleep over one less cat. I hit a Coyote with my Avalanche that came out of the bullrushes, and also dog on the highway that ran out halfway, I swerved around to miss him and he ran back right under my tire (dammit) and both of those ticked me off.... hate to think what either would have been like to hit on a bike. I once had a bird go under my tire on my last bike too - all I heard was a pop and I knew he exploded - that made me queezy - kinda like in Kill Bill 2 when the eyeball was stepped on. My rule - don't be roaring the backroads at dusk or dawn - that's prime time to hit a deer or moose... __________________ None of us are getting out of here alive. Some of us are trying to enjoy the ride longer than others.