To the person who ran over a cat in front of Nikko Tower today:

I am appalled that you could run over a cat and not stop, let alone slow down.  Did you not hear the sickening THUD? Did you not notice your tires going airborn? I noticed both. So did my two children. It is a shame I didnt get your license plate number, because if I had I would have reported you to security shortly after I called the Fire Department to go remove the animal you pulverized in front of a park full of small children. Accidents happen, but hit & runs (even with animals) are a choice.

To the parents at Nikko Tower when this happened: Please control your children. A dying cat is not something children should be jumping fences to go see. For one, death should not be amusement. For two, your children running into the street could get pulverized just like the dying cat.

To the a-hole drivers in Ikego - I am watching. I will start reporting you. I am not afraid to name names, and do what it takes to protect my children, and the children in this community. I do not like all of the cats here in Japan, some are mean. None deserve what you did today. If you are driving safely, you will see things that dart out in front of your car. Next time, it could be someone's child.

I encourage everyone who has read this to report violators too.

Wow, really?

Even driving safely will not always prevent a crazy cat from running under your tires. Accidents happen. Swerving to avoid a cat darting into the road causes bigger problems... like hitting poles, or children. What did you expect the person to do? Stop and hold a cat funeral?

If this was me and I had my children in the car I would be extremely hesitant to stop and expose them to this. As you said, dying cats are not something that children should be exposed to. Dying cats are aggressive. I'd keep on driving. What exactly are you reporting this person for?

It's always good to drive safely but I think you're being a little hard on this person here. Sorry about what happened.

the cats out here use the damned crosswalk and know to avoid cars, it was hit very close to the cross walk as well, so the person should have been slowing down regardless because it was next to the stop sign, there is no reason the cat should have been hit. i wasnt sure if it was dead or just laying there cuz some cats just like to hang out in the same area/manner. that is just awful. i agree that swerving violently to avoid hitting the cat but if ur going 20km and approaching a stop sign i think it would have been possible no? i would report them too. if they dint have time to avoid a cat how are they going to avoid a child? they could have pulled over or called to have the animal checked on. no need for a funeral thats taking it a bit far.

OMG, I am so sorry for your loss...my cat was ran over down in Sasebo behind our townhome as our house faced the road leading into the housing area. I drive pretty slow coming around nikko tower and if I see a cat I drive even slower...I have two of my own....I am so so sorry you and your family had to see this.
i can highly recommend get another fur baby to help heal the wound....that's what we did and my children bounced back quicker than I did...we actually had a funeral and buried our baby in the back yard down in Sasebo...I hope your baby died fast and wasn't in pain long.
On another note, I am looking for a new home for my fur baby is a 1 1/2 yrs if you are interested.
Poor baby~

dani, you're a riot! Those ikego cats are so cool to stick to crosswalks. They don't have near that much discipline here in Iwakuni.

Please post the number to call to have animals checked on. Who responds, and how long will it take for them to get there? There's probably like a Navy Office for Domesticated Animal Pedestrian Safety or something like that.

lol i would just let the fire dept on base know and they can contact the proper authorities from there i suppose. in ikego they would prob respond immediately because its a small housing base and also the tower it was struck at is like a 1-2 min walk from the fire station..

the cats out here are amazing, they have to be smart though to rumble with the huge ravens, hawks and the raccoons that live in the surrounding forest area. they have very little fear of people if u just ignore them, but if u stare them down or chase after them obviously they will run. im so used to them just being around sitting under/ on cars and motorcycles and watching me.

Am I the only one who is Lolz over here? I would have not stopped. I would have called the base people though. Once it's dead ain't much stopping is going to do. If the cat was dumb enough to run in front of a moving car I say gods work was done. You could have at least thanked him for prepping dinner for you. In china think that's considered delivery? Heyoooo!! I'm not mean I just don't care for dumb animals or dumb people who feel the need to make me slow down so they can play in he street.

