Bill seeks parity for feline hit-and-runs

By Holly Ramer
Associated Press
CONCORD — Nine lives notwithstanding, killing a cat in a hit-and-run soon could become illegal in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire was ahead of the pack when it passed a law nearly 40 years ago that requires drivers who injure or kill dogs to notify police or the animals’ owners, or else face a $1,000 fine. It is unclear why cats and other pets were left out, but the state Legislature is currently considering an expansion that would give cats and canines equal standing.

Republican Rep. Daryl Abbas sponsored the bill on behalf of his wife, who found their 5-year-old cat, Arrow, dead on the street near their Salem home in July 2019. The partially blind black and gray tabby had once again achieved his “daily goal” of escaping from the house and was hit by a car, Abbas said.

In any state, hitting an animal with a car could be a potential violation as destruction of property, but the New Hampshire bill is part of a trend of states going further, said Lora Dunn, director of the Criminal Justice Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Connecticut has a similar law to New Hampshire’s existing statute about dogs. In Massachusetts, the law includes cats and dogs, New York requires drivers to report injuries to dogs, cats, horses or cattle and Rhode Island’s statute covers all domesticated animals.

No one spoke against it at public hearings, the House passed it without debate earlier this month and a Senate committee has recommended its passage by the full body.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, whose cat has its own Instagram account, said Thursday he supports the bill.

“Cats and dogs, dogs and cats, you can’t have one without the other,” he said. “I think it’s a parity bill, and unless they were to change something, I fully intend to sign it.”