Cat lovers have been left hissing at a proposal to restrict areas where their beloved pets are allowed to roam and hunt wildlife.
With some 27 million birds slain each year, a new report is advising the Scottish Government to take drastic measures that include keeping cats locked inside - and even banning ownership altogether.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) also suggested setting up ‘cat containment areas’ - designated parts of the country where compulsory restrictions could be put in place to prevent pet cats from roaming and hunting.
The report doesn’t urge that at all. It urges a further report be done to determine the advantages and disadvantages as this wasn’t fully in the scope of this particular report. They note other countries have done it with success but that the welfare of keeping cats locked indoors all the time would also need to be considered.
The full report is available here:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/independent-report/2025/01/report-responsible-ownership-care-domestic-cats-felis-catus-scotland/documents/report-responsible-ownership-care-domestic-cats-felis-catus-scotland-scottish-animal-welfare-commission/report-responsible-ownership-care-domestic-cats-felis-catus-scotland-scottish-animal-welfare-commission/govscot%3Adocument/report-responsible-ownership-care-domestic-cats-felis-catus-scotland-scottish-animal-welfare-commission.pdf
The relevant pages are 23 and 24, 37, and 43.