Grimsby's MP says it should be law all collisions involving cats are reported
It follows an upsetting experience for Lia Nici
Last updated 17th Jan 2023
Grimsby's MP wants a law to be brought in which would require drivers to report all collisions involving cats.
It's after Lia Nici found Stevie the cat badly injured whilst out walking .
After tracing his owner Stevie was taken to the Blue Cross Animal Hospital but couldn't be saved.
During a debate at Westminster Hall she asked why a stolen cat would be treated as theft by police but hitting one in a car doesn't need to be reported.
Drivers are legally required to report collisions involving dogs.
Highway code urges people to report animal collisions
She described how National Highways requires its contractors to report where possible, collisions involving cats on major trunk roads and motorways and Rule 286 of the Highway Code advises that drivers should report to the police any accident involving an animal and ideally, try to find its owner.
But this part of the code is merely a guideline and not legally enforced.
Ms Nici argued in the debate that cats are working animals used for different jobs including the killing of vermin and “get a bad rap”.
Stevie's injuries were "too terrible" for him to survive
She added of her own fondness for cats: “I am loyally owned by two rescue cats, and my family have constantly had cats throughout our lives.”
Cats were a “constant companion” during her childhood.
When she was able to find Stevie’s owner last Autumn, the pair “cradled” the cat and took him to the vet.
"The Blue Cross was absolutely fantastic but, sadly for owner Helen and her family and for Stevie, his injuries were too terrible for him to survive.”
She called for road traffic collisions involving cats to be automatically reported, though admitted it was not a “panacea” to protect them.
Find out who the owner is
“The police have told me that if a cat were stolen, they would treat the case as theft.
“I do not understand why cats are viewed as possessions important enough for the police to investigate if stolen, but are not considered important enough for it to be a legal requirement for drivers to report a collision involving one.”
While it is still not a legal requirement, Ms Nici called on drivers who hit a cat to “at least be neighbourly, have some community heart, knock on a door and find out who the owner is”.
Government has no plans to make it an offence to hit a cat and drive off
“I have followed this issue up at the request of constituents,” Ms Nici told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), “in particular Helen whose cat Stevie I came across while out walking on New Haven Terrace”.
As a follow up, she has also requested the council add New Haven Terrace to its road speeding checks it does each year, which should happen in the Spring.
The parliamentary debate was triggered by an e-petition which gained over 102,000 signatures. In response to the petition in February 2022, the Department for Transport said:
“The government has no plans to make it an offence to drive off after hitting a cat.
A focus for this government is to make roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals.”