If you have ever watched a cat dash across the street in front of an oncoming car… Your heart probably skipped a beat at that moment. Sadly, not all cats are quite so fortunate. Countless are killed by vehicles every year and nobody even realizes that a cherished neighborhood feline has vanished. But How Do We Keep Ending Up Here? Why do street cats die more than house cats and what can be done to stop these tragedies?

Number of Cats Killed on Roads Each Year Guide

As to exactly how many thousands of cats are killed by cars each year: that is an open question and such figures would necessarily vary from country to region—and though this information may be available at some level within local bureaucracies, it can frustratingly difficult for the public or institutions like shelters to access. Estimates for the number of dogs killed on roads vary anywhere from tens of millions to about 85 million! In the U.S., it is believed that around 5.4 million cats die in road accidents per year The equivalent figure is around 230,000 in the U.K. But the fact remains that these are only numbers, and it is a crying shame being cat lovers as well know how big of an obnoxiousness our feline roommates can be.

Why Is This Happening?

Cats are natural explorers. Dogs are frequently either indoors or fenced-in; wherever they go, on the other hand, cats typically have one of two destinations: outdoors to prowl for prey and explore new territory. All this wanderlust can take them to places neither here nor there, places like the one where cars ply.

Urbanization and Traffic

With more people in growing cities, more cars are clogging the roads, too. More cars equals more risk, and city streets are no safer for cats who wander than country roads.

Unlike humans, who are most active during the day and sleep at night (diurnal), cats tend to be awake at dawn or dusk (crepuscular).
Cats are crepuscular, so when it gets darker outside and visibility is not as good they will be most active. This makes them harder for drivers to see, leading to more accidents.

Lack of Safe Outdoor Spaces

The majority of the outdoor cats do not have safe areas outside to adventure around in. They slink in, often to our roads where they are at great risk due to living life on the edge of open spaces with no enclosed or safe space away from predators such as foxes.

Street Cats Are Dying More Than House Cats?

The short answer is yes. Feral or street cats are far more likely to die in as road casualties rather than house or indoor only residents. Firstly, they are fairly self-explanatory. Street cats are all the way outside in cities coming under traffic each day. These animals have no human owners to oversee their affairs, provide a safe place for them to call home or accompany and often travel through dangerous streets searching food, shelter or mates.

A house cat, on the other hand generally midges a clearer environment. Most of them go to roost early in the evening, and some which are permitted outside will return home during a day for mealtime, rest or night. This does not mean that house cats are safe from getting run over by a car though. Indeed, a lot of the cats that are killed on roads are largely unowned domesticated and feral animals that have wandered too far from home.

How Can We Stop This?

Although we may never be able to eliminate road-related cat deaths, there are a few things that can help.

Keep Cats Indoors

To help protect your cat from traffic it is safest to just keep them indoors. The result is that indoor cats live longer, healthier lives because they are not at risk of dangers such as cars or predators. If your cat yearns for the outdoors, then leash train them or build an enclosed outdoor space.

Build Outdoor Enclosures

If you can not keep your cat indoors, think about a big enclosed area outside that keeps them off the streets and out of danger. A type of enclosed outdoor area, be it a backyard fenced with cat-proof fencing or even simply an external catio.

Microchipping and ID Tags

If your cat ever gets lost or hurt, microchipping and having an ID tag can improve the likelihood of reuniting. This can also be a good way to make sure that you still get alerted if something happens to your cat.

Neutering and Spaying

This can cut down on the number of stray cats who fall prey to accidents where they’re hit by a car. Spaying and neutering [] The benefits of vet services easily outweigh this relatively low cost, and most animal welfare agencies provide free or very affordable spaying and neutering.

Public Education

By educating drivers and communities about the dangers of animals on roads, they are less likely to increase their speed. Road signs that notify drivers of possible animal crossings are also helpful, especially in regions where a large number of stray cats frequent.

GPS trackers

If your cat is allowed outside wear a reflective collar as this will help drivers see it at night. A collar-mounted mounted GPS-tracker can also help you to track where your cat is, as well as secure it.

Reduce Residential Speed Limits.

Support for residential speed limits will alert drivers in time when a cat is crossing the street without warning. Determining factors, such as the placement of speed bumps or other traffic calming methods can also help to keep accidents and injury at bay.

For cat owners, the loss of a pet on motor roads is always great sorrow; for cats without a home, those chances are much higher. But, if we are aware of what’s causing the accidents and do everything right on our part to stop it from happening I guess all cats will be able to walk in peace. Whether that means keeping your cat inside or providing safe outdoor spaces for them, more help is always better. Well, there is nothing like waking up to a purring cat and the least we can do in turn for that pleasure is take steps to keep them even safer.