New October road cat law update as ministers to meet campaigners after debate

New October road cat law update as ministers to meet campaigners after debate A law currently applies to horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats - and a massive petiton calls for change Government minister will meet with cat activists over calls for a new law which would all motorists and owners. A key debate took place at Westminster Hall in Parliament - calling for all drivers to be legally required to report accidents involving cats. A massive petition on the issue reached 189,000 signups meaning the MPs showdown took place - the largest cat welfare petition that has ever come to Parliament. Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report an accident involving specified animals including horses, cattle, ass, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. At the debate Liberal Democrat Martin Wrigley said the petition was started by CatsMatter, a group co-funded by Mandy Hobbis and Tiya Ivy. He said: “Cats are not just companions; they are members of the family, so, yes, collisions should be reported. Clearly, we are not alone. By the time the petition closed on 17 June, it had gathered 189,192.” Labour’s Julie Minns asked: “Does the hon. Gentleman agree that moving to a point where cats are treated in the same way as dogs would at least give some comfort to cat owners who are left grieving and without an explanation about what happened in those final moments?” Mr Wrigley added: “On people’s confusion about where to report a collision with a cat, section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 says that a driver who hits certain animals must stop and, if necessary, report it to the police. Those animals are horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats and dogs. Cats are not on the list.” Liberal Tom Gordon asked Mr Wrigley who was leading the debate: “Does he agree that the message that we can send today from this House is that, even if it is not legally required, the right, moral thing to do is for people to notify the police and to try to find the owner?” He replied: “I agree with my hon. Friend that that is the right, moral thing to do and we need to encourage drivers to do it.” Labour’s Brian Leishman added: “I share the frustration and dismay of the people from the Cats Whiskers at the fact that cats are not included in section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. We think it is abominable that if a cat is hit by a vehicle, the driver can just drive away and leave the animal behind injured in pain or lying dead on the road, and that that is considered acceptable by the law. It is surely a question of basic compassion and decency to change this law.” Responding for the government The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Justin Madders acknowledged the strength of feeling in the huge response to the petition, and said officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be meeting representatives from CatsMatter to discuss clarity on who a driver should report a collision to. He said one issue was if people notice they’ve hit a cat: “We have to have legislation that is both workable and safe. As several Members acknowledged, cats are mostly smaller than dogs, and a driver may not actually realise that a collision has occurred—that is probably more relevant given the propensity for larger vehicles nowadays. “When the nights are drawing in, if it is a rural road with high-speed traffic, it is actually quite dangerous to ask people to leave their vehicle to search for a cat. That could create more danger and injury. There are also practical difficulties—we must consider locating the animal, arranging identification and ensuring that any reporting system can be enforced consistently.” He pointed out that since June 2024 it has been compulsory for cats over the age of 20 weeks to be microchipped and registered on a compliant database. It was raised in the debate that cats are free-roaming which adds differences to other animals in the Road Traffic Act 1988. Mr Madders added: “We will continue to engage with advocates in this area. We will look at the emerging research and do what we can to encourage responsible actions from the wider public.” The petition states: “It is legal in the UK to hit a cat when driving and not need to stop or report collisions, leaving them scared, alone, and in pain. Cats are important, loved, valued family members for many, and we believe the law should reflect this. “We want the Government to legislate to require drivers to stop, check and report any road collisions with cats if they’re injured on the road, and hold drivers accountable if they fail to stop and report a collision involving a cat on the basis that they left a cat to unnecessarily suffer. We believe asking drivers to be made responsible for seeking help for an injured cat is a perfectly reasonable & simple ask.” Read the complete government response and see the petition here.