‘My cat was cremated without me knowing’: Manchester woman fights for changes in law on pet disposal

A Greater Manchester woman whose missing cat was cremated without her knowledge has backed a campaign to check dead cats for microchips before they are disposed of.

Gemma Robertshaw, 39, from Stockport, took a week off work to search for her beloved Persian cat Snaps when he went missing.

As her cat was micro-chipped, she says she contacted her local council to see if he had been brought in but was told there was no record of him. However, after she posted about her search on a Facebook group, a member of the public got in touch to say sadly they had seen 18-year-old Snaps killed by two dogs and had taken the deceased cat to Stockport Council.

Gemma then visited her local tip but says she was told animals, including her own cat, were taken, in due course, to a pet crematorium.

Horrified Gemma has since joined Gizmo’s Army, a campaign group with 1,000 volunteers who want to see a change in the law to ensure dead pets get checked for microchips before their bodies are disposed of.

Gemma said: “I joined Gizmo’s Army as I was so horrified to find out that councils don’t routinely scan deceased cats, nor by law are they required to. I didn’t hesitate to join this network of people who help get these pets back to their families. I bought myself a scanner and started collecting cats that had been run over, that were local to me, to help the owners get some closure.

“I take pride in what I do and I treat every cat I collect as my own. I give them a dignified ending whether they are chipped and owners are located, or even if they’re stray and never had a home. No animal deserves to be shoved in a carrier bag and thrown in the landfill.”

Who else is supporting the campaign?

The campaign for the new law, started five years ago, when Helena Abrahams beloved cat Gizmo, was disposed of, after being hit by a car, with no attempt made to reunite her with her beloved pet.

Helena said: “This law can’t come quickly enough so that our pets are shown the respect they deserve and owners are able to have closure.”

Bury North MP, James Daly, has lent support to the campaign group’s battle to change the law. He said: “Gizmo’s Legacy is an important animal welfare provision and I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to support in Parliament the many years of tireless campaigning by Helena Abrahams, the driving force behind Gizmo’s Legacy.

“I wish to pay tribute not only to Helena but to the whole team, like Gemma, who are dedicated to reuniting much-loved pets with their owners and I will continue to fight until Gizmo’s Legacy is on the statute book.”

Gemma added: “Closure is so important to owners, as having a pet go missing and never finding out what happened to them is so hard to live with. It literally takes two seconds to scan an animal, it’s not asking for the earth yet it really means the world to have your pet back home and back where they belong with their family to lay to rest.”

What is the law as it stands?

Currently, drivers are not obliged to report running over a cat, and council road sweepers do not have to check for a microchip containing the owner’s details, before disposing of the body. Some councils do scan for microchips to inform owners, but it is not a legal obligation.

Find out more about the campaign on the Gizmo’s Army Facebook page here.