Johannesburg - UK motoring experts are supporting a campaign to give cats the same rights as other animals when it comes to hit-and-run laws.
Currently, British drivers aren’t legally obliged to stop and inform the police if they run over a cat, but experts believe a law should be introduced and a mandatory fine enforced if they fail to comply.
And if they are successful, this could see drivers being fined up to £1 000 (about R21 771) if they accidentally hit a cat and fail to inform the police, under a proposed new law.
Meanwhile, experts from LeaseCar.uk are among those supporting a campaign for the law to be changed to give cats the same rights as many other animals when it comes to road traffic accidents.
Tim Alcock from LeaseCar.uk explained that currently, drivers must stop and inform the police if they hit dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats and sheep – but not cats.
“Many cat owners are left wondering what’s happened to their beloved pets if they’ve been run over by a driver, as it’s not a legal requirement to go to the police or track down the owner,” Alcock said.
He added that recently one pet owner who had lost her cat to a hit-and-run incident managed to get 100 000 signatures on a petition to change the law. Accordingly, the issue was debated in the UK parliament, but there are no current plans to make it an offence to run over a cat and fail to notify the police.
Alcock also believes that cats deserve the same protection in law as dogs and other pets, and called on the government to show compassion to their devoted owners.
“We’re calling for changes to be made to the law to make it a legal requirement for motorists to report to police if they’ve run over a cat.”
“Along with this change, we believe it’s right to introduce a fine of up to £1 000 for any motorists who don’t comply and simply leave a cat on the roadside without reporting the incident.”
Alcock said it was shocking to discover that it was not a legal requirement for motorists to report whether they had run over cats, but it was even more surprising that the law covered various animals but excluded one of the most popular pets in Britain.
“It’s not uncommon to see a poster for a missing cat on a lamp post or in a shop window. and in many cases the missing pet will have been the victim of a road accident, but as the law stands there’s no requirement for the owner to even be informed.”
Alcock said it was heartbreaking to lose a cat, as for many they’re a member of the family, which is why they wanted to support the change in the law.
“It simply isn’t right that cat owners are left in this terrible vacuum of grief when their beloved pet disappears without warning.”
“The fact that anyone would want to leave a defenceless animal on the side of the road is appalling, and not having a law in place can make people assume it’s fine for this to continue.”
“It’s not fair to our beloved pets to have the law unchanged. We want no cat to be left behind injured or dead at the side of the road.”