Littleborough cat rescue urges people to back Gizmo’s Legacy petition to scan all cats killed on the roads for microchips

A Littleborough cat rescue is urging people to back a petition calling for local authorities to check all cats killed or injured on the roads for a microchip before the petition deadline date of 1 April 2019.

Currently, 96,070 people have backed the ‘Gizmo’s Legacy’ petition, meaning approximately 4,000 signatures are required for the petition to be considered for debate in Parliament.

Gizmo’s Legacy was started after the eponymous cat was hit by a car and euthanised, despite being microchipped. As a result, she was not reunited with her distraught owner, Heléna Abrahams, of Bury, who has called for the UK government to change the law.

As a result of the desired outcome being within reach, Bluebell Cat Rescue, based in Littleborough, is urging people to back the petition.

Trustee Naomi Rhys Thomas, who is also providing legal advice for the Gizmo's Legacy campaign on a pro-bono basis, said: “This petition is so close, but we still need those signatures. 

“Anyone who has a cat knows how important they are and how they become part of the family. To lose one and never know what happened is distressing and the pain never really goes away. I know, it’s happened to me. I hear of it all the time in rescue.

“I have first-hand knowledge of a case where the council picked up the dead body of a cat and failed to scan in: I had microchipped that cat myself. It took a lot of phone calls from the owner and pressure to get them to release his [the cat's] body.

“Scanners cost less than £40 and take a second or two to use. It could save so much heartache if councils scanned every animal and sadly without law requiring them to do so most won’t bother. Cats should be buried or cremated with dignity allowing their owners to say goodbye and have closure.

“This is why Bluebell supports the petition and I’m proud to be involved in the group.”

Rochdale Borough Council previously told Rochdale Online it has a policy in place to scan deceased cats for microchips and “makes every effort to identify pet owners.”

Despite being one of the UK's most popular pets, it is not required by law to report running a cat over: as cats can roam freely, the same argument which makes reporting a dog mandatory simply does not stand.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, you must stop and report the collision to the police if you hit kill, injure or hit any of the following: dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys and mules.

In the eyes of the law, accidents involving dogs are more likely to lead to damage, either to property or people, so drivers need to report the details to the police to establish liability.

Because dogs are required to wear collars and be kept on a lead on the highway, drivers need to report accidents involving dogs in case an offence has been committed by the owner.

Support Gizmo’s Legacy and add your signature at:

• https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/229004