Select a region
A distraught pet owner is trying to get the law changed so motorists have to report any accidents involving cats to Guernsey Police.
At the moment you don't have to - meaning hundreds of injured pets are left to die each year, when some could have been saved.
Because dogs are taxed drivers are supposed to report it to police if they hit one.
Amelia Smitheram has now taken matters into her own hands, after her beloved cat, Tom, died earlier this month.
Ms Smitheram said her beloved pet died after being hit and left. But now she wants to put her heartbreak to good use and is calling for changes to be made through her petition, which she decided to launch with her boyfriend, James Queripel.
"Obviously absolutely devastated that he had died, I'd never been so heartbroken. He was my little shadow and I couldn't imagine life without him. After finding out roughly what happened from the kind people who found him in their driveway I was so upset and shocked that the vehicle hadn't stopped and tried to call the GSPCA or Animal Aid. I can never know exactly what happened but I can't help but think that if they had of stopped and he'd been taken to a vets then he may have survived."
Pictured: Tom and Amelia Smitheram.
Through her own research after Tom died, Ms Smitheram found that the GSPCA deals with up to 300 accidents involving cats each year, while Animal Aid takes calls for around 100. She is hoping that in future anyone involved in an accident like that would have to call Guernsey Police.
"I really hope that we can make it illegal to knowingly hit a cat and not report it. I understand that accidents happen but I'm sure the owner would find some solace knowing their cat was given the best chance at survival or wasn't alone."
Ms Smitheram's petition has only been live for a few days but is already gathering support.
"After putting up the petition I have had messages from several people telling me their cat would've survived if it had been given the chance. I think already it has bought people's attention to the fact that this is a major issue on our roads and that cats deserve the same rights as other animals."
Within a few hours of launching her petition, Ms Smitheram had more than 450 signatures. She has spoken with Home Affairs to find the correct person to direct the petition too if she wants to raise the matter politically.
Ms Smitheram's petition can be found here.
Pictured top: Amelia Smitheram and her cat, Tom.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.