FIRST Minister John Swinney has ruled out banning or restricting cats in Scotland.
The SNP leader was forced to deny his government was considering a ban on the household pet after media reports over the weekend and into Monday.
The Telegraph had reported that “SNP ministers are to consider banning pet cats in a bid to protect birds and other wildlife”, while a Daily Record headline read: “Cats could be banned in Scotland as SNP ministers set to review new report.”
A third headline, from the Express, read: “GMB's Ed Balls fumes 'has the world gone mad' as he slams SNP cat ban.”
Speaking to press on Monday, First Minister Swinney dismissed the reports in no uncertain terms.
“There's a report being produced by an external organisation, which has come into the Government for consideration,” he told Bauer Radio.
“Let me just clear this up today. The Government's not going to be banning cats or restricting cats.
“We have no intention of doing so and we'll not be doing it.”
The rumours started after media picked up on a Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) report which recommended looking at restrictions in certain areas in a bid to protect wildlife from the impacts of household cats being allowed to roam free.
The SAWC report looked at international schemes which have included containment areas, where people are restricted from letting their cats outside, and the possibility of neutering cats.
It states: “It is notable that a number of administrations mandate or recommend different degrees of containment – from keeping cats indoors at all times, to allowing them outside only during the day, or only on a leash, or in a secure outdoor run. Such measures are expected to reduce predation by pet cats, but have obvious implications for cat welfare, which need to be evaluated.”
Later, the report suggested that "new housing developments in rural areas could have a stipulation that cats may not be kept in conservation-sensitive areas/other areas that have not had high levels of predation, especially with red-listed or amber-listed birds/other species".
The official recommendation states: “We recommend that the Scottish ministers ask NatureScot to commission a report into the advantages and disadvantages for wildlife of introducing cat containment areas, including the definition of vulnerable areas, domestic and feral cat welfare issues, seasonal pressures, restrictions on introducing cats to households in vulnerable areas, and specific containment measures to be considered.”
