UK Government Declines to Require Reporting of Cat Collisions by Drivers
The UK government has stated it currently has no plans to require drivers to report collisions with cats, despite nearly 11,000 people signing an e-petition to make reporting and taking a hit cat to a vet a legal obligation.
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers must report collisions involving certain animals such as dogs, horses, cattle, mules, sheep, pigs, and goats, but cats are notably excluded from this list. Officials note that prosecutions would be difficult because cats are small and often active at dawn or dusk. The original focus of the law was on working animals rather than domestic pets, which explains the exclusion of cats.
The Cats Matter campaign group, which has lobbied for a change in the legislation, expressed disappointment at the government's response. Mandy Hobbis, co-founder of the group, criticized the decision. Meanwhile, a 2021 report by Cats Protection found that road traffic accidents injure about 4% of cats, and the charity urges people to take injured cats to a vet and for councils to scan found cats to help inform owners.
The government emphasized that the absence of a legal obligation does not mean drivers should not attempt to locate a pet owner after hitting a cat. However, they also cautioned that changing the law could make prosecutions more difficult.
Petitions in the UK reaching 10,000 signatures receive a government response, and those reaching 100,000 signatures trigger a parliamentary debate.
