MPs in the UK House of Commons will debate a petition on 26 October that asks for drivers to be legally required to stop, check and report collisions with cats. The petition, "Legislate to require drivers to report collisions with cats," closed on 17 June with 189,192 signatures. Campaigners call it the largest cat welfare petition in parliamentary history.

What the law says now

Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers in Great Britain must stop and report a collision that injures certain animals, including dogs, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. Cats aren't on the list. That means a driver can hit a cat and drive on without breaking the law, and the owner may never find out what happened.

What each side says

The petition was driven by CatsMatter, a campaign group based in Stourbridge. Its spokesperson, Mandy Hobbis, said, as quoted by Business Cheshire: "Every day, families receive the phone call they dread, or never receive one at all." She said Parliament now has a chance to rethink "assumptions that may have made sense decades ago."

The government's long-held view is that the animals in section 170 were included because they were working animals, not pets. CatsMatter argues that line is blurrier today and points to cats and dogs that still work on farms.

In its formal response on 3 February, the Department for Transport said: "The Government has no current plans to require drivers to report collisions with cats." It said adding cats would need new primary legislation, and that drivers, especially in larger vehicles, may not notice hitting a cat, which would make prosecutions hard. It pointed instead to compulsory cat microchipping in England, which began in June 2024, and to a research project on reuniting cats with their owners after road collisions, due later in 2026. It also encourages drivers, where they can, to try to find and tell the owner.

Business Cheshire reported that the department said on 14 September it was looking at CatsMatter's evidence in detail before the debate.

Why it matters for animals and owners

For many families, the hardest part of losing a cat on the road is not knowing. A cat that's hit and left may die alone, or be found days later, or never be found at all. This isn't the first time MPs have looked at the question: a similar petition with more than 100,000 signatures was debated in January 2023, and the minister then said a reporting duty would be difficult to enforce.

What happens next

Petition debates like this one don't end in a vote and don't change the law on their own. They put the issue on the record and give the government a public chance to respond. Any change to section 170 would need new legislation.

What you can do

  • If you live in the UK and want your MP to take part, write to them before 26 October. A short, personal email works better than a template.
  • Microchip your cat and keep your contact details up to date with the database. It's the law in England, and it's the main way a vet or council can contact you if your cat is found injured or killed.
  • If you hit a cat, stop when it's safe, and take an injured cat to the nearest vet, who can scan for a chip. If you find a cat by the road, you can also post it as found on Paw Alert so a worried owner has one more place to look.

Sources