Government won’t make drivers report car-on-cat collisions, despite petition

The government has refused to introduce laws that would require motorists to report a collision with a cat, despite a petition of over 10,000 animal rights campaigners and concerned pet owners requesting the same rules that apply to road collisions with dogs.

In a statement, the Department for Transport said: “The Government has no current plans to mandate that motorists report a collision involving a cat, or to grant police powers to prosecute motorists who fail to report a collision involving a cat.”

The DfT explains that the combination of the often diminutive size of cats, as well as the fact that they’re typically most active at dawn or dusk, makes any such law challenging to enforce. “In many cases drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them – particularly with larger vehicles. Because of that, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.”

This comes as a response to a petition which achieved almost 11,000 signatures asking not only for reporting a collision between a car and a cat to be required by law, but also for the police to be given the powers to prosecute those that don’t report.

Similar appeals around the same topic over the last few years have garnered equal support, however, both Labour and the previous Conservative governments have done little to give the public what they want, bar mandating in June 2024 the fitment of microchips to cats over 20 weeks old.

Co-founder of feline road accident awareness group Cats Matter, Mandy Hobbis, said: “We are disappointed at the Government stating that they have no plans to include cats in the Road Traffic Act, which would give them similar rights to dogs when it comes to road traffic collisions.” 

Describing the UK as “a compassionate country”, the DfT says that while “there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.”

This isn’t enough for many, though. Hobbis described cats as “much-loved family members, just like dogs, and they too deserve the right to be protected by law should the worst happen. It just can’t be right that this so-called ‘animal loving nation’ legally allows drivers to hit a cat and leave them alone, scared and in pain.”

For now, the Government says the Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs is investigating what are the key challenges preventing owners from reuniting with their cats following an accident and will provide advice to local authorities once conclusions have been drawn.

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