The Fluffy Kitty in the Road...

Last Saturday morning, my friend and I went for an early morning walk around the lake. One section of the trail had us walking parallel with a road. On this early, foggy morning, I vaguely saw a fluffy thing on the side of the road ahead of us. As we got closer, I realized that this fluffy thing was, in fact, a little kitty who had been hit by a car recently. I say recently, because she looked like she was sleeping on the side of the road - no yuckiness. As we passed her, I held back tears. My friend (not an animal lover) said it was sad and moved on..but I kept thinking I had to do something for this poor little kitty. It was someone's pet, for sure. Not that ugly, non-fluffy kitties can't be someone's pet. But clearly, this pet was well cared for and had just had a bad night out on the town with a tragic ending. I kept envisioning the poor kitty all morning. Mostly because this happened to me when I was little. I have never forgotten the day...
I was about 10 years old, I am guessing. We had a beautiful fluffy little kitty named Holly. She was an indoor/outdoor cat. One day, we realized Holly hadn't been home in a while and that just wasn't her. I am sure my parents had a "funny feeling" so my Dad headed out that night "to try and find Holly." Sure enough...a couple hours later (or so it felt to me), my Dad walked in the door. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs and I remember him looking at me all sad and saying, "I found her and she was hit by a car." I then buried my head in his chest and cried and cried. I asked him if she was yucky, and he promised me she was not. I even asked him in the past year if she really wasn't yucky (at age 32) and to tell me the truth, I can take it. He said she really wasn't.
After my Dad told me the sad news, I laid in bed and tried to think back to the last time I saw her. It was then that I realized...I was THE LAST ONE TO LET HER OUTSIDE. In fact, I remember the moment I let her out. I remember her strolling down the sidewalk, across my neighbor's yard. For some reason, that moment is emblazened in my head. For years, I would lay in bed and envision her poor fluffy body on the side of the road. Perhaps that's creepy, but that's what my 10 year old brain did.
So when I saw that kitty on Saturday morning, I immediately thought of Holly and thought, "This poor kitty belongs to some little kid who is worried this morning." So I came home, called the local police office, and told them to get the poor thing. I went by there the next day and she was gone.
Isn't it funny the things you recall 22 years later...the moments that stick with you? Poor fluffy kitty.