On the 15th of December 2024, our beloved cat Hunni was killed on the road, the driver did not stop, and we were never able to find her body. Like so many families, we were left heartbroken, devastated and without answers.

In the UK, drivers are legally required to stop and report if they hit certain animals, but cats are not included. This legal gap leaves countless families without answers, closure, or the chance to say goodbye.

Hunni was microchipped, and we contacted the council and every vet in the area hoping she might have been found or recorded. Despite this, we received no information and no closure. Even with identification in place, there was no clear pathway for her to be traced back to us. This highlights how vulnerable cats and their families remain under the current system.

The way deceased pets are currently handled is broken. Leaving this responsibility to local authorities often results in a lack of transparency and follow-up, and unnecessary distress for owners. Councils are not set up to deal with these cases effectively and compassionately, and many pets, like Hunni, end up unaccounted for, leaving families uncertain and heartbroken.

Drivers must be legally required to stop if they hit a cat. This is the first step in ensuring injured or deceased pets are not left unattended and that owners can be contacted promptly.

Here’s what else needs to change:

1. Every deceased pet must be scanned for a microchip. This should be a non-negotiable, standard practice so owners can be informed without delay.

2. Councils should no longer manage deceased pets. Resources should instead go toward funding veterinary services to take on this responsibility as efficiently and compassionately as they already do when handling our pets.

Making these changes would ensure pets are treated with dignity, owners are not left in distress, and the process is consistent, accountable, and humane.

Cats are loving, sentient family members, yet when they are injured or killed on our roads, they are often left alone, unidentified, and forgotten. This petition calls for a change so that drivers are required to stop and report after hitting a cat, so that injured cats can receive help and families are not left searching in distress.

This campaign is about compassion, responsibility, and recognising that cats matter too.

I am asking my local MP, along with other relevant departments, to support the above proposed changes in legislation that gives cats the dignity they deserve, just like any other loss, and protects the families who love them.

For Hunni, and for every cat who did not make it home.