Nearly cleaned up a cat....

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Driving in this morning, this cat ahead on the footpath decides to make a break for it and shoot across the (wide) road, 50 kph zone. Well, there's a fair bit of traffic in both directions, and the silly little frigger decides to hesitate in a lane directly in front of me. All split second stuff. I look in the rearview, Prado up my clacker. Cat just ahead, crouched low on road, doesn't know which way to go... I don't want to hit it, I brake gently. I am concerned the cat will run into oncoming cars other side of road. I actually want the silly bugger to get back to the footpath to the left of me. I don't want to alarm it into making a fatal decision. I give the horn a couple of short blasts whilst flashing my headlights. Fortunately, that made the oncoming cars wake up to what was going on and slow up. At the last moment the cat made the decision I had hoped it would and retreated back to the footpath and abandon its plan to cross the road. The thing is, had the Prado piled into the back of me, or got enraged and taken me to task, What would result? Had I hit the cat, and it was flailing in the middle of the road and I had to get out and finish it off with a jack lever out of the boot, would I get any assistance? I doubt it.
Cats are a bit of a problem as dogs were years ago, before it was illegal for them to roam the streets. Cats can still come and go as they please, no onus of responsibility for the owner. But what a potential for fiasco on the road!