Cat campaign over reportable road accidents

A UK wide campaign group is aiming to have road incidents involving cats made a reportable offence in Scotland.

As well as this, they want to make microchipping, and the scanning of, a mandatory requirement, Cats Matter campaign for these three issues and had a lot of success to date.

They are currently working with DEFRA south of the border, as reportable road accidents is a reserved matter, but Cats Matter are responsible for the recent Government call for evidence for the compulsory microchipping of cats which will be written into law very soon.

Carlie Power, CatsMatter head of liaisons, said: ‘We want the same for Scotland, which is something which must be implemented locally as the issue is devolved. We created a petition asking for reportable road accidents to be considered locally, as well as introducing mandatory microchipping.

‘We are thrilled that, at the second debate, they thanked us for highlighting the issue and for playing an important role in highlighting how to keep cats safe through microchipping. They acknowledge that, if we are to report on cats, it would be sensible to ensure that they are microchipped so that we can find out where their families are.

‘Excitingly, recommendations for the Scottish Government to follow suit with Westminster’s recent proposals are being put to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.

‘The reason compulsory microchipping is important to us if simply for cat welfare overall. From an overall perspective, this will ensure owned and genuine stray cats can be determined, and shelter space and resources will be freed up enabling rescues to help more genuine cases.

‘From our specific campaign perspective, when a cat is involved in a road accident, and people take the cat to a vets, vets are only obliged to administer pain relief. Should an owner not be found, and no one claims the cat over a period of time, vets are within their right to euthanise the cat.

‘Cat owners have a legal duty, under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, to cater for their cats needs. We believe that cat owners are unable to do this beyond their own four walls without a microchip.

A vet checking the microchip of cat in a clinic (Photo: Lucky Business / Shutterstock)

‘If you take “luck” out of the equation, cats are in danger of being euthanised or rehomed should they not have a microchip, and owners face not being able to help their cat in their hour of need, or a lifetime of never knowing what happened to their beloved pet. We are thrilled the Scottish government will consider this, as DEFRA have done, and think rescues and owners themselves will be also.’

Cats Matter are the group responsible for ensuring all Scottish councils scan cats and notify owners.

Carlie added: ‘Before this, many were collecting deceased cats from the roadside and disposing of them at landfill without ever scanning them, or giving owners a chance to retrieve their pet for home burial or cremation.

‘We kept on at councils for over two years, and finally saw the remaining ones agree to put some procedure or other in place. This all varies from council to council, and in some cases we had to donate equipment for them to agree.

‘Persistence finally paid off and we are so happy people are now given the option to know what happened and say goodbye to their pet properly – something we were never able to do with our own.

‘Microchipping should be part of responsible pet ownership, but with so many not realising how vital a chip is until it’s too late, unfortunately it now needs the government to step in.’

For further details visit www.catsmatter.org.

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