Animal lovers are being reassured that any cat found dead on the road by council officers are scanned to check for microchips and, if so, attempts made to contact the owner.

The reassuring message comes from Fenland District Council in response to a stream of letters from local people asking what the council did to inform owners whose pets had been killed.

The letters were prompted by a nationwide petition that has attracted more than 43,000 supporters.

Councillor Peter Murphy, the cabinet member responsible for the environment, said: “It is always horrible to lose a pet but it is even worse when you don’t know what has happened to it.

“That’s why we’ve had procedures in place for about 10 years to try to deal with this situation.

“If our cleansing staff are made aware of a dead cat or dog, they will retrieve the body and take it to our depot where it is scanned.

“If it is microchipped, we check the PETtrac database for ownership details and if possible arrange for it to be reunited with its owner.

“If no chip is found, the body is kept for a minimum of four weeks in case an owner comes forward.

“Our contracted dog warden and local vets know of these procedures and will refer owners looking for a lost pet to us.”

The Care2 petition’s suggested letter to councillors says: “When a cat is hit and killed by a vehicle, it is devastating for their owners. But sometimes, when a cat goes missing, its owners may never find out if they are lost or have been killed in a road accident.

“There is no closure for the owners and their feelings of loss may go on and on.”