London Assembly votes for mandatory scanning of run over cats

The London Assembly unanimously agreed on a motion to ask the London mayor to push for the mandatory scanning of all deceased cats collected from the roadside.

This motion follows a campaign by feline road safety charity CatsMatter which proposed to see a change in law to fine drivers who failed to stop when they hit a cat.

Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, motorists are required to stop and report an accident involving animals including horses, cattle, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not for cats.

The motion by the Assembly said specified the “distress” caused to cat owners who are not informed when their pets have been in accidents. It also asked that street cleaning teams “treat all cats with respect” and ensure microchips are checked when cats are found dead in the street.

Sian Berry, Green London Assembly member who proposed the motion, said: “The problem highlighted in this motion is something I wasn’t aware of until I was told about CatsMatter’s campaign.

“When I had the exact experience of my cat going missing and just not knowing where he was. I assumed the microchip would mean I would find out.

“But no. Luckily my cat came back soaking wet after three nights who knows where, but there are so many pet owners who never know. And that’s grim when so many of them have done the right thing and got a microchip. The problem is cats are not equal to dogs in the way the government and local authorities treat them.”

Steve O’Connell, assembly member who seconded the motion, added: “I am pleased to support this motion. It’s a heart-breaking experience to not know what happened to a pet. This motion will help pet owners across London find out exactly what happened to their loved ones.”