I killed a grey squirrel…. Or at least I think I did. I couldn’t bring myself to look behind after I saw it run under my car. It’ll be the second this year. Boo hoo hoo.
I can’t even watch a spider being killed without wanting to cry, and if I happen to see roadkill, I have been known to sob uncontrollably whilst driving. TTG knows to warn me these days.
I killed a cat over ten years ago, and I still remember the agony of that. It took me ages to get over it.
You’d be forgiven for thinking I’m an animal lover. I’m not. I just hate to see anything die. Except flies. I wish death to all flies. I hate those dirty little bastards.
A part of me hopes that the little guy is still alive, and not chasing for nuts in Squirrel Heaven. Not much chance of that though, seeing as he ran straight for my wheels.
Sarah McCarty
December 3
8:17 pm
I’m still trying to get over the thump thump of the squirrel I hit 8 years ago. You have my total sympathies.
wendy
December 3
8:41 pm
Poor baby.
A bird kamikazied us last weekend, but it flew off.
Some time ago my sister was driving her children to school and killed a possum intent on committing suicide. The children were shocked and upset at their mother. My sister was feeling horrible on the way home when another possum jumped in front of the wheels of the car. The only 2 possums she has ever murdered and both in one trip!
Anonymous
December 3
9:02 pm
I wouldn’t grieve over killing cockroaches myself. If I could kill them that is.
–Jackie L.
byrdloves2read
December 3
9:26 pm
Unless you felt the thump thump of wheels running over the squirrel, there’s a good chance he’s OK. We have kamikaze squirrels and chipmunks up here on the mountain and I’m amazed how they run under the car AND SURVIVE. Do they think it’s a game or something? Sheesh
December/Stacia
December 3
9:44 pm
That’s what I was going to say. Squirrels are incredibly agile and fast.
The very day I got my driver’s license, on my first solo drive ever, a bird flew into my windshield and died. I felt horrible.
And my ex boyfriend ran over a dog once. Someone’s pet–it escaped from its fenced yard and threw itself under his car, and he couldn’t swerve because there was a bus there. He had to go and knock on the owners’ door and tell them. He said it was the worst thing that ever happened to him.
Cherry
December 3
10:21 pm
Ugh, I ran over frickin’ Cujo one night–he just darted right out in front of me. Huge St. Bernard; he cracked the grill on my car. I cried and cried and made my husband go make sure he was dead and not lying there suffering.
I also hit a deer in a brand new Firebird, but I was so pissed off at that point I cursed the wretched animal for all the damage he caused.
Ah, the joys of living in the backwoods.
Leslie Kelly
December 3
10:29 pm
Karen, several years ago a bird crashed into the windshield of my moving car, splatted, died, and got stuck by my windshield wiper blade.
My oldest was with me–9 or 10 at the time–and the two of us stood outside in the rain, crying, unable to do anything until hubby showed up and removed Mr. Bird. Which she demanded that we take home and bury with honors.
PS: Karen, can you write to me directly? I’d love to send you a copy of the book I mentioned last week, if you’re really interested!
lkellyauthormail@gmail.com
eggs
December 3
11:37 pm
I’ve hit two rabbits and any number of cane toads – the killing of which grossed me out and gave me a few twinges of conscience, but honestly, not so much. My husband ran over a ground hog once that we both felt really bad about because it didn’t die straight way but slunk off into the bushes. Now that I think about it, I still feel bad for that poor thing ten years later.
Best vehicular death: My mother and I were driving along a highway once when some kind of small white bird got creamed by the car in front of us. It was like they’d smashed into a feather pillow! This enormous cloud of white feathers sprayed everywhere, shooting right over the top of the car. I’m sure it reflects poorly on both mum and me that we laughed like loons when we saw it happen.
Angela James
December 3
11:57 pm
I’ve had a few of those moments myself. My husband takes the prize in our house, though. When I was pregnant with Brianna, he hit and killed not one, but two deer at the same time while we were driving home from vacation. A mama and her baby.
I still vividly remember when I was learning to drive, my dad had me drive on a road trip to my grandparent’s farm. I was on a gravel back road and I swerved to avoid hitting a cat. My dad laid into me that I was never to do that, because I could have put us in the ditch, especially on a gravel road (the traction isn’t great). In a choice between me and the cat, it should be me. That lesson? It so didn’t stick. I still swerve. Even for squirrels.
Anonymous
December 3
11:59 pm
Poor Karen.
🙁
Only animal I ever remember killing was a bunny~and actually, the DH did it, but I felt guilty by association. There was no way to avoid it without causing a pile up but I still felt sick about it.
And fyi… blogger’s new sign in thing SUCKS. I either have to sign into blogger or just put a ‘nickname’ or anonymous.
No more “other” option.
Misty G
December 4
1:48 am
I used to be like you until I moved out to the country. I got over it after I almost got in an accident swirving to miss a rabbit. From then on, I decided if it’s a foot tall or less, it’s either gonna be them or me, and it’s not gonna be me.
I do try hard to miss things like dogs or cats or deer, but armadillos, wild rabbits, turkeys, skunks, squirrels (which are usually to fast to actually hit), frogs and racoons are on the do not swirve to miss list. In my favor, I’m a granny driver, so I very rarely hit any animals.
I also got over my fear of killing bugs when I discovered that for some reason, Oklahoma has really big bugs compared to California. It’s all fun and games until a scorpion drops down in front of you in the shower.lol.
Ann Bruce
December 4
3:12 am
I was traveling for work last week and got a co-worker to babysit my fish. I found out this morning that Blue was floating belly up in his bowl. 🙁
My poor co-worker is so traumatized she says she’s never taking care of someone else’s pet again.
Dawn
December 4
9:02 am
I hit a cat years ago soon after I passed my driving test. I’ll always remember the reproachful look on the cat’s face as it slunk to the side of the road.
Then a few years back a squirrel ran under my car and I heard the thump. I was so upset.
THEN a pheasant committed suicide on my car. I saw the thing on the side of the road way ahead of me and it had plenty of time to cross IF that was what it was intending to do. But no, it waited until I drove up to it and launched itself into the car. In that case I think it deserved to die.
Katie(babs)
December 5
10:15 pm
Funny thing is, I too ran over a squirrel last week. I was afraid its ghost would come and suffocate me with acorns.
And of course everyone had to taunt me about killer squirrels coming to kill me because I ran over one of their own.
I got over it, you will to.
(even though everytime I see a squirrel now, I look over my back)
Nolan Mccall
April 22
4:42 am
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