Allegations of cruelty to cats in the Stirling area are taken seriously say council officers.
Their comment came in the wake of the “cat kicking” scandal surrounding Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma after councillors asked for assurances that any such incidents in the Stirling area are dealt with by the appropriate authorities.
A video featuring the West Ham United player in his kitchen kicking his pet cat resulted in widespread condemnation when it was posted online. He was later fined £250,000 by the London football club and his cats have been taken into the care of the RSPCA while the charity investigates their welfare.
At a meeting of Stirling Council’s environment and health committee on Thursday, councillors heard that while the authority itself is not responsible for dealing with cat welfare cases, any reports are passed to the proper channels or members of the public provided with contact details.
Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache said: “We all know of the case in the papers and media of a cat being maltreated. When you have animal welfare checks do you also include cats as we only have a dog warden?
“Also, do you think the public know what to do in such a cases?”
Officers said: “The dog warden service focuses on the welfare of dogs. They don’t focus on cats but that would be referred to the SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
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“We have a very strong relationship locally with the SSPCA and work with them closely with all sorts of animals including dogs, farm animals, horses etc. Should a member of the public contact Stirling Council they would be directed to the SSPCA but there is always more we can do and we are happy to take that forward.”
SNP councillor Alasdair Macpherson praised the work of the local Cats Protection League as being “very proactive”, adding: “While they deal mainly with missing cats rather than the cruelty side they are also very good.”
The committee was also updated on activities carried out by the dog warden between October 1 and November 30 last year.
This included five animal welfare checks being undertaken along with: engagement and advice given (dog control) - two cases; dog fouling bags distributed (pkts) 202; fouling signs erected - nine; dog fouling patrols carried out - 20; warning letters for behaviour - six; dog control notices issued - one; dog fouling fixed penalty notices issued - none; stray dog reports/found and collection - seven; and noise complaints involving dogs - 39.
