On the 6th of February 2023, Athena was struck by a speeding car who refused to stop for her. 

Athena was a hungry stray kitten all the way from Cyprus when I found her back in 2019. She had never had a real family before until she met me. 

She loved me and my family so much and she was robbed that day of a life she had wanted for so long, with unlimited food in her belly, cuddles and ultimately of a life with her family she had tried so hard to find…all because of careless driving.

Athena was a street wise cat. She was found on the very side of the road meaning she had almost made it across safely if only the person behind the wheel had been driving slower they would have had time to react better and so would she. 

She should still be here.

Too many cats in the UK and around the world are killed or injured due to road traffic incidents with a large number of these drivers refusing to stop and check on the animals condition…leaving the animal to die in the majority of cases.

As a nation of animal lovers it feels only just that laws are put in place in order to protect our domesticated family members and for us as humans to take on the responsibility in all aspects of driving these vehicles and the implications that can come with it.  

Of course accidents happen, this is inevitable, however it is how we act upon these incidents that matter most. 

Therefore Athena's Law will hopefully be put in place so that, in the instance of a collision with a domesticated cat, the driver must try and locate either a veterinarian first, if failing to do so, the owner themselves or an identifiable neighbour as well as providing full contact information to at least one of these individuals listed. If these steps are not taken, a fine will be imposed as reparations for the damage caused. This should also help to increase the number of safe drivers on the roads within the UK.

I am in need of a minimum of 100,000 signatures for this to be appointed for discussion in the Houses of Parliament in order for a bill to be put forward to create a law not currently in existence so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you and with love, Grace