Traffic incidents involving felines are back in the spotlight, with a new petition launched to try and change the law so that drivers are legally required to report any collisions involving cats.
Created by Kayleigh Mills, the petition is aimed at amending Guernsey’s Road Traffic Ordinance.
The current law only mandates reporting incidents involving horses, cows, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats, or dogs.
Ms Mills initiated the petition after two cats were hit on her road, arguing that cats, as cherished family members, deserve the same respect as other animals. She believes reporting would ensure cats receive timely veterinary care and their families are informed, alleviating the profound sadness of an unknown loss.
“Cats are loving members of any family just like other pets,” she said.
“I have witnessed a collision involving a young cat a few weeks ago where it got hit outside my house and the driver just drove off.
“The cat was unfortunately deceased by the time I got outside to help. If the law was changed so that motorists had to report these incidents immediately there would be time to take the animal to receive veterinary care, and it may not result in such distressing situations.”
Ms Mills continued: “A few people have tried to do this before, and it motivated me to try again. Especially with the election coming up in a few weeks I thought now would be the perfect time to try. I have emailed all candidates for the election, and I am pleased that a few have contacted me back saying they would support this change.
“My petition can be found on change.org under the title ‘change the law so that collisions with cats have to be reported Guernsey’.
“I have been in contact with a local charity which looks after elderly cats, and I have made a paper petition which people who do not have the internet can sign and so they can support this petition too.”
At the time of writing, the petition has received more than 280 signatures.
A similar petition was launched in 2019 which also aimed to make it mandatory for drivers to report hitting a cat. This earlier attempt garnered significant support with over 1,500 signatures. However, it was ultimately unsuccessful.
At the time, the Environment & Infrastructure committee cited practical challenges in enforcement and potential impacts on traffic flow as reasons for not supporting the change.
At that time E&I also stated that the island’s laws largely mirrored UK legislation, a common problem when trying to draft or change laws in Guernsey.
Another petition was started on Change.org which sought to make it illegal to hit and run cats, in 2023. That one received 1,244 signatures, but ultimately, the laws haven’t changed as yet.
You can read more on the 2019 petition attempt HERE, and the latest petition is available on Change.org HERE.