Hugo’s Law: beloved Edinburgh West End cat may change animal law after death

Hugo, who was well-known around the streets of Scotland’s capital city, died after being hit by a car
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A feline “West End legend” is at the heart of a campaign to change a law relating to animals. Hugo, who was an Arabian Mau cat, was a well-known face for the residents of Edinburgh’s West End in Scotland’s capital city. He was often seen wandering around the streets, and even those who didn’t see him in person enjoyed keeping up with his antics via the many photos and videos of him that were posted on social media.

Hugo sadly died last month after being hit by a car, and now the people who loved him are calling for a change in the law to require people who collide with a cat in their vehicle to report the incident to the police, a vet and the RSPCA.

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Currently, motorists must tell the authorities if they hit dogs, horses, sheep, pigs, foxes, badgers, mules, cows and goats with their vehicle, under a section of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which applies to England, Scotland and Wales. They are also obliged to inform a vet so that the animal can be checked over and given treatment if needed. The same law is not relevant to cats. The Department for Transport explains the distinction between animals because those covered by the law are working animals rather than domestic pets

In response to Hugo’s sudden death, locals are campaigning for "Hugo's Law" to change the law on stopping for animals to include cats. Hugo’s owner, Jane Rutherford told the BBC that she believes it would be an appropriate tribute. She said: "A cat is no less precious than a dog. We don't know how long he was there - ten minutes or an hour - in pain. I would love to see that change so other pets are not discarded."

The connection we have with our feline friends is a very special bond

Paula Stewart, Managing Director at The Animal Talent

The campaign has also reached the attention of animal lovers all across the UK. Paula Stewart, Paula Stewart, Managing Director at The Animal Talent, an animal casting agency which provides ethically trained animals for film, TV and creative media productions, told NationalWorld that she was “really sorry” to hear about Hugo. She added: “It's great that the community are uniting for something so positive; Hugo would have a lasting legacy that supports many cats and their owners.”

Stewart also backed their calls for a change in the law, saying that it could help save a cat's life if action was taken quickly. She added: “On top of this, this will help the worried owners immeasurably. The connection we have with our feline friends is a very special bond and we should do everything we can to support the welfare of animals and their guardians.”

‘Having a law would be very difficult to enforce’

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The issue was already debated in Parliament in January this year, after a petition on the subject reached 102,437 signatures. The Department for Transport made the decision at the time not to change the law to include cats, saying that the Government focus was to “make roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals”.

Officials also questioned how much of an impact such a change in law would actually have, although they acknowledged “how distressing it can be for someone to lose a pet, especially without knowing what has happened”. A statement read: “Having a law making it a requirement to report road accidents involving cats would be very difficult to enforce and we have reservations about the difference it would make to the behaviour of drivers, who are aware that they have run over a cat and do not report it.”

Hugo the cat, who was well known around Edinburgh's West End, died after being hit by a car.Hugo the cat, who was well known around Edinburgh's West End, died after being hit by a car.
Hugo the cat, who was well known around Edinburgh's West End, died after being hit by a car.

Although there is no obligation to report the deaths of cats on roads, Rule 286 of The Highway Code does advise drivers to report an accident involving any animal to the police and also inform the owner of domestic pets what has happened if possible. 

Despite there being no legal requirement to do so, animal charity Cats Protection said they encourage anyone who injures a cat while driving to take the animal to a vet for treatment or report the incident to their local authority cleansing department if it’s a fatality. They also called on the Government to introduce compulsory microchipping for all pet cats in the UK. This legislation will be introduced in England in 2024, but the charity also wants to see it adopted in Scotland.

[It’s] heartbreaking for owners to not know the fate of a lost or missing cat

Alice Palombo, government relations officer at Cats Protection
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Cats Protection’s advocacy and government relations officer Alice Palombo told NationalWorld: “We believe it’s important that all owners across the UK are able to have their cat identified in the very sad case where their cat is a victim of a road traffic accident. We’d encourage local councils to scan any cats they do collect so their owners can be informed, as it’s heartbreaking for owners to not know the fate of a lost or missing cat.”

One organisation, Cats Matter, which has been campaigning for the change in the law since 2017, said “all cats deserve better”. A statement on their website reads: “Our ultimate goal is to challenge UK law surrounding cat's welfare on our roads, because all cats matter.  We continuously liaise with MPs and Government departments and work tirelessly towards making it illegal for drivers to leave the scene without reporting if they hit a cat . . . in the hope of changing driver mind-sets that it is ‘just a cat’.”

“He played such a huge part in the community”

After Hugo’s death, on 26 April, Rutherford posted on various social media pages including Edinburgh’s West End to inform people of his passing. In the post, she referred to her pet as “one in a million” and thanked everyone who had loved him. She wrote: “Just thought I’d let you all know that Hugo was involved in a traffic accident. Thanks to one of our fabulous community, Jack, he was taken to a vet. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, I had to make the difficult decision to put Hugo to sleep. My heart is broken but he was comfortable and peaceful.”

The post received hundreds of comments, as people expressed their sorrow at his death, offered their condolences to Rutherford and shared their memories of photos of Hugo. One person wrote: “Loved the photos of him lying around in the sun. A West End legend. RIP Hugo.” Another person said: “So sorry to hear this news, always enjoyed seeing reports of his travels in this group, and felt very lucky to have got to meet him a couple of times.” One person said: “So so sad to hear this news. He played such a huge part in the community and he will be missed.”

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Hugo was originally a rescue cat Ms Rutherford adopted in Doha, Qatar. They lived in Abu Dhabi and then Spain before settling back in Edinburgh, Scotland, 10 years ago. One person suggested on Facebook that Hugo should be immortalised with a bronze statue, something which was well received by Rutherford who said she would “love” him to be remembered in that way. 

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