A Plea...

I had a very distressing night on call last night.
I received a phone call from some clients saying their cat had just been hit by a car and was not in a good way; could they bring her down? Fortunately I was able to see her immediately, but that didn't change the outcome. Soon after arriving at the surgery she became unable to breathe and the owners had to watch helplessly as I attempted to CPR their sweet pet back into the land of the living.
I lost the battle. The owners were devastated, understandably.
As I made my way home, I discovered a fox on the road in front of my house freshly dead from having been hit by a car. I scooped him up to take to the morgue at the surgery so he could be cremated with some dignity.
My colleague who had been on call the night before had attended 3 cats who had been hit by cars. Each of these cats required emergency treatment, and then further investigations and treatments in the form of xrays and surgery to repair broken bones or wounds.
My plea is two fold: to everyone who operates a motor vehicle, please be careful! It is so easy to get complacent on roads that we drive down each day. These animals nip out into the road with no warning and may be dazzled by your headlamps or confused by noise or running from a predator. Please decrease your speed and increase your awareness of what is in front of you on the road. Just think how you would feel if it were your own animal... or a child.
Secondly, to everyone who owns a cat, please make every effort to enclose them indoors at night. Most of these accidents happen in the dark when visibility is reduced and the humans are tired! If they insist on going out, please make every effort to have them wear a reflective collar. Many of these accidents are preventable, and they are devastating for all involved.