The government says it has “no current plans” to force drivers who run over a cat to report the collision.
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.
However, it added: “In many cases drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them – particularly with larger vehicles. Because of that, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.”
The statement also said the exclusion of cats was because the original law was brought in due to dogs and other animals being “working animals” rather than to protect domestic pets.
The campaign group Cats Matter has lobbied successive governments to try to make it illegal for drivers to leave the scene of a collision with a cat in the UK.
Co-founder Mandy Hobbis said the group was “very disappointed” with the government’s response to the petition.
“We struggle to understand how we can call ourselves a compassionate country when our laws allow drivers to hit cats when driving and legally leave them on the road suffering.
“Cats are much loved family members, just like dogs are, and they deserve the right to be helped if struck by a car, just like dogs are”
She said the group had worked with the previous government on a law that introduced mandatory micro-chipping in June 2024 and was grateful for the progress made so far but urged ministers to go further.
A report by Cats Protection in 2021 found that road traffic accidents were a cause of injury for 4% of cats.
The charity encourages any driver who injures a cat to take the animal to a vet for emergency treatment.
“This gives the cat their best chance of survival and means owners can be contacted and informed quickly,” said Madison Rogers, the charity’s associate director of advocacy, campaigns and external affairs.
She said she would urge drivers who are involved in a road traffic collision in which a cat dies to contact their council.
“We’d also encourage local councils to scan any cats they collect so their owners can be informed, as it’s heartbreaking for owners to not know the fate of a lost or missing cat,” she added.
Parliamentary e-petitions which reach 10,000 signatures receive a response from the government. They are debated in Parliament if they reach 100,000 signatures.