Im sorry your cat got hit Jenn. So let this also be a warning to cat owners. An average cat will scout out a territory of 10 sqare miles. Feral cats wearing tags have been tracked patrolling the entire 10 square miles, crossing over it 3 times ore more per day.So while your here in Japan look around your home, how many roads is that? And how many times will your cat pass over those roads? Lets also not forget the terrible stray problem here. So there are more dangers than you realize. So its not such a hot idea to let your cats outside here. Its just too cramped.

Hey, we drive like 15 mph on base, there shouldn't be any violent swerving if you're paying attention, lol.

If they did it on purpose... well, we know there are some sick... ahems... out there. Unfortunately it's hard to prove. I have nothing but contempt for people who like to harm animals.

I gotta agree I probably would not have stopped if I had kids in the car. That is if I was pretty sure it was dead. But I would have called because it was my fault and it's needs to be taken care of. And no way in hell would I let my kids run over to see a smeared cat all over the road, c'mon now.

Val, nowhere in my post did I mention swerving. I agree, as a rule you should never do that - especially with small children in your car. I grew up in the midwest where we frequently had deer dart out in the road. I was taught always to hit the animal over swerving as it is more dangerous to swerve. However, if you are obeying the traffic laws, in most circumstances this can be avoided. Many times I have had deer run in front of me, and I have been able to slow and avoid an accident.

That being said, Dani you are right. This was before the stop sign and the person was driving too fast. If your tires come off the road, that is a good indication to me you are driving like a fool. I gasped at the thud thinking they had hit a small child.

All jokes about the cats in Japan aside - this is an issue of safety. I would have reported this person for endangerment. Small kids can run into the road without knowing better and if people continue to drive recklessly there will be a more serious problem than a dead cat.

I reported this to the fire department, they called security. This was not my cat - it was a stray. The reason I am upset they did stop is because they left a dying cat for many children to see when they could have been adult and stopped until some authority came to remove it. Many children walk up and down the street here, and they do not need to see a dead twitching cat, or run into the road to look at it which I saw many trying to do. Again, an issue of responsibility - which perhaps people lack here.

Are you people for real?

FIRST of all, I know J and she is an awesome Mom and an amazing person.
SECOND, cat or not... this is NOT a laughing matter.
THIRD, the cat was NOT dead. If you hit something, YOU STOP. I don't care if it is an animal, a car, a bike and ESPECIALLY if it is a person. The person that hit this cat is guilty if HIT & RUN! If you have kids in the car then you keep them in the car and YOU get out to check.

The speed limit on Ikego is SLOW.. and most people do NOT follow it. It is the SAME on Main base too.
This is sad. And it is ridiculous that people are making jokes about it.

I wonder if the cat was sick. i saw one on Sunday in that area. Three crows were picking on it! It didn't seem to have the energy to fight back. I turned around and drove by close and scared the crows away. Don't know if it did much good, but I tried. Yes, the person should have at least stopped to show the onlooking children that they were sorry about the incident. If they were in a hurry, they could have asked someone else to call security or whatever. I think it's the whole attitude of ,"it's not my concern" that has some of us a little upset.

I think we are all assuming a lot about the "person".

tulipsonly-what i gather from most of the posts is that the person was driving to fast and hit something in an area where they should be using extra caution.

primemas- on the road it has two lines for slowing then a complete stop, if anything was hit in between that and the crosswalk, someone is being negligent in my opinion. whether or not the cat darted into the road it could have very easily been a child that darted out and the same result would have occurred because this person was driving to fast and not paying attention.

just saying~

Hit and Run???kind of silly.... It's a cat!¡¡! I can see stopping if it was something a little bigger like a dog or maybe a senior citizen but it was a stray cat. Would it have made anyone feel better if the hit and run "felon" would have backed up to run over the twitching cat again to put it out of it misery? Please let me know if I went to far over the top with this one.... I'm just in rare form tonight........

I think it's very sad the cat was hit and suffered. It is very sad. But like tulips said, we don't know what was going on with this "person". What if they had some type of emergency? I know if it were me, and my kids or husband had been hurt or very sick, and I had hit the cat I wouldn't have stopped. I would feel HORRIBLE about it, but I would never stick around to contact someone if my family was sick or hurt.

