Department for Transport written question – answered at on 23 June 2026.
Martin Wrigley
Liberal Democrat, Newton Abbot
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to introduce a duty to report car collisions with cats.
Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport), Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are no plans to introduce a legal duty for drivers to report collisions with cats.
Because cats are much smaller than other specified animals, and often most active at dawn or dusk, in many cases drivers may not be aware they’ve hit them – particularly with larger vehicles. Because of that, it would be difficult to prosecute drivers if the law was changed.
This is a compassionate country and although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should, if possible, make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.
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