Owner '˜heartbroken' after pet road death in Middle Rasen

Jenny Turner says her cat, who was ‘part of the family’, was run over by a car in North Street in the early hours of May 15.

The cat, Tigger, was a ‘beloved’ family pet who her daughter had bought with her own pocket money when she was 11.

Ms Turner said: “My neighbours from three doors down found him next to their car.

“We just can’t believe it as we always thought he had a lot of road sense.

“My 20 year old daughter was devastated - we buried him together when she got home from work.”

Ms Turner said she thought it ‘heartless’ and ‘disgusting’ after being drivers do not need to report hitting a cat to the police - unlike other animals like dogs, pigs, horses.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said: “A cat does not fall within the remit of the Road Traffic Act and therefore you do not need to report the incident to the police.

“It may be advisable, if possible, to make a few enquiries to ascertain the owner of the cat so that they can be informed.

“If you cannot find the owner of the cat, you could take it to the nearest vets as most cats are now microchipped - the vet can scan the cat and contact the owner.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA said the Highways Agency has agreed to scan deceased dogs found on roads for microchips to identify the owner and the organisation says it ‘would like to see the same for cats’.

The spokesman said: “We would always encourage people to stop, see if they can help the cat by taking it to a vet for treatment and so they can check for a microchip.

“In 2016, the Highways Agency agreed to scan dogs found dead on roads for microchips so their owner could be traced and we would like to see the same for cats.

“We would strongly encourage anyone with a cat to get it microchipped and keep the details up to date as it can really help if they get lost, injured or stolen.”