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Why You Must Report To Police For Hitting A Dog Or Cow, And Why You Don’t Have To For Cat
Drivers in UK could be fined as much as £5,000 (₦2.8M) if they hit a dog with their car and fail to report it to police.
But there is no penalty in the UK for failing to report running over a cat with your vehicle to the police.
On Tuesday, politicians in Jersey, an island officially known as the Bailiwick of Jersey, passed a bill into law that requires drivers to report running over a cat with their vehicle.
Drivers are to report the accident to owner of the cat, the Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA) or the police, failure of which could attract a fine of up £10,000 (or about ₦5.6 Million).
But unlike in Jersey, you don’t have to report hitting a cat in UK despite being the country’s second most popular pet. In the UK, dogs, horses and cattle (cow) are named in a list of critters you must legally report to the police if you hit one. Failing to report running over a dog, cow, pigs, goats, sheep and donkeys, attracts a fine of up to £5,000 (₦2.8 Million)
On why this is so, Cats Protection organisation’s says cats aren’t included in the laws because there is different legislation surrounding their ownership and potential damage to property.
Unlike dogs, which are required by law to be kept on a lead near a highway, cats are legally allowed to roam freely. So it is unlikely their owner would have broken any law should they be found on or near a highway.
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See Also : Drivers In Jersey Face ₦5.6m Fines If They Hit A Cat And Fail To Report To Owner Or Police
Jacqui Cuff, head of advocacy and government relations at Cats Protection, said:
“It is commonly thought that road traffic accidents involving dogs have to be reported to the police so that owners are notified their dog has been involved.
“However, the legal reasoning behind the requirement to report for dogs is two-fold. Firstly, accidents involving dogs are more likely in the eyes of the law to lead to damage, either to property or people, so drivers need to report the details to the police to establish liability.
“Secondly, dogs are required to wear collars and be kept on a lead on the highway so drivers need to report accidents involving dogs in case an offence has been committed by the owner. We don’t have this argument for cats as they can roam freely.
“That said, we would always urge anyone who injures a cat while driving to take the cat to a vet for emergency treatment or report it to the police as it is most likely someone’s pet and it can be heartbreaking for owners not to know what has become of a missing animal.”
A recent study by Car Buyer, along with figures from Highways England, shows over 8,000 cats are killed in road collisions and left unreported each year in England.
The study also found that almost 60 per cent of Brits agree the law should be changed to include cats as well.
