Similar to dogs, we simply want legislation in place that makes it mandatory to report incidents where a driver has collided with a cat. We fully understand that accidents will always happen and we don’t want to penalise drivers for accidently hitting a cat when it may be the case that the driver had little time to react and the collision was unavoidable. What we don’t understand is why some drivers feel it is perfectly fine to hit a cat and flee the scene. It is those morally bankrupt drivers that the law will most affect, not those that already do the decent thing.
We wrote a letter to the Government, later signed by many other animal organisations, that we want them to commit to investigating change. Alongside this we put our alternative legislation proposals forward. Each of those that signed stand with us in our ask to the Government to investigate our proposals further with the intention of finally implementing protections for cats on our roads. Last week we, along with Cat Eccles MP, visited 10 Downing Street and personally hand delivered this letter.
We believe cats deserve to be helped should they sadly fall victim to the road. With dogs, drivers must stop and report incidents when they have hit a dog. With cats, it’s perfectly legal to drive on leaving them scared, alone, in pain, or worse, roadside. Asking the Government introduce a law for cats that is similar to that already in place for dogs is simply asking that a bit of decency is legislated for. Should drivers be required to stop and report it if they hit a cat when driving it will minimise suffering, preserve life and give grieving owners the closure they need. There are an estimated 12.5 million cats in the UK, many of which are very much loved and live in homes with people that consider them family members. It is not unreasonable for those people to expect all is done to help their beloved companion should the worst sadly happen, and it’s not unreasonable to demand an end to the suffering cats are subjected to when they are left for hours, sometimes days, in crippling pain because no one cared enough to simply stop the car and help.
Cat Eccles, a proud cat lover, is chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cats and made it clear at the start of her election that she would be a strong advocate for animal welfare.
“It is simply wrong that families are left in the dark if their cat is hit by a car,” she said. “This is about compassion, accountability, and bringing our laws in line with the love people have for their pets. “I would be heartbroken if anything happened to any of my cats. I was proud to stand alongside campaigners at No. 10 to call for this small but meaningful change that will make a big difference to cat owners across the country.” Miss Eccles said too many cats were left to suffer needlessly because drivers were not required to stop or report incidents.
“We hope the Prime Minister will listen to the thousands of voices backing this campaign.”