Pet charities are dismayed that the Government has “no plans” to change the law to force drivers who hit a cat to report the death.

Activists have long called for motorists to be subject to the same requirement to file a report after running over a cat as they would be if they hit one of the many animals.

It is mandatory to report driving on dogs, horses, cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys or mules.

But when Tory MP Gregory Stafford asked whether the government would “require drivers to report cat killings”, Transport Minister Lillian Greenwood said there were “no plans” to “make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats.

Mandy Hobbis of CatsMater said: “We are extremely disappointed by the Government’s response which has dismissed cats as animals who deserve help when they are hit by a car on the road. By refusing to look into the problem, they are actually saying that they believe the current laws regarding cats being hit by cars on the road are perfectly acceptable.

Ms Hobbis began campaigning after her cat, Snowy, was “left for dead” on the road and “sent to landfill without being scanned for a microchip”.

“Cats are considered family by their owners and they just want to know that the government considers them a species that deserves help if they find themselves alone, in pain, in fear and suffering on the brink of the road,” she said.

An RSPCA spokeswoman supported a possibility in the law which “would mean drivers would be legally required to stop and report the incident to the police”.

She said: “Since 2016 the Highways Agency has agreed to scan dogs found dead on the roads for microchips and we would like to see the same protection for pet cats as we understand how heartbreaking it is for people to lose a much-loved pet and how important it is. so they can find out what happened to them.

Ben Parker, of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, said the “curious oversight” in the law could be “easily remedied by the Government”.

“Losing a pet, regardless of the circumstances, is tragic, but never knowing how and why can make the situation even more distressing for pet owners,” he said.

Conservative MP Mr Stafford vowed to lobby the minister to see if such a duty could be included in the Road Safety Act.

Madison Rogers from Cats Protection said: “We urge anyone who injures a cat while driving to take it to a vet for emergency treatment or report it to the local authority cleaning service if it is serious. ‘a death. We also encourage local councils to scan all cats they collect so their owners can be informed, as it is heartbreaking for owners not to know the fate of a lost or missing cat.

Transport Minister Ms Greenwood said the Highway Code advises drivers to report any collisions involving an animal to the police – and they should try to inform “pet” owners of what happened.

She said: “Since June this year, all cats in England aged over 20 weeks must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database, unless they are exempt or free-range. This will increase the likelihood that the cats will be reunited with their owners.