The increased number of cats being hit by cars can be linked to the clocks going forward for spring, according to the JSPCA. The animal rescue charity said that while they regularly get cats who have been involved in a road traffic collision brought into them, each year they notice an increased amount of casualties in the weeks following the spring changing of the clocks.
A spokesperson from the JSPCA said: ‘We regularly have cats that have been involved in a road traffic accident brought into us over the year but have noticed a definite increase in the number of cats getting run over and hit by cars when the clocks change, which we think is probably linked to the evenings becoming longer.
‘At this time of year kitten season coincides with the evenings getting lighter resulting in cats wandering further afield in the evenings looking for a mate.
‘Sadly another major factor is that a lot of road users just don’t care about animals and if they are driving and a cat jumps out they won’t stop.
‘We know there are a lot of great people who bring animals in too, but most people either don’t stop or just don’t want to get involved.’
In 2017 the JSPCA dealt with a total of 96 cats who had been involved in traffic accidents. So far this year it has dealt with 17.
Under Jersey law drivers who hit a dog have a duty to report the incident to the police but the same does not apply to cats. In 2015 thousands of people signed a petition started by Islander Sandra Jasmins calling for the law to be changed to bring cats into line with dogs, however to date no change has been made. Instead Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel, under whose remit road laws fall, said his department was looking into it but it was not a priority.
