STOURBRIDGE, UK. June 4, 2026 – Campaigners from CatsMatter are calling for urgent reform of the UK’s roadside animal protection laws after their petition attracted over 60,000 signatures. They say the current law leaves people at their most vulnerable, with pets and other kept animals left without assistance and their owners without answers.
They are calling for a modern legal duty for drivers to stop and assist if they are involved in a collision and it is safe to do so — a requirement already in place in jurisdictions such as Italy and Hong Kong.
In Italy, Article 189(9 bis) of the Highway Code (Codice della Strada) requires drivers involved in a collision with “pets, livestock or protected animals” to stop, provide assistance, and alert the authorities. Guidance from the Automobile Club d’Italia confirms this includes ensuring the injured animal receives help. Meanwhile, Hong Kong amended its Road Traffic Ordinance in 2021 to require drivers to stop after hitting a cat or dog, citing the need for timely veterinary care.
The UK has no legal duty to assist any animal after a collision — only a duty to report for a narrow list of species. Section 170(1)(b)(ii) and (8) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 requires drivers to report collisions involving only “horse, cattle, ass, mule, sheep, pig, goat or dog”. “Ass” is an archaic term for donkey, and the list includes mules but not hinnies. Cats are excluded entirely, even though the law requires drivers to report collisions with dogs that are smaller than the average cat. Poultry, alpacas and many other commonly kept animals are also omitted, and wildlife is not covered at all. Although the Department for Transport says the list is intended to cover “working animals”, campaigners argue it no longer achieves that purpose. They say the UK should examine how other parts of the world have already implemented these duties in practice. CatsMatter have posted a short video explaining Section 170.
This legal gap leaves many families in distress. Millie survived severe injuries after being hit and left on the road, facing months of painful recovery with no accountability. Rani was found dead on a quiet verge, her owner left without an explanation. These cases reflect experiences reported by thousands of animal owners across the UK each year. There have been numerous petitions over the years seeking to change the law. An Early Day Motion tabled in Parliament in 2022 cited PetPlan data estimating that around 230,000 cats are hit by cars in the UK each year, and urged the Government to consider reforms to better protect pets and support owners affected by road traffic incidents.
Public confusion adds to the problem. The AA reported in 2025 that many drivers wrongly believe cats are already reportable, as part of a wider misunderstanding about which animals the law covers. Meanwhile, UK animal welfare standards have moved on significantly since the Road Traffic Act was drafted. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 recognised animals’ capacity to suffer, and the Pet Abduction Act 2024 acknowledged the emotional bond people share with cats and dogs as companion animals.
Section 2 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 defines a “protected animal” as any domesticated or captive animal under human control, and CatsMatter is asking MPs to consider adopting this definition for the Road Traffic Act. Campaigners say this would create a consistent, harmonised, future‑proof standard across UK law while continuing to cover all currently listed species. If Parliament wished, Section 170 could be amended to allow additional species to be added later by Statutory Instrument, without the need for further primary legislation. Although the petition concerns cats specifically, campaigners emphasise that a parliamentary debate would allow MPs to explore broader reform.
Professional drivers and commuters face particular pressures when under time constraints or employer expectations. Confusion around the current law creates uncertainty as to whether stopping is permitted or professionally advisable. A clear statutory duty would support all those who drive for work‑related reasons, ensuring that acting responsibly cannot be misinterpreted as misconduct, lateness or a breach of commercial expectations.
The campaign has gained support from MPs Cat Eccles and Mohammad Yasin of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cats, as well as social media accounts including George the Stourbridge Junction Station Cat and Blu the Blep. Walsall Road Allotment Cats have also backed the call. Cat Eccles, MP for Stourbridge, said: “I’m grateful to CatsMatter for their continued work on this issue. It makes no sense whatsoever that the law does not currently cover cats and other animals involved in road traffic collisions. I will continue to work with CatsMatter to press the Government to make this much needed change to the law to protect pets and their owners facing this distressing circumstance.”
CatsMatter have lent their support to a separate petition calling for a single, centralised microchip database. That petition highlights the problems caused by multiple commercial databases, which can make records difficult to trace, and called for a unified statutory system to improve the speed and simplicity of access. Campaigners noted that such reform would complement roadside reporting by ensuring ownership details can be accessed quickly when animals are found. Debbie Matthews and Dr Daniel Allen, who initiated the petition, have also expressed their support for CatsMatter, reflecting the shared goals across both campaigns.
Mandy Hobbis, spokesperson for CatsMatter, said: “Every day, families lose beloved pets on our roads with no legal requirement for drivers to stop, let alone give assistance. No animal should be left to suffer alone, and no family should be left without answers. Places like Italy and Hong Kong have already taken steps, putting them ahead of the UK in modern roadside animal protection. We call on the UK to recognise the deep bond people share with their animals in road traffic law, as is already the case in other UK legislation. We now have compulsory microchipping for cats, so not to make accidents reportable does not make sense.”
