Honouring the Memory: Memorial Ideas for Cats Lost to Road Accidents

Each year, approximately 230,000 cats are lost to Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs), in the UK alone. A lot of these are preventable, and if you don’t know already, it is our mission at Cats Matter, to focus on educating the public on this tragic reality. Everyday we fight- from advocating for legislative changes to supporting affected families - in order to ensure that, some day, families will never again have to feel the sudden grief of losing a cat to an RTA.

Coping with Grief After an RTA Loss

The worst part of loss from an RTA is the suddenness… One day your beloved cat friend is crawling around on the couch and then the next day… gone. Some people find that support groups, journaling, and even counselling can help. Studies show that a structured ritual can help people through times like these. A ritual helps you focus, when you may not have closure, and it can help you let go. For some people, a physical memorial is exactly what they need.

Practical Memorial Options

Memorials offer tangible ways to honour cats, while supporting your own healing. They create a physical reminder, that provides the spark for gratitude, and to help you focus on the good times you had. If you think this might be for you, we suggest a few options…

• Engraved Stones: These options are small, and affordable. Hovering around $50, these make great entry options and are perfect for gardens. We personally love the options available at https://petmemoryshop.com/.

• Headstones & Grave Markers: These options are perfect for a more formal memorial. They permit far more customization and provide a long-lasting, robust solution. We love the concrete ones from https://headstones4pets.net/ and the granite/marble ones from https://meltonmemorials.com/. 

• Plagues: These are great indoor options, permitting a simple table set up that doesn’t break the bank. We suggest the options from https://myfurevermemories.com/ for these.

Connecting Memorials to Advocacy

Now, to be somewhat selfish, one of the reasons we want you to get a memorial is because it promotes action. Obviously, it’s still true that a memorial will help you through grief, but ideally no one should ever have to go through that grief. We work everyday to prevent RTAs from happening… We promote speed reductions in neighbourhoods and support microchip scanning mandates, as well as driver education programs. If you feel in your heart that this is a good cause, we would love your support, and a memorial might be the perfect way to help you remember to support. Thank you, in advance…

Conclusion: Lasting Impact

To wrap it up, memorials can foster healing by providing a ritual for cat owners, while also fuelling change for feline safety. If you have any experiences with RTAs, or if you want to know how to support, please reach out to info@catsmatter.org we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can honour lost cats and prevent future tragedies. Talk to you soon!