"Nearly 11,000 people have signed an e-petition submitted to Parliament calling for the government "to make it law that if you hit a cat you must legally report it and take it to the nearest vets". Cats and wild animals are not covered by the Road Traffic Act 1988, which states drivers must stop and report an accident which involves certain specified animals such as dogs, horses, cattle, mules, sheep, pigs or goats."
"A government statement said that prosecutions would be difficult due to the small size of cats and their tendency to be "most active at dawn or dusk". The government understands "how upsetting it is when a much-loved pet is killed on our roads", the statement read, adding the UK is "a compassionate country" and the lack of a legal obligation to report animals deaths and injuries should not stop drivers from trying to find the owner of pets, including cats."
Nearly 11,000 people have signed a petition calling for a legal duty to report collisions with cats and take injured cats to the nearest vets. Cats and wild animals are excluded from the Road Traffic Act 1988, which requires drivers to stop and report accidents involving specified animals such as dogs, horses, cattle, mules, sheep, pigs or goats. The government says prosecutions would be difficult because cats are small and often most active at dawn or dusk, and drivers may not be aware they have hit a cat, especially from larger vehicles. The original law targeted working animals rather than domestic pets. The campaign group Cats Matter expressed disappointment and stressed that cats are much-loved family members.
Read at www.bbc.com
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