In the latest edition of their column, the Manx SPCA charity detail a recent incident on the roads where a good Samaritan stepped-in to help a cat that had been by a passing car...

These articles preach to the converted, and it’s highly likely that if you have an interest in their content you will already have a regard for animals – whether they are wild or domestic.

It’s also likely that when you’re driving on the Island’s roads you take extra care to watch out for movement at the side of the road (particularly where there’s long grass and hedges) in case an animal jumps out in front of your vehicle.

The Isle of Man’s current legislation (the Wildlife Act and the Cruelty to Animals Act) states that if someone were to recklessly or intentionally kill an animal on the road, a legal case could be pursued.

However, there would have to be reasonable proof that the animal’s death was not the incidental result of a lawful operation (i.e. driving) that could not reasonably have been avoided.

In practice this would be very difficult for the Constabulary to do.

But we are living in an age where vehicle dashboard cameras (dash cams) are becoming the norm – cheaper and easier to operate.

This is where regular readers of this article come in, because as animal lovers or respecters we must all play our part and not simply accept that there are some bad drivers on our roads.

If you don’t have a dash cam at the moment, why not put one on your Christmas list?

Having video footage of an intentional act of animal cruelty would definitely help the Constabulary to take action, even if that’s only to caution drivers.

And knowing that more and more dash cam footage is being passed on to the authorities may act as a deterrent to at least a few inconsiderate or dangerous drivers.

Of course, having so many roads with unrestricted speed limits is another factor in the large number of dead animals we see on our roads.

We saw a massive reduction in road fatalities when we had the 40mph speed limit during the pandemic.

Another risk factor is driving in the dusk or dark, when many wild animals and cats (both domestic and feral) are at their most active.

And, of course, this is the time of year when more vehicles are on the road in the dark.

Although most hedgehogs should be hibernating by now, polecats are on the move down to the lowlands from higher ground, and pheasants are ‘facing off’ as they compete for territory.

There is another scenario that needs to be highlighted when discussing the death of animals on our roads – namely, if you hit an animal by accident, what do you do?

Drive off and hope for the best, or stop when it’s safe to do so and return to check on the condition of the animal?

If the animal is a dog then the law states that you have to do the latter, and report the incident to the authorities; but there are no such legal obligations if you hit a wild animal or a cat – just a moral obligation.

We were telephoned last Monday morning at about 9.15am by a woman who said she had hit a cat by accident at about 8.30am on the Ballamodha (it had run out in front of her car) but she ‘had to get to work and couldn’t stop’.

She was crying and clearly upset, but why didn’t she check on the cat, and what did she expect us to do 45 minutes later …?

Very fortunately for the cat, a black and white male, another driver stopped to check on him.

He was still alive, despite being in the middle of the road, and the good Samaritan took him straight to a vets for a check-up.

The cat was concussed but otherwise healthy, and we picked him up from the vets the following day.

After we placed him on our ManxSPCA Lost and Found Pets Facebook page, his owner turned up – greatly relieved. He is a neutered semi-feral cat called PussPuss, and he calls Silverdale Glen his home.

He’s fed every day but he can come and go as he pleases, and he’s clearly very loved.

A happy ending that was so nearly a tragic one because of the actions of the woman who didn’t stop to check PussPuss was still alive.