why do people do this in the uk?.................?

Question

leave cats to die at the side of the road in an accident but a dog will be scooped up and taken vets? i have seen so many poor cats either dying or dead at the side of a road, its a shame that this happens

NO SONIA i have picked cats up before and this is what im saying. i love dogs personally but i would never see a cat before but have took some vets before and also have rung the rspca if they are already dead so they can be removed so please dont judge. all animals should be treated with utter respect vermin or not

Answer 1

This is an excellent question from someone that obviously cares about animals! You are quite right and the answer is probably a mixture of many things. I think people are probably scared to stop and help a cat because it is a small animal, has a 'roving commission' and therefore things like this 'simply happen'. A dog is larger and tends to have an owner nearby and I believe the law still requires us to report the accident with a dog and not a cat. People get scared when they hit something and that is understandeable. They also feel at a loss to know what to do next. I was walking my dog late at night and I saw a speeding car hit and instantly kill a big badger ... the driver never even slowed down, it was pitiful. And I had to move the dead animal to the hedgerow to stop people swerving to avoid it. The trouble with car drivers is that they don't care what animals perish in front of them as they can simply drive away and forget. Personally I go to great lengths to avoid hitting anything, even rabbits that have notorious road sense. But I would always stop and see if I can help an injured animal, particularly if someone else has just hit something and cannot cope. Britain is supposed to be a nation of animal lovers yet people can be so uncaring is such situations, can't they?

Answer 2

I completely disagree with this I think it is disgusting that people do it and think it is ok to leave an animal suffering.
But beleive it or not people call police or a vets after they have hit a dog because it is against the law to not to. I have a cat and a dog and I did not find out that it is actually agaisnt the law to leave a dog on the side of the road untill my dog was hit and the man drove off. A neighbor phoned the police (no bad damage just a few scrapes on the dog) with the license number and I said my dog is ok really (yes I did take him to the vets)., anyways the guy told me that what this man did was illegal and yes the guy got charged with "not reporting an accident"

Answer 3

It is awful..

The law states that if you have a traffic accident and you harm a dog - you must inform the police. Cats are not included in this law. Something to do with a dog being a domesticated animal and cats are not classed as such.

The law also includes Cows, Horses, Sheep and a few others - it is a long time since I read about it.

Also - did you know that if you knock down a badger it is illegal to pick it up and take it to a vet - you are supposed to report it - but leave it as it is a protected species and you could get accused of harming it for personal gain. (ie selling the fur for shaving brushes - very antiquated - but aren't a lot of our laws.?)

Answer 4

I didn't know that people differentiated like that. I would hope that anyone who found any injured animal would, at least, get in touch with the RSPCA. I can't believe that it is only in the UK that this happens - just think of the number of people who sent hedgehogs off to St. Tiggywinkles! I don't believe we are crueller than any other nation and it should be borne in mind that, unlike a lot of other countries, the despicable practice of declawing is against the law here. I have two young cats, both of which are brought in at night but both are microchipped so that if the worst does happen I will at least have the consolation of knowing what became of them.

Answer 5

As a Cat Lover this has always gotten me annoyed. Not sure if it's still the case but it used to be cause a dog required a licence so the accident had to be reported, where as a cat ppl class the same as wildlife - and just leave. My cats all stay in now.
Wishes n dreams Xxx

Answer 6

Its a very good point. I guess we see more cats - as they do tend to wander - but also i am pretty sure that it is a legal requirement to report it if you hit a dog, so i guess people feel more inclined to DO something about it. The amount of road kill is very high in this country and should have more time and effort put into preventing it. I spend a lot of time on the road and find it very sad every time i see such things.
P.S NIce name peachy bum

Answer 7

As a previous cat owner (I've deveolped allergies to cat hair etc) I agree that this is awful. I know that legally cats are classed as vermin, whereas it's illegal to hit a dog and leave it. Also what you have to think about is that some people (not me) let their cats out at night, so if it does get hit, the driver may not know where it's from. People tend not to do this with dogs so much.

Answer 8

It is attributed to the size factor: dogs are bigger so they dont die as easily as cats, and have a better chance of being saved, and they are more outspoken, they shout and make more noise when hit by a car. Cats are silent in such situations, Also, the English people are more adorant of dogs. However it is commonplace and is tragic. I feel the same for any animal and would lend the same amount of hand to it when in pain.

Answer 9

So did you leave them in the road or stop then if you have seen so many.
But even though I cant stand cats im not the sort of person to leave it laying there suffering, and I've even removed a dead cat from the side of the road.

Answer 10

In Australia, more and more councils have cat curfews and the cats must be in at night.
Also it is compusory for all dogs AND cats to be microchipped. Mind you the backyard breeders wont adhere to that like they dont make sure the young are wormed and vaccinated before re-homing.
Cats are classed as companion animals and many councils lay down the same laws for them as for dogs ... including they arent meant to stray off their own property ( you tell a cat it isnt allowed to hop over the fence LOL) Cats also have to be registered.