Could Hugo the west end cat change the law?
- Published
Hugo died at the end of April after being hit by a car
A well-known Edinburgh cat, taken to the hearts of the residents of the city's west end, is at the centre of calls for a change to the law.
Hugo, an Arabian Mau, was well-loved around the cobbled streets of the upmarket retail area and, despite having a devoted owner, was looked after by hundreds of locals.
The tabby died last week after he was hit by a car that failed to stop.
His death has inspired a campaign to make it law to report such an incident.
Motorists are obliged to tell police when they collide with dogs, horses, sheep, pigs, cows and goats and notify a vet or the SSPCA, but not cats.
Foxes and badgers also come under this category.
It comes from a section of the Road Traffic Act 1988, external, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales.
Hugo was left injured in a nearby garden and it was only a local who recognised him who saved him from dying right there.
The cat's owner, Jane Rutherford, said: "He was a big wanderer - always crossing roads. He crossed that road for four years."
Hugo was discovered by a kind neighbour in Palmerston Place who immediately took him to the vet and then called Ms Rutherford.
She added: "We were lucky because everyone knows him. I dashed to the vet and he got slightly better overnight, but the prognosis wasn't great.
"I took him home and eventually had to make the decision to let him go.
"He would not have had the life he loved and would have been miserable."
Hugo was a regular visitor to all the businesses in Edinburgh's west end.
When Ms Rutherford posted the bad news on the local residents' Facebook page, she was inundated with tributes and stories about her cat.
"Everybody knew him," she told BBC Scotland. "There were so many messages - more than 400."
People shared stories of Hugo appearing in their homes, dropping in for snacks, and even sneaking naps in their beds. When Ms Rutherford wanted to know where he was, she would ask in the local Facebook group and someone would tell her where he had last been seen.
And at Christmas, local shops would give discounts to people who could name the famous west end cat.
There now have been calls for Hugo to be turned into a Greyfriars Bobby-style bronze statue, external to attract tourists to the area.
And locals are campaigning for "Hugo's Law" to change the law on stopping for animals.
'A cat is no less precious than a dog'
Ms Rutherford believes it would be a fitting legacy.
She said: "A cat is no less precious than a dog. We don't know how long he was there - ten minutes or an hour - in pain. I would love to see that change so other pets are not discarded."
Hugo was originally a rescue cat Ms Rutherford adopted in Doha, Qatar. They lived in Abu Dhabi and then Spain before settling back in Edinburgh a decade ago.
She said he was already missed.
Ms Rutherford added: "Not so much at home as he was always out. But like today when I walked along William Street, It was sad because I expected to see him there."
The Public Petitions Committee debated making striking a cat a reportable incident in Westminster in January, gaining cross-party support.
Potential legislation is likely to be linked to new laws ensuring all cats are microchipped, which come into force in June 2024. It is hoped Scotland will also adopt this legislation.
Hugo sitting outside another of his favourite haunts
A spokeswoman for Cats Matter, a charity that wants to see legal reporting for cats, said: "It simply can't be right that in 2023 people can hit cats when driving and drive off, leaving them alone, in pain and fighting for their lives.
"Accidents will sadly always happen, but we shouldn't accept that it is legally okay to then leave the scene.
"England are bringing in compulsory microchipping next year, and we have been urging the Scottish government to do the same.
"Then mandatory reporting should be looked at as there is then no excuse that cats can't be identified once reported."
'Cats deserve a chance of survival'
She urged people to always do the right thing if it happened to them.
The spokeswoman added: "Cats deserve a chance of survival, and their families take great comfort in knowing at least everything possible was done."
The Department for Transport said that having a law requiring drivers to report road accidents involving cats would be very difficult to enforce.
A spokesperson said: "We have reservations about the difference it would make to the behaviour of drivers who are aware that they have run over a cat and do not report it."