Hit a cat

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Grandad
Posts: 1451
Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 12:22am
Location: Kent

Re: Hit a cat

Post by Grandad »

Makes me sound like a disaster area, but that is from 16+ years of commuting


With only one incident - knocked off by car turning left - In 43 years of commuting I tend to disagree but perhaps I have been lucky.
Flinders
Posts: 3023
Joined: 10 Mar 2009, 6:47pm

Re: Hit a cat

Post by Flinders »

Someone I know hit a badger one night- it ran right out in front of him. The badger walked away but the cyclist was badly damaged- a bang on the head and some nasty internal bruising.
gilesjuk
Posts: 3270
Joined: 17 Mar 2008, 10:10pm

Re: Hit a cat

Post by gilesjuk »

I think it's pretty odd that cats are allowed to roam the streets. They do run across the road in front of road users, not to mention all the birds they kill.
graymee
Posts: 395
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 10:11pm
Location: Witham St Hughs, Lincoln

Re: Hit a cat

Post by graymee »

A hare ran from the hedge on my left across the cycle path to the grass between it and the road. Once there it changed it's mind and ran back. It didn't make it as I was doing about 20 MPH downhill. It went right under both wheels and didn't move after that.
I'm not old and cynical, I'm realistic!
Gearoidmuar
Posts: 2347
Joined: 29 Sep 2007, 7:35pm
Location: Cork, Ireland. Corcaigh, Éire má tá Gaeilge agat.

Re: Hit a cat

Post by Gearoidmuar »

I was cycling in a suburban street and a large dog, a black labrador I think, ran out from behind a car and I hit him amidships. He ran off yowling and I was knocked off. Just cut and bruised.
On another occasion a young rabbit ran across the road as I was climbing a hill and actually ran between the two wheels, apparently unscathed.

Finally, I was cycling near Bandon with a rather heavy friend when a young puppy ran across the road and he went straight over him. He ran off yowling but I imagine that he probably died as fifteen stone going over you on a narrow bicycle wheel must have caused some kind of nasty internal injury.
Last edited by Gearoidmuar on 22 Nov 2010, 6:32am, edited 1 time in total.
SilverBadge
Posts: 577
Joined: 12 May 2009, 11:28pm

Re: Hit a cat

Post by SilverBadge »

About five years ago in a time trial, a bird that was at least pigeon-sized successfully (well, didn't knock me off, I didn't stop to check further) flew between my wheels, underneath the chainset. Had the occasional near miss with rabbits. And pedestrians.
PaddyWack
Posts: 1
Joined: 22 Nov 2010, 11:05am

Re: Hit a cat

Post by PaddyWack »

Three women die together in an accident and go to heaven. St Peter says, ' We only have one rule here: Don't step on the ducks'.

When they enter heaven, there are ducks all over the place and although they try to avoid them, the first woman steps on a duck. St Peter arrives with the ugliest man she ever saw and chains them together. 'Your punishment for stepping on a duck is to be chained for eternity to this man'.

The next day the second woman steps on a duck and again St Peter arrives with another ugly man and chains them together for eternity.

The third woman, seeing what has happened to the previous two, tries desperately hard not to step on a duck. After several months St Peter arrives with the most handsome, suntanned cyclist she has ever seen (Aren't all cyclists like that??). St Peter chains them together for eternity. The woman says to the cyclist, 'I wonder what I did to deserve being chained to you for eternity?'. The cyclist replies, 'I don't know about you but I rode over a duck!'

:lol:
The Mechanic
Posts: 1922
Joined: 23 Jul 2010, 1:38pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Hit a cat

Post by The Mechanic »

So many cats...so few recepies :evil:
Cancer changes your outlook on life. Change yours before it changes you.
User avatar
tykeboy2003
Posts: 1277
Joined: 19 Jul 2010, 2:51pm
Location: Swadlincote, South Derbyshire

Re: Hit a cat

Post by tykeboy2003 »

Never actually hit anything, but because cycling is almost silent, I have on several occasions followed foxes walking down the road and got to within a couple of yards of them before they turned and saw me. Also I turned a corner once on a country lane and there were several pheasants in the road. The lane was bordered with high hedges so they all flew off down the road, one of them barely a yard in front of my face and I kept pace with them for a couple of hundred yards - it was almost like "Flight of the Snow Goose".

Cycling can get you close to nature.
goatwarden
Posts: 701
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 12:03pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Hit a cat

Post by goatwarden »

gilesjuk wrote:I think it's pretty odd that cats are allowed to roam the streets. They do run across the road in front of road users, not to mention all the birds they kill.


That's a good point; do you fancy taking up the position of "cat herder"? I would ofer to do it myself but, sharing my home with a large number of cats, I know it to be an impossible task.
QuasiTourer
Posts: 113
Joined: 5 Aug 2010, 12:50pm
Location: Sheffield

Re: Hit a cat

Post by QuasiTourer »

I hit a dog once.
Silly owner should have been controlling it.
User avatar
beachcomber
Posts: 921
Joined: 17 Jan 2009, 10:49am
Location: North Yorks

Re: Hit a cat

Post by beachcomber »

Riding along the riverside in York a squirrel lept off a wall and into my front wheel. It bounced off the spokes and ran off. There was blood on the spokes so I guess the poor thing lost a bit of nose. Ouch!
goatwarden
Posts: 701
Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 12:03pm
Location: Bristol

Re: Hit a cat

Post by goatwarden »

I don't remember actually hitting an animal, although many near misses. A lot of these have occurred on traffic-free paths where dogs are off their leads. The problem is not the dogs being off leads; most dogs are fairly smart and when left to their own devices will generally avoid bikes. The real problem is the owners who see a bike and so call their dog to them. This results in divided loyalties for the dog (self preservation vs. obedience to the owner) and often leaves it stalled in limbo still in the path of the bike.
laura-445
Posts: 9
Joined: 15 Dec 2010, 7:57pm

Re: Hit a cat

Post by laura-445 »

I once had the impressive experience of a rabbit leaping clean through my frame whilst I was cruising down a grassy path at about 7-8mph - it barely touched my bike and I was so shocked all I could do was roll away. I barely saw it but that rabbit was either very lucky or an incredible stuntcreature!
pete75
Posts: 16370
Joined: 24 Jul 2007, 2:37pm

Re: Hit a cat

Post by pete75 »

Flinders wrote:Someone I know hit a badger one night- it ran right out in front of him. The badger walked away but the cyclist was badly damaged- a bang on the head and some nasty internal bruising.


If anyone does hit a badger and it appears to be dead, whatever you do don't touch it. 20 odd years ago I worked with a chap who was off work for over 3 months witha badly injured hand. He had run into badger driving home one night, stopped to have a look as he'd never seen a badger close up, touched it's head to see what it's hair felt like and the not dead badger recovered consciousness and locked onto his hand with it's teeth. The surgeon told him that if it had continued the bite for a while longer the bones would have been crushed beyond repair.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
Post Reply