Petition to change law on reporting cat road accidents
Gemma’s petition has already garnered more than 190,000 signatures.
A woman from Dorset has launched a petition to make it law for people to stop if they run over a cat and report the accident to a vet.
Gemma Conway from Chickerell started the campaign after her cat, Bertie, went missing in April.
Soon after joining a Facebook group for missing pets, Gemma was shocked to discover that there is no obligation on drivers to try and save a cat’s life or let the owner know.
Sadly, Bertie is still nowhere to be found. But Gemma’s petition has already garnered more than 190,000 signatures.
Current law requires people to stop of they hit horses, dogs, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys and mules.
‘Over 230,000 cats are run over every year and the person who runs them over has no responsibility to that animal at all,’ Gemma writes. ‘For years people have been trying to change the law but there hasn’t been any progress yet. If even half of the 230,000 people who had a cat ran over last year signed this there's a chance the law would be changed.’
Gemma told BBC Newsbeat that she hopes her petition will change the law so that people have to report an accident when it happens. She also hopes that it will encourage more owners to get their cat’s microchipped, so their animals can be identified in the event of an accident.
She added that she’s meeting her local MP, Oliver Letwin, in the coming weeks to discuss how to present her petition to the government.
‘The current law, requiring people to stop and report if they run over a dog, saves hundreds of dogs lives every single year,’ she writes. ‘Cat’s are beloved pets too - the law should be the same.’
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
