Dear Sarah,
Thank you for contacting me about road collisions involving cats and for sharing your petition.
For many people, cats are beloved members of the family, and it can be incredibly upsetting when a pet is injured or killed on the road. I understand why not knowing what has happened to a missing cat can be particularly distressing for owners.
As you note, under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers are required to stop and report collisions involving certain animals, including dogs, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. Cats are not currently included within those requirements.
The Government has said it has no plans to amend the Road Traffic Act 1988 to introduce a legal duty for drivers to report collisions with cats. This is because cats are much smaller than other specified animals and are often most active at dawn or dusk. In many cases, drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them, particularly if they are driving a larger vehicle. It would therefore be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law were changed.
However, I recognise that many people feel strongly about this issue. Losing a pet can be heartbreaking, and where possible I believe drivers should act with compassion and make reasonable efforts to identify the owner of a cat that has been injured or killed. The introduction of compulsory microchipping for cats in England has made it easier to reunite lost pets with their owners and identify cats following accidents.
More broadly, I strongly welcome efforts to improve animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. I will monitor any developments in this area closely, keeping your thoughts in mind.
PLEASE SHARE- I'm not giving up. I'm not looking for prosecution for hitting a cat. All I want, if drivers are aware, is that these "accidents" are reported. Microchipping is totally understandable but mostly comes in handy to identify the owners of a dead or injured cat. It's time critical.