The Labour Party government has firmly rejected calls to introduce a new law requiring drivers to report collisions with cats, despite a petition backed by more than 10,000 animal rights campaigners.
Government Cites Enforcement Challenges
In an official statement released on 1 January 2026, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed it has no intention of changing the law. "The Labour Party government has no current plans to mandate that motorists report a collision involving a cat, or to grant police powers to prosecute motorists who fail to do so," the department said.
The DfT explained that the proposal presents significant practical difficulties. Officials pointed to the small size of cats and their peak activity at dawn and dusk as factors making such a law challenging to enforce. The statement added that drivers, especially those of larger vehicles, may often be completely unaware they have hit a cat, making prosecution problematic.
Campaigners' Disappointment and Legal Disparity
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from animal welfare groups. Mandy Hobbis, co-founder of the campaign group Cats Matter, expressed profound disappointment. She highlighted the legal disparity that currently exists, where drivers must by law report hitting a dog, horse, or certain farm animals, but not a cat.
"We are disappointed at the Government stating that they have no plans to include cats in the Road Traffic Act," Hobbis said. She described cats as "much-loved family members, just like dogs" and argued they deserve equal legal protection. "It just can’t be right that this so-called 'animal loving nation' legally allows drivers to hit a cat and leave them alone, scared and in pain," she added.
Official Advice and Ongoing Research
While rejecting a change in the law, the DfT described the UK as "a compassionate country" and offered guidance to motorists. It stated that while there is no legal obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, drivers should make reasonable efforts to locate the owner of a domestic animal like a cat if it is safe to do so.
In a related move, the government noted that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is conducting research. It is investigating the key barriers that prevent owners from being reunited with their cats after accidents and will issue advice to local authorities based on its findings.
The government's stance leaves the legal status of cats unchanged, maintaining a distinction in road traffic law that campaigners have fought to remove for years.
