Sue Meade, a pet owner from Nottinghamshire, is campaigning for changes in the law after her three-year-old cat, Murphy, was found dead in a bin at a local recycling centre. Although the cause of Murphy’s death is unknown, an animal charity suspects he may have been hit by a car. Sue described the way Murphy was discarded—still wearing his collar and dumped in a bag—as “callous” and heartbreaking, emphasizing that he was a beloved family member. She is urging for tougher laws requiring drivers who hit cats to report the incident, to help families get closure and potentially save injured animals.

Currently, under the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers must report accidents involving certain animals like dogs and livestock, but cats are excluded. Beauty’s Legacy, the charity assisting Sue, has been campaigning for over a decade to update this law, calling it “outdated” and unfair. The charity highlights that thousands of cats go missing annually, many likely victims of road accidents that go unreported. Sue Meade stresses that regardless of how Murphy died, the principle of reporting such incidents is crucial so families can know what happened to their pets and avoid the pain of uncertainty.