'Why did the driver who killed my cat not stop?'

Laura Taylor was horrified and distraught when her cat was hit and killed by a driver two weeks ago.

Neighbours managed to move her pet's body, which had been left on the road, and the 32-year-old from Lakenheath, Suffolk only found out what had happened through Facebook.

Under current law, drivers are not required to stop after hitting a cat, unlike dogs, and the Department for Transport (DfT) said there were "no current plans" to change this.

Cat owners are petitioning for change, arguing their pets deserve the same recognition as dogs.

Taylor was told her cat, named Elsie, was hit by a learner driver who did initially stop but then drove off.

"They didn't attempt to knock on anyone's door to try and locate the owner, they didn't call anyone for help," she explained.

"They didn't even try and move her out of the road, which is the bit I find hardest because it's awful when you see animals that have been hit by cars, but it's even worse when you see them where they've just been run over and again and again because people can't avoid them."

She felt a change in the law would offer owners closure.

"I think at the minimum there should be a responsibility to report the incident or take the cat to the local vet so they can contact the owners and do what needs to be done," she continued.

"I don't think it's right that a cat should be left to die on the end of the street.

"[Elsie] deserves so much more than to just be left like roadkill."

Lauren Rayner, 41, from Norwich, has lost two cats to collisions and found out about both through Facebook.

More recently her cat Ozzy was hit but made it home, leaving her with a £2,000 vet bill.

Ozzy is now kept indoors at night, but she said she was unsure of the best solution, noting drivers often did not even realise they had hit a cat and it was not always their fault.

"It's not like a dog or a deer where it's big enough to damage your car," she explained.

"They usually run off because normally they don't die instantly.

"They might be injured or stunned and they keep going and they're hidden in the bush, so you're not going to be able to find them.

"So, I think educating owners about keeping your cats indoors, especially at night and especially around dusk, when the light starts changing, is important."

Laura Whybrow, 35, from Colchester, Essex lost her cat Chucky a couple of years ago and found him early in the morning on her way to work.

She said it was a sight no owner should ever have to see and she did not understand why cats were considered different to dogs in the eyes of the law.

"We've got a dog as well as the cats, and he's not loved any more or prioritised any more than the cats," she said.

"They're all family pets, they're all family members, so if something happened to him, I would expect the same response if something happened to one of the cats."

Whybrow felt it would be difficult for a driver not to realise they had hit a cat, and now her other cats do not go outside.

Peter Ashton, 72, also from Colchester, lives on a small residential road with a 20mph limit.

He and his wife had placed signs up around the area to warn drivers there were cats around, but earlier this month his ragdoll cat, Purdy, was hit and later put to sleep after suffering severe injuries.

Peter felt a change in the law could help bring people to account.

"I don't know whether it would make people more careful, maybe it wouldn't, but at least there'd be some accountability if they are involved in an accident," he said.

"We all know cats will do what they want and they'll wander across roads, so sometimes you won't have an option and it is very difficult to avoid them, but at least it might make people a little bit more aware."

Hayley Lant, 51, from Bedford, has lost three cats in collisions, including where one had been run over numerous times.

She said it would have been the "human thing" to stop, but none of the drivers did.

"It's just heartbreaking because they do become a member of your family, especially if you've got children and you have to explain to them what's happened.

"It's horrible, but I always think if somebody actually took them to the vet, or even stopped and moved them, it just gives families that little bit of [reassurance] that they weren't just left."

She pointed out that cats are now legally required to be microchipped, meaning a cat involved in a collision could easily be scanned and identified at any vet.

But she did not believe all cat owners had yet microchipped their pets.

A recent petition was launched by campaign group Cats Matter and has seen more than 28,000 people call for the government to change the law.

Mandy Hobbis from the group described the situation as being at "breaking point".

"While we understand accidents will always happen, and agree that there are times when cats run out leaving a driver with very little time to react, but we cannot accept that drivers can then flee the scene leaving the cat injured or deceased," she said.

"Helping an injured animal on the road is the decent and right thing to do. Even if the cat is sadly deceased, reporting the incident will ensure the cat is scanned and the owners get the answers and closure they need."

The DfT, which has been approached for comment, has already responded to the petition and, despite no plans to change the law, said its Road Safety Strategy would "improve road safety for all users, including cats and other animals".

"This is a compassionate country and although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make inquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation," it added.

"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.

"This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets. To introduce such a measure within the provision of section 170, would require primary legislation."

As well as this, the government said it had made it compulsory in June 2024 for all cats to be microchipped to help reunite lost and stray cats.

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