I do agree that a lot of times people go way too fast and are careless and maybe even reckless at times, but this may not be the case this time... I think calling the person a "cat killer" is a bit harsh... regardless of how fast the person was going, there is no indication (from the details that were provided, I wasn't there so obviously I can't say for sure) that this was an intentional killing of the cat.

But, I definitely agree that going fast enough to become airborne is WAY TOO fast, and is just an accident waiting to happen!

Agreed. It is harsh. But, I wanted people to read this post and slow down - pretty sure I have achieved that....or, I will selfishly hope that I have because yelling "slow down" has gotten me nowhere at this point.

I cannot speculate as to what this person may have had going on. If they were having an emergency - I can only hope that it was resolved and no one was hurt. Endangering others by driving recklessly is not an answer. I simply want people on base to realize that their actions may adversely affect others.

I appreciate all of your comments, and attention to this post. As for the cat, well - sad - yes, however I am just happy it was not a child. I also hope I do not see this again.

Too far. The whole point wasnt really the cat. It was that this person was being a douche. They were driving way to fast in an area with childern. That could have been a kid easy. So not only were they going to fast, they never stopped to see what they hit. I mean if there is a loud thud, you should stop and see whats going on. That could have well been a small child chasing a toy with a parent just 2 steps slower. The worst part is they created a dangerous situation. J said the kids were jumping the fense to see the cat. The person driving the car took no responablity for anything. Its like Polly said they took a "its none of my concern" additude,for something they did.

So does it seem like some of us are being a bit harsh....yes. But for the people with out childern, my kid is 4.I yell at him everytime he gets close to the street.It really freaks me out because some people are not careful.I admitt it I have a "hovering" problem i follow him around the park. I tell him watch for cars because they are not watching for you. But he is 4. He gets distracted very easy and he gets tunnel vision. My husband calls it the "get the ball syndrome".There is only so much I can do as a parent.

At some point you have to be responsible for your driving.And really this is more about frustration over people driving poorly.I can only guess how fast they had to be going to make there tires air born? What would that car do to a child? Or what if it was a little rainy and that car slid into a building? Did it happen this time? no but that doesnt mean it cant happen ever.There is a speed limit in the housing areas for a reason. The worst part is when something worse than hitting a cat actually happends the person doing the wrong thing is going to say "its not my fault". So Im with J.

My only other complaint is that is so gross to leave a dead or deadish cat in the middle of the road. Oh the best part is that its near housing. So now your going to have all types of people and kids walking by. EWWWW do you know what a health hazard that is? At least call someone to come freaking clean it up! Would you want anyone leaveing dead animals all over the street in frount of your home? Again, so gross.

Does anyone really know that the person DIDN'T call someone? Or is it just an assumption that they didn't?

I know J called the Ikego Fire Dept because they are right near the area where this happened. They in turn called Security.

Rea, I don't disagree with anything you just said! My son was almost hit in the commissary parking lot because some jerk was in too much of a hurry to get some parking spot and whipped around the corner of the lane. I've got 3 kids, so trust me I'm right with you on that! Same thing with the health hazards, a stray cat could have any number of diseases and if it were left for any amount of time, bacteria would begin growing at insane rates....so yea I got ya on that.

All I'm saying is that I think the "cat killer" title for the person was harsh but I understand why J used it... it definitely gets people's attention. My point was mostly from my own experience, I've never hit an animal, but there were many times when I've had to rush to a hospital because of a medical emergency, and to be honest I wouldn't have cared at that time, because my mind was on something much more important. Is it safe to drive with a mindset like that? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! But sometimes it can't be helped.

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what this person did to get airborne...it's not like there are any significant hills in that area that I can recall right off....I wouldn't even be able to guess how fast they must have been going, but if it were anything less than a real emergency then I can't for the life of me figure out why he/she thought that driving at those speeds was ok...and even with an emergency that's extreme speed and they were way too irrational and upset to drive!

