Make Dog Owners Accountable When Their Dogs Kill Cats

We are calling on the UK Government to strengthen the law to specifically protect cats from serious dog attacks and to ensure that dog owners — and anyone else responsible for what happens afterwards — can be properly held accountable when a dog seriously injures or kills a cat.

At present, attacks involving cats can fall under existing dangerous-dog legislation, but we believe the law needs to be clearer, stronger and more consistent. Cats are companion animals and members of our families, and their deaths should not be treated as insignificant simply because they are not dogs or humans.

We are calling for:

• A specific offence for a dog seriously injuring or killing a domestic cat.

• Clearer powers and procedures for police and relevant authorities to investigate serious dog attacks on cats.

• Appropriate consequences for owners whose dogs seriously injure or kill cats, particularly where there has been negligence, recklessness or a failure to properly control the dog.

• Stronger measures where a dog has previously attacked or shown dangerous behaviour towards other animals.

• Better recording of serious dog attacks on cats, so the true scale of the problem can be understood and acted upon.

• A clear legal requirement for a person who finds themselves responsible for a cat that has been killed by a dog to notify the cat’s owner, police or an appropriate veterinary professional, rather than disposing of or concealing the body.

• Appropriate consequences where someone deliberately disposes of, conceals or fails to report the body of a cat killed in a dog attack, preventing the family from being informed and potentially preventing the circumstances of the death from being properly investigated.

Why this matters

This petition is not about blaming dogs.

Dogs are animals. They act on instinct and cannot be expected to understand the consequences of their actions in the same way a human can. Responsibility must ultimately sit with the people who own, control and care for them — and with any person who deliberately chooses to conceal, dispose of or mishandle the remains of a beloved pet after its death.

Across communities, families are losing beloved cats to dog attacks. These are not simply statistics or incidents involving “just animals”. They are family members who are loved, cared for and desperately missed when they don’t come home.

In my own community of Wollaston, Northamptonshire, one cat was sadly mauled by a dog in August, and more recently Maggie was also mauled by a dog and tragically lost her life.

Maggie’s family were then faced with the additional heartbreak of learning that her body had been put in a bin after her death. Maggie was only located because of her tracker.

The dog did not put Maggie in the bin. A human being did.

Whatever the circumstances surrounding a fatal attack, families deserve to know what happened to their pet. They deserve the opportunity to say goodbye, and the circumstances surrounding their pet’s death should be properly recorded and, where appropriate, investigated.

A beloved pet should not be treated as rubbish.

I started this petition because I cannot simply sit by and do nothing.

I am a cat lover and a proud Wollastonian who grew up in the area. Although I have since moved away, I still live close by, and these incidents have deeply affected me.

This is not about creating a witch hunt, blaming an entire group of dog owners or encouraging hostility between people who own dogs and people who own cats. In fact, Maggie lived with her black Labrador sister, Honey. They got on great.

There are many responsible and loving dog owners who would be devastated if their dog were involved in an attack. This petition is about ensuring that when something serious happens, the incident is dealt with properly and fairly.

It is about accountability.

It is about making sure that when a cat is seriously injured or killed by a dog, the incident is taken seriously, properly investigated and that there are appropriate consequences where an owner has failed in their responsibility.

It is also about ensuring that once a cat has died, their body is treated with dignity and that no person can simply dispose of or conceal their remains without the appropriate people being notified.

Cats deserve protection too.

They deserve to be recognised as the family members they are.

Their families deserve answers.

And when someone is responsible for failing to protect a cat, failing to control a dangerous dog, or deliberately denying a family the opportunity to know what happened to their beloved pet, there should be meaningful accountability.

Please sign and share this petition if you believe the law should do more to protect cats, properly investigate serious dog attacks, and hold irresponsible people accountable.

For Maggie. And for every cat who deserves to come home safely. 🐾💔

 

This petition is an incredibly important first step, but it is just the beginning. My ultimate goal is to fight for much stronger laws to protect cats across the board.

Cats are no longer simply animals that stay indoors or roam freely. More and more owners are responsibly taking their cats outside on harnesses and leads, allowing them to enjoy the outdoors while keeping them safe. Cats can be walked in public spaces, just like other companion animals, and they can be present on pavements, roads, parks and other areas where they may encounter dogs and vehicles.

The law needs to recognise this changing reality and provide cats with appropriate protection when they are out in public with their owners.

That includes changing the outdated road traffic laws so that motorists are legally required to stop and report an accident if they hit a cat, just like they have to for dogs.

Cats deserve to be recognised as beloved family members under every part of the law — whether they are at home, being walked on a lead, travelling with their owners or simply enjoying the outdoors.

This petition is an incredibly important first step, but it is only the beginning of what I hope will become a much wider campaign for meaningful legal protection for cats across the UK. 

Thank you all so much for your support so far. Let’s keep pushing for the legal protections our cats truly deserve. 🐾

For Maggie, and for every cat who deserves to be protected.