Negligent Homicide of a Feline

When I dropped my 3 year old cat off in the woods on a cold, November evening several years ago, essentially leaving her to die, would it be considered 1st degree murder, or negligent homicide?  No shelter would take her, and I had no choice. 

Forget for a minute that she is a cat, and as we all know, cats have no souls.  Pretend it was a human and I was actually sick enough to do such a thing.  Let's also, hypothetically, of course, say that I left a handful of cat food on the side of the road where I kicked her out of the cat carrier and sped off.  I almost expected her to find her way back to my home, but she certainly either froze to death, or was eaten by a coyote, well before she would be able to make the long journey home to my condo.  Still, I found myself looking out the window or occasionally checking the front door...thinking that maybe...just maybe, it was not her time to go. 

I like to think that a nice family took her in and gave her a nice home; but unless she actually made it out in the wilderness long enough to face starvation, I'm thinking she probably would not have approached another residence.

I'm continuously haunted by the image of my cat, who had never been outside before, never mind left to fend for herself.  Maybe that's why I'm reluctant to care for another pet.  A little bit of me died that day, I think...the day I left my poor cat to die.

The question; however, remains.  1st degree murder, negligent homicide, or neither?  After all, her body was never found, and I never actually committed the direct act that ended her life.  I always wondered  that to myself, and now it's out there.  I mean, who would bring up the fact that I left another living creature alone to suffer a horrifying existence, leading inevitably to a death that I can't imagine was quick and/or pleasant in any way, shape, or form.  I can't say that I feel like a weight is off my chest.  I'm sure I'll burn in hell for many things, and this is just one of those things.  I'm beyond redemption.

I'm sorry Kiwi, I hope wherever you are....you stop fucking showing up in my dreams.  Seriously.  If I'm forced to kill you all over again in my nightmares, I'm not sure if I could live with myself.  That being said...rest well my friend.