Tigger, a 10-month-old kitten, was left with a broken leg and a cracked pelvis after he was hit by a red Ford Fiesta last Saturday.

The owner of the car did not stop — they are not even legally required to.

However, Labour councillor Kenny Hay, who happens to be Tigger’s owner, has siezed upon the incident to highlight the in-equality between dogs and cats as cats are seen to have less rights than dogs in the eyes of the law.

Speaking to The News, Cllr Hay said: “Britain is a nation of pet lovers, and I am very surprised that this argument does not seem to hold much political sway.

“People might say that a cat is just — a cat.

“But to anyone who owns a pet you know that it becomes a part of your family, almost as much as anyone else in your house and it can be very traumatic when something happens to them.

“That is why I do not believe it is right that cats do not have the same rights as dogs, or other animals for that matter.” Under current laws, if the driver of a car hits a dog they must stop and report it to the police, and it is considered the scene of an accident.

Leaving the scene without reporting the incident is considered a crime, and it is a similar case with horses.

However, cats are not protected by the same rights, and drivers are not required to report an accident involving a cat, despite it being Britain’s second most popular domestic pet.

Thankfully for Tigger, he looks set to make a full recovery with his young bones mending well even in the week and a half since the accident.

Cllr Hay said: “My son actually saw him get hit, and the driver knew he had hit Tigger, but just sped off.

“Shock and adrenaline meant that he was able to run under my wife’s car, but when I got him out and picked him up his back end went limp.” Tigger was rushed to the emergency vets in Glasgow where he underwent x-rays, before being operated on Tuesday at Rouken Glen vets.

He is expected to make a full recovery, but the incident has opened Cllr Hay’s eyes to a wider issue.

He said: “There have been petitions signed by thousands of people sent to both David Cameron and Nicola Sturgeon, but so far nothing has bore fruit.” However, Labour MSP Ken Macintosh has agreed to throw his weight behind Cllr Hay’s call, and is looking to open cross-party discussions with fellow MSPs on the topic.