That's not my point. Everyone is assuming that the "person" didn't do anything or call anyone. They may have.

No one knows it they did or didn't - I am not accusing them of not.

Very true, they could have called or even planned on having someone else take care of it for them! There are just way too many possibilities to even begin to try to figure out what happened or why without having said "person" come and explain the circumstances to us, but who are we that someone owes "US" an explanation in the first place?

I think we should all just first of all be VERY THANKFUL that none of the nearby children were physically harmed, and then just make a conscious effort to be a little more cautious when driving and let it all go...

Sorry, double post 

WOW!
I am surprised by the responses here. Working with animals all my life, some of the replies are crazy. Common sense would show that this lady is hurting. LET HER VENT AND KEEP YOU ASININE COMMENTS TO YOURSELF.
Experience shows that time heals all wounds.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

Chancie - I dont think anyone, certainly not I, is looking for this person to post an explanation. My intention was to make people think twice about the way they drive on base. I see too much reckless driving, and have complained before - to no avail. This forum is to "rant" about something...and this is simply that - a rant.

I have a child who walks to school and one who is learning how to walk on their own. Both trouble me. I will always have a "hovering" complex because I love them more than anything. I feel for the person who did this because if they were aware they must, at least I assume, feel like crap. Pretty sure we are all guilty of poor driving at some point, it just needs to be thought of when on base, especially a housing base, where there are street-side parks and lots of children. That's like speeding though a school zone. My aim was not to offend anyone, just raise awareness.

To clarify the "airborn" tires, it was the rear tires. Dont anyone go envisioning some Dukes of Hazard miracle in a mini-van, but picture rallying a large speedbump...that happened to be a poor cat. Not cool.

That's all I am going to say on this post because I've more than said my piece.

Well if people stop feeding the damn things we wouldnt have to see them laying in the road unafraid to move out of they way. If the based paid me $200 i would take care of the issue...If they gave me the go ahead I'd do it for free. i would say some of them are cute but they hang out at my door when I BBQ, the first one to jump on my grill is getting cooked. I dont play with animals when it comes to the BBQ. Death is a part of life shielding your kids from it at early ages may not have such a huge effect as you think or maybe i lack compassion idk. I sometimes feel that we all have grown very soft and get all upset about the strangest things. Yea if they person who hit the thing didnt do anything to get it cleaned up its a dick move and it happen nothing to do about it but report it when it happens. Now you pledged to take o the call to defend the local populist of cat country in Ikego...have you nothing better to do with your time then to watch cats cross the street? I have some video games you could barrow...Or maybe you should see more of Japan. one dead cat isnt going to put a dent in our cat problem, we need to be more proactive and get rid of them all.

Adam...the kid is back.

just to state the obvious, why doesn't animal control put out traps and get rid of all the ferrel cats? And I thought base policy was that cats (pets) were not allowed to run wild?

I'm just trying to lighten the mood with this but..... i don't think the cats can read the signs about it being a military installation and that they aren't allowed on base without I.D.

Dead strays all the time in Sasebo housing so it's nothing new to see it as you drive in....breaks my heart...the point is that people drive way too fast here....what if this had been during school hours?
i must ask why is a DOG more important to stop for than a cat? If you aren't a cat lover fine but to say a dog is more higher on the love or food chain or whatever is just wrong...kinda like saying my child's life isn't worth as much as yours...just wrong
So slow down people~

lol- this is the first base we have ever been to where there is a cat problem, and I don't think the cats could read the signs at the other bases either; the problem is as I think Primas stated people are feeding these wild cats and that keeps them on base because why are they going to leave when they get food?? There needs to be an effort from residents not to feed them and to report them to animal control so that traps are put out, they are caught, spayed, and taken care of (ie adopted out, given treatment if sick, ect.) Growing up in a communtiy that had lots of wild cats- my dad bought a cat trap and would put it in our back yard to catch strays and he took them to animal control himself, it took about 6 months but we no longer had a cat problem. And another thing is I have seen plenty of people with listings for kittens up for sale or adoption, this is ridiculous, there are plenty of cats up for adoption at Paws that there is no reason for this, those that are pet owners should be responsible and have there cats spayed/nutered. Okay, I will step down from my soap box now ;0)

Have you any idea how hard it is to clean a dog up out Of your grill? You hit a figment you may need to Pay for repairs to your car... You hit a cat you just need a quick car wash.

