Law change calls after driver leaves cat to die

Mr J died outside the family home after the driver who hit her left the scene

A petition started by a Herefordshire family after their pet cat was hit by a car has been signed by more than 40,000 people in just a week.

Russell Gilbert and his partner Mia Hamilton, both from Hereford, say their cat, Mr J, was left to die outside their house by the driver on 9 March.

Now, they are calling for stricter laws around road incidents involving cats and think motorists should be held accountable if they do not stop and report an injured or dead cat.

Ms Hamilton said such laws would mean “closure for cat owners”.

She told BBC Hereford & Worcester she believed Mr J could have been saved had the driver who hit her stopped.

She said: “She could have been fine for 20 minutes, and in that 20 minutes, she could have been taken to a vet and been saved, you just don’t know.

“Not just left there in the road lifeless.”

Currently, under section 170 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act, drivers are required to stop and report accidents involving dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats and sheep but this does not apply to cats.

Ms Hamilton and Mr Gilbert now hope the legislation will be extended to cats and their petition, which was started on 10 March, now has over 42,000 signatures with a target of 50,000.

But Mr Gilbert said he hopes it will go even further.

“Hopefully we will be able to push on for 100,000 to get a mention in Parliament,” he said.

A similar petition reached more than 100,000 signatures and was debated in Parliament in January 2023.

At the time, the government said it had no intention to make it an offence to drive off after hitting a cat, but hoped to make roads safer for all users.

'Do the right thing'

Jade Emery, Advocacy and Campaigns Officer for the charity Cats Protection, said: “Most cat owners do see their cat as part of the family and this is a really horrible loss.

“We would say to anyone who does accidentally hit a cat with their car they should absolutely do the right thing and contact a local vet.”

Meanwhile, the RSPCA is urging the public to try to locate the owner of an injured or deceased cat or take the animal to a vet.

It is also reminding people to get their pets microchipped, as it gives them the best chance of being identified if they go missing.