It should be compulsory to report an accident involving a cat just like it's compulsory to report hitting a dog.

Sadly on 7th September 2022 our beautiful cat Snowy was hit by a car, the driver never stopped. While the driver carried on with their lives a part of our family lay dying, in pain & scared with nobody to comfort her. When I found my girl she was already dead, she died alone & the way I found her will haunt me for the rest of my life. So many people believe a cat is "Just a cat" but she was our cat and part of our family. 

I have now lost 3 cats on the road now. Many of us have lost cats to the road or have hurt an animal in a traffic accident. It's heart breaking for anyone involved, but do you know what the law is regarding road traffic accidents & cats? 

Currently there is no law that requires you to stop after hitting a cat on the road. The road traffic act 1988 states that legally, you must report hitting the following animals to the police. This applies whether the animal is dead or injured.

▪ Dogs

▪ Horses

▪ Cattle

▪ Pigs

▪ Goats

▪ Sheep

No one wants to think about hitting someone’s pet. Legally you have to report a dog if you hit it. Unfortunately though, cats don’t have to be reported. But the decent thing to do is to try and reach the owner of the animal.

Surprisingly, only 25% of cats hit in a road traffic accident are killed, so there’s a good chance that the cat will be okay after seeing a vet and receiving treatment. Failing to stop could result in the cat from suffering for longer and perhaps never making it back to their owners. Do the right thing, stop the car and do your best to help.

The cat will be very scared and probably experiencing a high level of pain.

Call the closest vet and tell them you are on the way. Remember, you will not have to pay the vet when you take in an injured or deceased pet. Even if the cat has passed away, The vet can check for a microchip and find the owner that way. If the cat is sadly killed, the vet can keep the pet in cold storage until the owner has been found.

If you’re unable to go to an out of hours emergency vet you can contact the RSPCA. The RSPCA can perform roadside microchip scanning if necessary.

The very last resort is to contact the council but please note that many councils take the pets to landfill and they don’t perform microchip scans.

I know this petition will probably fall on deaf ears but even if I can raise a little awareness and possibly convince more people to have the compassion to stop for an injured cat my job here is done.

RIP Evie, Tigger & Snowy all other cats that lost there life from a car driver