First feline manifesto presented to the Scottish Parliament

Cats Protection, the UK’s leading cat charity, unveiled its 10-point document at a reception at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday. It was hosted by Christine Grahame MSP and supported by Petplan.

Cats Protection is calling for existing and prospective MSPs to get behind the Manifesto for Cats: Scotland in order to ensure that one of the nation’s best loved pets is fully protected by policies and the law.

Its 10-point manifesto calls for:

Updating the law to control the breeding and sale of cats to reduce the number of unwanted kittens and ensure good welfare;

The Licensing of Animal Dealers (Young Cats and Dogs) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 sets out some licensing requirements for those who sell young cats under 84 days old, but this is not adequately enforced;

Reviewing and updating the laws on pet sales to protect cats and kittens sold online;

Making it compulsory to microchip owned cats in Scotland; enforcing and monitoring new air gun licensing laws to prevent injury or death to cats shot by such weapons (Stricter legislation of air guns under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 is set to come into force in 2016);

Reviewing the effectiveness of Dog Control Notices as a way of preventing dog attacks on cats;

Animal welfare education: include animal welfare in the Curriculum for Excellence, so that children learn about responsible pet care;

Ensuring the Scottish Government recognises the needs of people with cats and other pets in rented housing and care homes, to allow people to keep their pets;

Ensuring Scottish Government recognises the benefits cats and other companion animals bring to health and personal wellbeing;

Labelling toxic products: clearly label flowers, plants and household products that are toxic to cats so cat owners know which to avoid;

Banning snares: bringing in an outright ban on snares on the basis they are inhumane and cruel and inflict suffering, injury or death upon animals caught in them, including cats;

And creating a national database to ensure that a central record is kept of all cats entering the UK legally so those entering illegally without a rabies vaccine can be identified without delay.

Jacqui Cuff, Cat Protection’s advocacy manager, said: “Over the past few years, we have been contacted about a worrying number of issues that our supporters and the general public want us to raise with the Scottish Government.

“Nearly one in four Scottish households owns a cat, so the issue of feline welfare is very relevant to Scottish voters.

“Delivery of the manifesto for cats would improve the lives of thousands of cats in Scotland and prevent them from harm. We’re hoping that politicians will back our call to improve the welfare and wellbeing of thousands of cats. There’s much more that Scottish government and local authorities can do to ensure a better world for cats.”

Christine Grahame MSP added: “As a cat owner myself, my cat Mr Smokey, has been microchipped and I would encourage other owners to do the same.

“I also believe there are many areas of policy where more can be done to improve feline welfare and I look forward to working with Cats Protection.”