SIR – Last night while walking my dog near St John’s Church, BD10, I came across a cat that had been run over.

I managed to tether my dog to a fence close to the roadside, and I then stood in front of the cat to protect it from passing cars and buses. So many just walked and drove past me even though they saw everything. I frantically tried to get help and eventually a very nice man came and helped trace the owners, a couple who were understandably devastated, but thanked me for stopping and staying with their injured cat.

The law may say it’s perfectly legal to knock a cat over but I believe this is wrong. There is no excuse for it and if you injure a cat while driving the driver should be required to stop and at least call for help. Surely it’s the decent and humane thing to do?

While I’m grateful that eventually some like-minded people came and helped, I’m seriously appalled at those who just callously walked on by.

I just hope that they were able to save the cat in the end. I don’t know what has shocked me the most, seeing a cat in that state or the stone-hearted attitudes of some of those who unfortunately live near me.

Michael Henderson, Redcar Road, Greengates