Recognise Cats as Equal Companion Animals in UK Road Laws

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Amend the Road Traffic Act 1988 to include cats, requiring drivers to report collisions involving them, as they must for dogs. This would promote accountability, improve welfare, and help owners be informed.

Cats are beloved companions in millions of UK homes, yet the law treats them differently to dogs in road traffic incidents. When collisions go unreported, cats may suffer without care and owners are left without answers. Including cats in the Road Traffic Act 1988 would reflect their value and ensure fairness, compassion, and accountability.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Legislate to require drivers to report collisions with cats
Legislate to require drivers to report collisions with cats

Timeline

24 Apr 2026	Petition opened for signatures
19 May 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 19 May 2026

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