RSPCA campaigns for new cat RTA law
It became a legal requirement for cats to be microchipped from June 2024.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has joined a campaign to change the law regarding traffic accidents involving cats.
It is not currently a requirement for drivers to report if they have hit a cat, despite legally having to inform the police if they hit animals including dogs or goats.
The campaign has been prompted by a petition launched by Kellie Watson, a member of the public whose kitten died after being hit by a car. The RSPCA says that, without this legislation, cat owners will often not know if their pet is alive or dead.
As well as the legal requirement to report hitting a dog on the road, since 2016 the Highways Agency has committed to scanning deceased dogs for microchips.
The RSPCA believes that now is the right time to implement the new legislation, following new rules enacted last June which made cat microchipping compulsory. It says that it is now easier than ever for drivers to report hitting a cat, as well as tracing the animal's owner using the details on the microchip.
The microchipping law does not relate to feral or stray cats, which the RSPCA says could make reporting more difficult.
David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said: “We know the worry and distress that comes from owners never knowing what happened to their cat, the uncertainty and heartbreak of not knowing whether they’re alive or dead, or like in Kellie’s case, not being able to say goodbye.
“Reporting if you hit a cat with your car to the police and scanning the cat for a microchip in order to contact the owners gives them the closure they deserve.”
In the meantime, the RSPCA advises car drivers to stop at the scene of the accident, if it is safe to do so. Driver could bring the cat to a veterinary practice for treatment and to check for a microchip, as well as asking in the local neighbourhood for information about the cat's owner.
Image © RSPCA
Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
