Attack risk of helping hurt pets

Alan Gaut (letters, December 27) asks why people don't remove injured animals. Here's why. Some years ago I was driving through a village and stopped because there was an injured cat in the road.

It was difficult to see how to move the poor creature, as its guts were spread out and its back legs obviously run over by many vehicles.

I got a large shovel out of the boot and was about to ease the cat onto it, when two screaming women ran up and accused me killing their pet!

They would not listen when I pointed out that I had stopped well short of the cat to help it and simply wanted to move it out of harm's way.

The hysterical women were joined by neighbours, so I jumped back in my car and reversed, not before one crazed man had struck the vehicle with a heavy stick. So much for attempting to be a good samaritan!

My advice is, if you see an injured animal in the road don't stop, drive on and report it to the police.

Whatever your feelings are for injured animals, it's not worth the hassle of being attacked by grief stricken pet owners.

W Kerswell, Picklescott