News / Animals
Message to motorists: cats’ lives matter
A woman whose cat was left to suffer for two days after being hit by a car is calling on motorists to think before they drive off.
When Simba didn’t return home in June, Luan Ashfield put posters all around the neighbourhood to search for her beloved feline – but he was not found for more than 48 hours, by which time, he was severely dehydrated, covered in maggots and visibly in a lot of pain.
The Whitchurch resident says she rushed the cat to the vets, where he stayed in intensive care for two days while vets fought to save his life. Despite their efforts, he deteriorated further and Luan was told there was nothing more they could do to save him.
is needed now More than ever
The knowledge that Simba laid suffering for two days was particularly painful for Luan, who is urging motorists to think about the heartache they are causing by failing to stop if they hit a cat.
Simba was a beloved part of the family.
He could have been saved if he had been found earlier.
“It was just awful really,” Luan told Bristol24/7.
“I wanted kittens so badly and we got the two and I didn’t want to let them out, but you have to let cats be cats. People have said they are just cats, but they are more than that, they are like a family member.
“It’s just so painful when it could have been preventable. If the driver had stopped, or if he had been found earlier, he might have been saved. So many people never find out what’s happened to their cats when they disappear.”
Currently, if drivers hit an animal which is covered by The Road Traffic Act 1988 – namely, dogs, goats, horses, cattle, donkeys, mules, sheep and pigs – they are legally required to report it to the police. Cats are not on this list.
A police spokesman said: “Obviously, we urge motorists to drive with care, as per guidance and advice, provided by the Highway Code.”
Luan believes it is bizarre that the rules are different for cats and dogs.
She has been in touch with campaign group Cats Matter, which is lobbying for a change in laws and has a bill going through Parliament at the moment requiring drivers to stop if they hit a cat.
The group says that more than one in ten drivers has left a cat to die alone. They want to get the message out that cats lives matter and bring an end to unnecessary suffering.
Luan Ashfield, pictured with her partner Matt, wants to prevent others from going through a similar ordeal.
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