Petition about including cats in the Road Traffic Act 1988 - UK

[tiggerwillow]

I got emailed this petition, just posting it cause I agree that cats should be included. Cats can be the difference between someone with mental health problems remaining stable and becoming unwell and suicidial.

Sign the Petition

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Went there, did that. Thank you for sharing!

 

[tiggerwillow]

not sure why it says edited by a moderator, not sure what i said wrong

 

[fionasmom]

Signed it as well! Thank you for sharing.

 

[IndyJones]

Just last year my neighbour's cat was hit by a car in front of their house. Hit and run. Their young 5 year old daughter found the cat 'covered in blood from out his mouth' as she described it from her teary eyes.

I am not in Europe however. Nore do i feel comfortable using the website "change.org"

Just this should be an international requirement.

 

[FeebysOwner]

not sure why it says edited by a moderator, not sure what i said wrong

I don't think you did anything wrong. The "UK" notation was added to the title of your thread because this is UK legislative law, and it might not be applicable/useful for those outside the UK to be signing it. I don't know if non-UK signatures will be 'counted' and I certainly know it won't help anyone outside the UK if there are changes made to the law.

 

[mani]

not sure why it says edited by a moderator, not sure what i said wrong

Two things, and you did nothing wrong tiggerwillow As Feeby said, we added UK to the title. Also the link didn't go directly to the information, so we fixed that for you.

 

[tiggerwillow]

ok thanks mani and everyone

just saying: my idiot neighbours down the road constantly let their dog run around on the road, cause they can't be arsed to walk the poor dog - one day the dog will get run over, sadly

I just hope I won't be the one to kill the dog with my car

 

[Caspers Human]

The law should apply to all domestic animals, not just dog or cats.

In my town, there is an ordinance called "Animals at Large." It states that owners of ANY animal, whether it be dog, cat, horse, goat, pig, chicken or what-have-you, must keep their animals under control AT ALL TIMES or keep them secured on the owner's property. Any animal found roaming "at large" may be impounded, the owner charged a fine plus pay upkeep and damages if there are any. After multiple or extreme offenses, the owner could be forced to surrender the animal.

I understand that the law we are talking about applies only to the UK and, specifically, upon public roads. The "Animals at Large" ordinance I mention applies to the US and it doesn't differentiate between roads and other properties. I like the idea of a rule about animals on roadways. The next time I catch a wild hare, I should look it up to see if Pennsylvania has such a law, applying to roadways, on the books.

I never understood the reasoning behind enacting laws about dogs but not cats or other animals. Sure, dogs can bite but what difference does that make? The dog bit somebody because the owner wasn't in control of it. It shouldn't matter what, specifically, the animal did. Should it? Somebody got hurt by an animal because its owner didn't do what he was supposed to. That's the bottom line, isn't it?

I understand that there are exceptions in the law for dogs actively engaged in herding sheep and things like that. I like that. It shows that legislators have been considering whether to include extenuating circumstances. But, why just focus on dogs? What about the sheep? Sheep certainly wander onto roads. Are there extenuating circumstances for sheep?

My point is that, if you focus on just one kind of animal, you might end up with a list of exceptions and special circumstances for all sorts of things. Why don't they just make a law for "animals" and include a short list of exceptions. They could finish with a statement that such a list should not be considered all-inclusive and that other circumstances may be considered by a Magistrate, based on reasonable interpretation of existing law.

 

[tiggerwillow]

The law should apply to all domestic animals, not just dog or cats.

In my town, there is an ordinance called "Animals at Large." It states that owners of ANY animal, whether it be dog, cat, horse, goat, pig, chicken or what-have-you, must keep their animals under control AT ALL TIMES or keep them secured on the owner's property. Any animal found roaming "at large" may be impounded, the owner charged a fine plus pay upkeep and damages if there are any. After multiple or extreme offenses, the owner could be forced to surrender the animal.

I understand that the law we are talking about applies only to the UK and, specifically, upon public roads. The "Animals at Large" ordinance I mention applies to the US and it doesn't differentiate between roads and other properties. I like the idea of a rule about animals on roadways. The next time I catch a wild hare, I should look it up to see if Pennsylvania has such a law, applying to roadways, on the books.

I never understood the reasoning behind enacting laws about dogs but not cats or other animals. Sure, dogs can bite but what difference does that make? The dog bit somebody because the owner wasn't in control of it. It shouldn't matter what, specifically, the animal did. Should it? Somebody got hurt by an animal because its owner didn't do what he was supposed to. That's the bottom line, isn't it?

I understand that there are exceptions in the law for dogs actively engaged in herding sheep and things like that. I like that. It shows that legislators have been considering whether to include extenuating circumstances. But, why just focus on dogs? What about the sheep? Sheep certainly wander onto roads. Are there extenuating circumstances for sheep?

My point is that, if you focus on just one kind of animal, you might end up with a list of exceptions and special circumstances for all sorts of things. Why don't they just make a law for "animals" and include a short list of exceptions. They could finish with a statement that such a list should not be considered all-inclusive and that other circumstances may be considered by a Magistrate, based on reasonable interpretation of existing law.

Here, legally, if you hit a sheep, cow, horse, dog, goat, pig, basically any farmyard animal you have to report it to the police

The one exception to the law is cats - if you hit a cat then most of the time the cat never gets home, even if he/she doesn't survive, just left at the side of the road whether its alive or dead

 

[tiggerwillow]

And if the bin men pick up a dead cat, they just theow it into the back of their lorry never bothering to even take to the vet to check for a microchip

I have heard that even if the cat is just about clinging to life but is unconscious, they still throw the cat into the crushy bit of the lorry, assuming the cat is dead and not microchipped