CLACKMANNANSHIRE Council has agreed to start scanning cats killed on the roads after a campaign from an animal’s rights campaign, writes Mark Connor.

The campaign, called Cats Matter, is led by Mandy Lowe, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that pet owners get the answers they need when their pets go missing.

Mandy and her friend, Tiya Iva, set up Cats Matter after both of their cats were involved in hit-and-run incidents and one of their pets was even disposed of on a landfill site by a local council without being scanned for a microchip.

As part of her campaign, Mandy started a petition last year, backed by more than 50,000 supporters.

Now, some local authorities, including Clackmannanshire, have agreed to adopt a new scanning approach in response to the Cats Matter campaign.

Mandy said: “Having both personally been affected by this issue, and understanding almost a quarter of a million others out there are also victims of this, we had to fight for change.

“We estimate that the death rate of cats on our roads are at least double the recorded figures due to either cats not being microchipped and therefore not registered on databases, or simply not being recorded by a vet or council.

“This leaves many angry and upset and we are finding many cat owners are getting on board with our cause,” she added.

“Our goals are to challenge the laws surrounding it being legally OK for drivers to hit a cat and not stop to help and of course the fact that councils, who collect the 'roadkill' in the aftermath, are not obliged to scan them and notify distraught owners.”

Thanks to the hard work of Mandy and Tiya, a number of Scottish councils have now agreed to scan all cats which are found dead.

The pair were also invited down to Westminster to discuss the issue with MPs who are now reviewing laws.

As well as Clackmannanshire, other councils which have agreed to scan include South Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway and Perth and Kinross.

Speaking of the changes, Mandy said: “We spoke to councils and were initially met with a bit of resistance but after discussions over the past year, we've finally seen results right across Scotland.

“The councils agreed they will now scan all cats found in the region and record all microchip numbers and the owners will be notified. They will also keep cats in refrigerators should owners choose to collect their pet.”

She continued: “Our fight continues with those few remaining ones who do not currently scan. A law change right across the whole UK would be the Holy Grail for us.”

The full list of councils now adopting the scanning approach is: Perth and Kinross, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Clackmannanshire and Argyll and Bute.