Nobody knows how many cats die because of careless human drivers in Turkey every single day.
One of these careless drivers hit a tabby Anatolian cat in Western Turkey, Çanakkale. The cat died.
Rafet Çıtakoğlu, who looked after the cat, was deeply saddened to learn of its death:
“I cannot find any words to express my sadness. I feel devastated. I was very fond of her. I remember her waiting for me in front of my house. We used to go to the coffeehouse together. Unfortunately, she died after being run over by a vehicle.”
The male cat was also grieving over the loss of the female.
The video footage shows the emotional moment a male cat mourning the death of his beloved female. The male cat refused to leave her and guarded her body for many hours.
Some people shed tears as they witnessed this emotional scene.
As seen on the video, the male cat left only after municipality workers removed the female’s body from the street.
“A male cat, who was found clinging to her dead body, is her kitten’s father. A kitten is now with me in my house. It helps me cope with the loss,” – explained Mr. Çıtakoğlu.
Rafet Çıtakoğlu caresses a kitten, who helps him deal with the pain of losing his cat.
A cat couple brought two kittens to the world, but only one survived and it is cared for by Mr. Çıtakoğlu. The other kitten was killed tragically killed by a car.
Mother cat and her only kitten.
We do not know whether cats comprehend the loss of life the way humans do. But they do mourn the death of their loved ones.
This touching story should remind us of the dangers cars pose to both to cats and people. More cats die from car injuries than from any other human-related cause.
One commonly used argument is that cats live short lives outside because many die in road traffic accidents, therefore we should reduce the numbers of cats.
Cats are not to blame because they are hit by cars – car drivers are. It is like treating the symptoms only but forgetting about the existence of the disease itself.
The way to prevent traffic accidents is to improve road safety in Turkey, but it is not going to be easy.
Author: Anadolu Kedisi
Photo credit: Doğan Haber Ajansı
In Turkish:
Can Veren Kedinin Yanında Saatlerce Bekledi
Reference
Daldal F. (2018, February 11). Ölen kedinin yanına yatıp saatlerce bekledi. Birgün (Doğan Haber Ajansı).
