ATHENA AT THE CROSSWALK

A cat was lying in the middle of a busy road, not moving, when a driver coming home from work realized she was still alive.

At first, it was just a shape in the lane. Then the poster got closer and saw the cat's head moving around, as if she was searching for help. Cars kept going past. The poster stopped traffic, made a U-turn, and went back for her.

Up close, the cat looked wrecked and terrified. Still, when the poster reached her, she lifted her head in a look that seemed like "relief and confusion." The poster got her out of the road and rushed her to an urgent pet clinic, with the cat meowing softly the whole drive.

The first clinic gave the poster a sliver of hope. Their initial workup suggested the cat was pregnant, under 3 years old, and had badly shattered back legs, while her pelvis and spine seemed okay. She was alert. She responded to oxygen. For a moment, surgery felt possible.

Then came the transfer to a bigger hospital, and the picture changed fast.

There, the injuries were far more serious. The cat had signs of a traumatic brain injury. One leg would definitely need amputation. The other might need extensive surgery or amputation too. There were signs of spinal compression. And the fetuses she was carrying were non-viable, adding even more risk if surgery was attempted. The doctors said her quality of life, even after everything, would likely not be good.

The poster made the hardest call.

She was euthanized, and the poster stayed with her through it. They gave her pets and "the biggest forehead kiss" as she passed. Later, the grief spilled out in blunt, shaken words: "She should be here." "Alive. In a warm house with all the treats in the world."

The poster said they only knew her for a few hours, but they loved her deeply. They kept coming back to the same question, wondering if it had been the right choice. They wanted people to know this cat existed. They had even been thinking of a name for her: Athena.

"I miss her so much," the poster wrote.