Please Slow Down

Humbug was seven months old. She was microchipped, vaccinated, neutered and when she went out for the first time, I made sure to show her that cars are scary. Unfortunately, Humbug was also the most trusting and curious little cat I had ever met.

After a month of sunshine, hunting pinecones and playing with her adoptive siblings outside she didn’t came home one night. I knew something was wrong – she always came home and snuggled in between me and my husband when we went to bed while listening to her soft purrs.

So, filled with dread, I went out the next morning down to the street in front of our house. It’s not a big one. The speed limit is 60 km/h. But since the beginning of spring a few weeks ago I am sure I am not the only one noticing something that happens every year around this time: deceased cats on the side of the roads, doesn’t matter the size. And that is where I found her. Since then, my grief is like a bottomless well.

What is so important that we must be there five minutes earlier when we accelerate from 60 km/h to 80 km/h? Do we really have to read the text on our phone right this second? Laws and rules against that exist for a reason. Everyone knows what can happen. Not only to small cats like Humbug. Dogs. Deer. Children.

Let’s all do our best to avoid heartache and save lives. Being a little bit late matters a whole lot less than someone’s life.

Please make the way-too-short but sweet existence of my best furry friend count.

Annika