Government insists existing law should remain despite cross-party calls for reform, leaving drivers under no legal obligation to report hitting a cat.

LABOUR has refused to commit to changing the law requiring drivers to report collisions involving cats, despite a petition attracting almost 190,000 signatures and MPs from across the political spectrum calling for greater protection for Britain’s pets.

Campaigners from CatsMatter had hoped a Westminster Hall debate on Monday, October 26, would finally lead to action over legislation which requires motorists to report collisions involving dogs and certain other animals, but not cats.

However, Transport Minister Justin Madders told MPs that the Government believed the existing legal distinction should remain, citing concerns about road safety, enforcement and the practical difficulties of introducing compulsory reporting.

His response came despite passionate contributions from Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Independent MPs, many of whom shared personal experiences of losing much-loved pets.

Under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers must stop and, where required, report collisions involving animals including dogs, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, donkeys and mules.

Cats are excluded from the legislation, meaning a motorist who hits a cat is not subject to the same specific legal reporting requirement.

The distinction has long angered animal welfare campaigners, who argue that injured cats can be left suffering at the roadside while owners are left desperately searching for missing pets, sometimes never discovering what happened to them.

The petition, organised by CatsMatter, attracted 189,192 signatures before closing in June, making it what campaigners describe as the largest cat-related petition ever presented to Parliament.

The campaign has also received backing from animal welfare organisations, with CatsMatter reporting that more than 70 groups, including the RSPCA, have supported calls for improved legal protections.

During the debate, MPs questioned why a driver must report hitting a dog but faces no equivalent requirement after colliding with a cat.

Labour MP Cat Eccles, whose Stourbridge constituent Mandy Hobbis co-founded CatsMatter, challenged the continued exclusion of cats from the legislation.

She argued that the law should reflect changing attitudes towards animal welfare and the important place cats hold in millions of British households.

Fellow Labour MP Brian Leishman also called for reform, describing the ability of drivers to leave injured cats at the roadside without reporting the incident as unacceptable.

Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale recounted the death of a two-and-a-half-year-old cat named Baxter, who was struck by a vehicle near his home. He told MPs that the driver had failed to stop and that several other motorists had also driven past before someone finally helped the dying animal.

The deeply personal accounts demonstrated the strength of feeling across Parliament, with MPs repeatedly highlighting the anguish experienced by owners whose cats disappear without explanation.

Yet despite those appeals, the Government declined to support the proposed change.

Mr Madders acknowledged the distress caused to families but argued that introducing a legal duty to stop and report collisions involving cats could create difficulties.

He suggested that drivers of larger vehicles might not always realise they had struck a cat, while stopping on busy roads to search for an injured animal could create additional dangers.

The Minister also raised concerns about enforcement and the possibility of unintended legal consequences for cat owners, particularly because cats are generally allowed to roam freely.

He told MPs: “On balance, then, we believe that the existing distinction should remain.”

The statement confirmed that, despite the petition and parliamentary debate, the Government was not prepared to introduce the compulsory reporting requirement sought by campaigners.

Instead, ministers offered further discussions and a review of possible alternatives.

Mr Madders confirmed that officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) would meet representatives of CatsMatter to discuss practical improvements.

He also agreed to ask officials to examine reporting laws in other countries, including jurisdictions where drivers already have obligations concerning collisions with cats.

The Minister said he would ensure MPs who participated in the debate received information about the findings.

However, he announced no legislative proposals, no commitment to introduce a new reporting offence and no timetable for reform.

The Government is instead focusing on measures including compulsory microchipping, improving access to microchip databases and encouraging local authorities to identify cats found dead on roads so their owners can be notified.

DEFRA has commissioned research into the difficulties preventing some cats from being reunited with their owners following road collisions, with the findings intended to inform future guidance for councils.

Campaigners argue that while such measures are welcome, they do not address the fundamental concern that drivers remain under no specific legal obligation to report hitting a cat.

CatsMatter, which has campaigned for change since 2017, nevertheless welcomed the cross-party support demonstrated during the debate.

In a statement following the proceedings, the group described the discussion as a major step forward and expressed hope that further talks with Government officials could identify alternative routes to reform.

“For CatsMatter, Monday’s debate was not the end of the campaign. It was a major step forward,” the group said.

Campaigners believe changes could potentially be introduced through other legislation, including animal welfare laws, rather than simply adding cats to the existing Road Traffic Act provisions.

However, no such proposal has been agreed by ministers.

The group maintains that the issue is fundamentally about preventing unnecessary suffering and ensuring families are informed when their pets are injured or killed.

It has questioned why, in 2026, a driver can leave the scene after hitting a cat without being required under road traffic law to report what has happened.

The debate also highlighted differences of opinion within the animal welfare sector about the best way to address the problem.

Cats Protection has expressed concerns that simply adding cats to the existing legislation could create unintended consequences for owners, including possible questions over liability when roaming animals are involved in collisions.

The RSPCA supports improved protections but has also questioned whether compulsory police reporting would necessarily ensure injured cats receive prompt veterinary treatment.

Those concerns were cited during the parliamentary discussion as reasons to consider alternative approaches.

For CatsMatter, however, the immediate challenge remains securing a concrete commitment from the Government.

Despite nearly 190,000 petition signatures, support from MPs across different parties and years of campaigning, the legal position remains unchanged.

Motorists who hit a dog face a legal reporting requirement. Those who hit a cat do not.

And although Labour has agreed to further meetings and examination of possible improvements, ministers have made clear that they currently intend to retain that distinction.

Campaigners say they will continue pressing the Government and DEFRA for meaningful action to ensure fewer cats are left suffering at the roadside and fewer families are left without answers about their missing pets.