Next time this happens let me know, so I can add the dead cat to my collection.

Posted By Zama Guy on 07 Dec 2010 08:32 AM
Next time this happens let me know, so I can add the dead cat to my collection.

Dude! You collect dead cats!?!  That's just weird

Lmao epic

I think the cat problem in Japan is more of a cultural thing. Look at all the happy cat stuff. Cats are good luck and good fortune. Also as I have found some of my neighbors (out in town)are appalled at the fact that I got the kitten I took in spayed. They think I should have left her in her "natural" state.They also think Im cruel keeping her indoors all the time. I think if we started a :


campaign the problem would get better. I dont think its too widely known here that spaying and neutering is healther for them.

I get a kick out of the Japanese putting water bottles out to keep the cats away. My favorite was a guy lined his parking space with bottles- must have been 50 of them. The parking lot is right next to a house that has stray cats around. So here's his nice SUV surrounded by water bottles- and at least 10 stray cats lounging and sunning themselves on the hood and roof. It was great =)

Tirani - water bottles? How does that deter a cat? Interesting....I think that may be picture-worthy! lol

Posted By J on 07 Dec 2010 12:16 PM
Tirani - water bottles? How does that deter a cat?

Like so:


I think we all need to slow down a little and watch the video. Then it will all make sense.

Is that why I see water bottles sitting by people's doors? I was going to ask my English class tomorrow. I'll see what they say. Personally, I think the cat in question must have been the sick one I saw the crows picking on the day before.

i dont see how this turned into a thread about the cat problem in ikego, i dont think there is much of an issue on base, its the damned pigeons and crows i cant stand but i digress. this topic is about crap driving that could have resulted in something a little more serious than just a cat getting hit by a car. its the fact that something got hit at all. this person should have been decreasing speed regardless of anything being in the road because that was a stop sign.. some of u are failing to see that and are going off on random tangents about the cats life not being worth it because its a cat/ stray cat and whatever else has been said...

Then maybe the topic would have been better titled "Crazy Driver in Ikego". lol.

Posted By tulipsonly on 07 Dec 2010 09:14 PM
Then maybe the topic would have been better titled "Crazy Driver in Ikego". lol.

Agreed. We don't need a sad song and dance about a cat. IT's about what *could* have happened, right? People need to slow down.

I do feel bad for the cat. I had a similar incident happen to me once where a cat was laying under my tire. I cranked the car put in it reverse and the thing I guess didn't move. I was horrified to look up and see the thing flopping all over the driveway. It took forever to die. And no, I panicked and didn't get out and cuddle it. I went next door, which was down the road at the time (I was 18) and had my neighbor go deal with it. So, I can see not stopping and calling security. Of course, we all think we should stop. I didn't, so shoot me.

Speeding-wrong

hitting cat-accident

leaving dead cat- Ummmm who wants to put a dead cat in their car?

equating a cat with a child-stupid

child watching a cat hit by car- likely not stupid enough to run out into the street

I don't blame you! Animals can be very dangerous when wounded. I know someone who saw his dog get run over by a car and ran out to pick him up and got bitten very badly. This was his very well-loved 15 year old dog and it still bit him.

Rule of thumb is if it's shorter than your bumper it's usually safer to hit it than take evasive driving actions.

Also I have a lot of trouble believing that the tire went airborne, although it does add dramatic effect to the story. That car would have to bo doing 40+mph or have no shocks.

Since they were going so fast did they skid to a stop for the sign? Or just blow through the stop sign?

It's a stray cat, and it's dead. I wouldn't have stopped either. Just like I wouldn't stop for hitting a butterfly. Give th edriver a thank you card, there are too many strays out there already.