Muirreann
@cats-of-blacktop.bsky.social
A personal project to bring awareness to the hardships and untimely deaths that outdoor cats face. CW for pet death and gore.
My sister found both of these- the white tom on her way down to Florida for Thanksgiving, so bloated, so many maggots. I still pet him gently- the tabby was still warm and limp. Holding his soft head between my hands felt different. For a moment, I could imagine he was only sleeping.
November 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
My sister found both of these- the white tom on her way down to Florida for Thanksgiving, so bloated, so many maggots. I still pet him gently- the tabby was still warm and limp. Holding his soft head between my hands felt different. For a moment, I could imagine he was only sleeping.
At first, when I picked him up off the highway, I thought for sure he had been there several days, bloat evident. But the firm roundness was from muscle. Sheer tom muscle, armor against claws and teeth, but not semis.
November 20, 2025 at 10:10 PM
At first, when I picked him up off the highway, I thought for sure he had been there several days, bloat evident. But the firm roundness was from muscle. Sheer tom muscle, armor against claws and teeth, but not semis.
More black cats, more shadows trapped in the sunlight.
November 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
More black cats, more shadows trapped in the sunlight.
On his way to his last day of work, my husband texted me at 7 am, "There's a black cat in the road." I crawled out of bed and headed out. He was in front of a farmhouse, where another lay even closer, rotting beside the vulture that had died trying to feed.
November 8, 2025 at 10:58 PM
On his way to his last day of work, my husband texted me at 7 am, "There's a black cat in the road." I crawled out of bed and headed out. He was in front of a farmhouse, where another lay even closer, rotting beside the vulture that had died trying to feed.
It was Halloween night; people should have been driving carefully, watching for trick-or-treaters, but maybe he was just too fast to avoid. He was still warm and limp when my sister brought him to me. I set him upright in the fridge, wrapped in a blanket, hoping I'd wake up to an angry cat.
November 2, 2025 at 3:20 AM
It was Halloween night; people should have been driving carefully, watching for trick-or-treaters, but maybe he was just too fast to avoid. He was still warm and limp when my sister brought him to me. I set him upright in the fridge, wrapped in a blanket, hoping I'd wake up to an angry cat.
What are the chances of finding a black and a white cat on the same trip? A sweet queen and an ear-tipped boy. I wonder if they would have been friends.
October 23, 2025 at 12:33 AM
What are the chances of finding a black and a white cat on the same trip? A sweet queen and an ear-tipped boy. I wonder if they would have been friends.
I had to pick her up quickly; she was in the middle of the road, and traffic was coming towards me fast. I reached down, bare-handed, and held her, dangling guts and all, as my mom pulled onto a side road.
October 19, 2025 at 2:42 AM
I had to pick her up quickly; she was in the middle of the road, and traffic was coming towards me fast. I reached down, bare-handed, and held her, dangling guts and all, as my mom pulled onto a side road.
He looked like one of my first fosters, Happy. He'd be grown up now. I hope he's just that- happy. I wish this one could've been. He was so soft. His blood stains my pants.
October 18, 2025 at 3:05 PM
He looked like one of my first fosters, Happy. He'd be grown up now. I hope he's just that- happy. I wish this one could've been. He was so soft. His blood stains my pants.
He was covered in fire ants. Two invasive species on opposite ends of the spectrum. I watched his fur blowing in the wind of the traffic as we sat in the turn lane, waiting. He looked like my Daffodil, my Wintersweet. I'll hug them extra tight tonight.
October 15, 2025 at 2:03 AM
He was covered in fire ants. Two invasive species on opposite ends of the spectrum. I watched his fur blowing in the wind of the traffic as we sat in the turn lane, waiting. He looked like my Daffodil, my Wintersweet. I'll hug them extra tight tonight.
He was about twenty feet from the road, a highway that has claimed many, lying beneath a prickly pear cactus. Had he been thrown? Or injured, he ran and collapsed there. Had it been instant? Or had he lain there, crying out for help that never came? These thoughts haunt me.
October 15, 2025 at 1:57 AM
He was about twenty feet from the road, a highway that has claimed many, lying beneath a prickly pear cactus. Had he been thrown? Or injured, he ran and collapsed there. Had it been instant? Or had he lain there, crying out for help that never came? These thoughts haunt me.
Tabbies are some of my favorite kinds of cats. I see them the most often. Common, but adoring.
September 27, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Tabbies are some of my favorite kinds of cats. I see them the most often. Common, but adoring.
It hurts seeing them in this state; barely recognizable.
September 25, 2025 at 12:52 AM
It hurts seeing them in this state; barely recognizable.
