Government ministers are set to meet cat welfare campaigners after a parliamentary debate on whether drivers should be legally required to report collisions involving cats. The move follows a petition that gathered 189,192 signatures, the largest cat welfare petition ever brought before Parliament.
The debate took place at Westminster Hall after the petition reached 189,000 sign-ups, triggering an MPs' showdown. Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers must stop and report accidents involving horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs - but cats and wild animals are not included.
MPs Call for Cats to Join Reportable Animals List
Liberal Democrat Martin Wrigley, who led the debate, said the petition was started by CatsMatter, a group co-founded 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 whether moving to treat cats in the same way as dogs would give comfort to 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."
Government Response and Practical Concerns
Liberal Tom Gordon asked whether the message from the House should be that "the right, moral thing to do is for people to notify the police and to try to find the owner." Mr Wrigley 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 said: "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."
Responding for the government, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Justin Madders acknowledged the strength of feeling in the petition response. He said officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will meet representatives from CatsMatter to discuss clarity on who a driver should report a collision to.
Safety and Enforcement Challenges
Mr Madders noted that legislation must be "both workable and safe," pointing out that cats are mostly smaller than dogs and drivers may not realise a collision has occurred. He said: "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."
He also highlighted practical difficulties around locating the animal, arranging identification, and ensuring any reporting system can be enforced consistently. Since June 2024, cats over the age of 20 weeks must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database.
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." It calls for drivers to be required to stop, check and report any road collisions with cats, and to be held accountable if they fail to do so.
