By AFP - Agence France Presse
Purrfect! Scotland has no plans to ban cats, says leader
Scotland is not planning to ban cats, the leader of the devolved government insisted on Monday, after welfare experts gave ministers a break to think about a new report.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) has asked ministers to explore the introduction of containment zones - within which there would be restrictions on cats - to protect wildlife in “vulnerable areas”.
This plan could lead to rules requiring cats to be kept indoors and potentially banning them in “new housing developments in rural areas” near “conservation sensitive areas”, the commission noted in a new report.
But before any fur could fly, Scottish leader John Swinney said on Monday that his ministers were not ready to impose a ban or restrictions on cats.
“There is a report being produced by an external organization that has come to the government for consideration,” he said.
“Let me make this clear today: the government is not going to ban or restrict cats. We have no intention of doing so and we won't.”
In the report, the experts noted that evidence suggests that all cats “can have a significant impact on wildlife populations, through predation and competition for resources with vulnerable populations of wild cats”.
“Some countries already require cats to be contained all the time or seasonally to protect wildlife populations.
“This could be an option to reduce the welfare impacts of domestic cats on wildlife.”
The report recommended that the Scottish Government, which is responsible for several domestic policy areas in Scotland, instruct its NatureScot agency to produce a report on containment areas.
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