Suka, this calico cat that lived on Maple Avenue, was killed by a speeding car on June 5.
Monica Gambino wrote a letter to the Times shortly after her family’s cat, Suka, was killed on Maple Avenue. The incident happened at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, after the cat slipped out of the house and wandered onto the roadway.
“We will never stop kicking ourselves for our part in that,” Ms. Gambino wrote of the cat getting out of the house. “Yet, I think I speak for all of the residents of Maple Avenue when I say how tired I am of the excessive speed of the cars that drive down our street and for the total disregard these drivers seem to have for the residents who live here.”
Maple Avenue is a long, straight road connecting Middle Highway to County Road. The road features a number of commercial properties toward its eastern end, but is also packed with residences throughout.
According to a police report and Ms. Gambino’s letter, the motorist who struck Suka did not stop after doing so. Instead, a Barrington resident who was a few cars back from the incident pulled over to the side of the road and stopped traffic. Another person, also a Barrington resident, tended to the cat, wrapping it in a blanket and removing it from the roadway. The family pet died shortly thereafter.
A nearby neighbor to the Gambinos alerted the family to the sad news.
“My daughter, a graduated senior, was so broken up by her cat’s demise that she missed her senior banquet. We are devastated by the lost of our cat…” wrote Ms. Gambino.
The local family is very concerned about the dangerous nature of speeding cars on Maple Avenue. They are also aware of the fact that many families with young children live on Maple Avenue — “…so everyone, please slow down.”