Dead cats are being treated like a “pieces of rubbish” and no effort is being made by the council to contact many worried owners, it is claimed.

Waltham Forest council has admitted it only scanned 40 of the 345 animals found dead on the borough’s streets for microchips in the last 12 months, insisting many were too badly injured after being hit on the road.

Jo Drake, 45, of Fulbourne Road in Walthamstow, discovered her cat Billy had been dumped in a bin on council advice.

She said: “I spotted my Billy’s beautiful steeply tail sticking out of a bin - it was revolting.

 “The blokes at the house said they had found him two days ago dead in their garden.

“They called the council, who had told them to wrap him in bag and put out by the rubbish for the warden to collect.”

Rachel Barrat, 45, of Tallack Road in Leyton, is searching for her cat, Fluffy, but fears the worst after being told by neighbours road sweepers pick up cats “like pieces of rubbish”.

A council spokesman confirmed scanning equipment had only been used 40 times in the last 12 months.

He added: “Dead cats are scanned if they are in a state to be so”.

All dead animals collected by the council are incinerated.

Pet microchip firms have urged organisations to scan all dead animals to prevent ongoing anxiety and search efforts.

Aurélie Van Heyghen, of ALLFLEX Europe, said: “In 90 per cent of the cases, a microchip can be detected and read in an animal who has been hit by a car.”

Rosemary Clifford, of Gordon Road in Leyton has started a petition calling for the council to scan all dead animals.

It can be found here.

For more on this story, see this week's Guardian - out Thursday