I picked him up yesterday, in my town, in the exact spot I had picked up another a year prior. There's a small colony there in that neighborhood. As we drove through, slowly, we came upon two small kittens sleeping in the road, warming in the sun. Unaware of the danger.
September 22, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I picked him up yesterday, in my town, in the exact spot I had picked up another a year prior. There's a small colony there in that neighborhood. As we drove through, slowly, we came upon two small kittens sleeping in the road, warming in the sun. Unaware of the danger.
My sister picked him up for me. She said there was a penny underneath him.
I asked, "Heads or tails?"
"Maggots." She answered.
I asked, "Heads or tails?"
"Maggots." She answered.
September 22, 2025 at 1:51 PM
My sister picked him up for me. She said there was a penny underneath him.
I asked, "Heads or tails?"
"Maggots." She answered.
I asked, "Heads or tails?"
"Maggots." She answered.
The irony of finding a dead cat right in front of the animal hospital was not lost on me. He was still warm, and I stopped for a moment to look for signs of life. For anything.
He spent the rest of the day with me at the lake, wrapped in my jacket.
He spent the rest of the day with me at the lake, wrapped in my jacket.
September 22, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The irony of finding a dead cat right in front of the animal hospital was not lost on me. He was still warm, and I stopped for a moment to look for signs of life. For anything.
He spent the rest of the day with me at the lake, wrapped in my jacket.
He spent the rest of the day with me at the lake, wrapped in my jacket.
He was undamaged, there was no blood, no broken bones. It's as if he were just sleeping. Sleeping on the side of the road. He was gorgeous, and I loved him without even knowing him. I named him Leif.
September 22, 2025 at 1:48 PM
He was undamaged, there was no blood, no broken bones. It's as if he were just sleeping. Sleeping on the side of the road. He was gorgeous, and I loved him without even knowing him. I named him Leif.
Out of all the cats I have picked up, this one I had to resist hugging the hardest. His gentle face, soft, curled paws, short, textured fur, and plump belly. I know he had to be the sweetest.
September 22, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Out of all the cats I have picked up, this one I had to resist hugging the hardest. His gentle face, soft, curled paws, short, textured fur, and plump belly. I know he had to be the sweetest.
I adore my husband more than words can say. He lets me put roadkill in his Eclipse, even when their smell is fowl, so that I can bring them home and show them the love and admiration they deserve.
September 22, 2025 at 2:40 AM
I adore my husband more than words can say. He lets me put roadkill in his Eclipse, even when their smell is fowl, so that I can bring them home and show them the love and admiration they deserve.
As my sister and I drove near her, lying in the middle of a rural road, we both thought, "Poor squirrel." And then we realized at the same time. I picked her up and held her to the sunlight, staring into her hazzy eyes, hoping she might merely be asleep.
September 22, 2025 at 2:38 AM
As my sister and I drove near her, lying in the middle of a rural road, we both thought, "Poor squirrel." And then we realized at the same time. I picked her up and held her to the sunlight, staring into her hazzy eyes, hoping she might merely be asleep.
This one was frustrating. A collar, finally. But only a flea collar, no way to tell her people. And on the way to the shelter to have her scanned for a chip, I found a tiny, flattened kitten.
September 22, 2025 at 2:35 AM
This one was frustrating. A collar, finally. But only a flea collar, no way to tell her people. And on the way to the shelter to have her scanned for a chip, I found a tiny, flattened kitten.
I wish I could say more about her. I wish I knew what she'd been like.
September 22, 2025 at 2:32 AM
I wish I could say more about her. I wish I knew what she'd been like.
So many black cats. My favorite kinds, like miniature panthers made of velvet and moonlight.
September 22, 2025 at 2:29 AM
So many black cats. My favorite kinds, like miniature panthers made of velvet and moonlight.
The Georgia sun is brutal. I hope my touch could be a tender reminder that warmth can come without pain.
September 22, 2025 at 2:26 AM
The Georgia sun is brutal. I hope my touch could be a tender reminder that warmth can come without pain.
I don't know why he died. He was far up a hill from the road, just a few feet onto the asphalt at the very back of a Walmart, beyond the dumpsters, beyond where anyone would see him.
September 22, 2025 at 2:23 AM
I don't know why he died. He was far up a hill from the road, just a few feet onto the asphalt at the very back of a Walmart, beyond the dumpsters, beyond where anyone would see him.
As we drove by, I thought for sure I had seen a collar. Something that marked him as claimed, something that could help me get him home. But no, only a scarlet streak across his pristine fur.
September 22, 2025 at 2:17 AM
As we drove by, I thought for sure I had seen a collar. Something that marked him as claimed, something that could help me get him home. But no, only a scarlet streak across his pristine fur.