Lesson learned for the SNP: Never mess with cat people
3 February 2025, 17:37
The SNP’s failed proposal to keep cats indoors is a lesson for politicians everywhere - never get between the UK and our cats.
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Most cats need to be able to perform natural cat-like behaviours like roaming, scratching and climbing if they are able to live happy, healthy lives and it is much easier to do this outdoors. Having areas where cats have to be kept indoors or setting up designated “no-cat” areas where they cannot go is a potential disaster for cat welfare.
Today’s cats share ancestry with the African wildcats, who rely on solitary hunting and roaming to survive. These survival instincts exist within our modern domestic cats and missing out on the opportunity to access the outside can lead to stress-related problems like spraying, excessive grooming or physical illness.
There’s also Scotland’s feral cats to consider. Any feral cat will have grown so accustomed to their life in their wild that it is impossible to turn them into domestic pet cats and force them indoors. Any attempt to do so will cause them significant stress which is totally at odds with good cat welfare.
And what about the views of Scotland’s cat lovers? There are 840,000 pet cats in Scotland – that’s nearly a quarter of all households.
Many owners tell us their cat provides them with joy - providing companionship for the elderly or comfort for people with health conditions or helping children to learn important lessons about caring for others. Allowing cats to express their natural behaviour helps them to be a happy, well-adjusted companion.
It is possible to strike a balance to both preserve cat welfare and to look after our precious wildlife by:
- Neutering pet cats to reduce cat over-population as well as making males less likely to roam far and wide in search of a mate
- Playing with your cat for 5 – 10 minutes a day which allows them to exhibit their natural hunting behaviours and reduce their motivation to seek out prey
- Feeding cats a premium, meat-rich food, which is scientifically shown to reduce hunting tendencies.
- Keeping your cat in between the hours of dusk and dawn to reduce the predatory activity of cats.
We’d urge the Scottish Government to consider the welfare of all cats and wildlife in a pragmatic way.
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Madison Rogers is an Associate Director of Advocacy, Campaigns and External Affairs for Cats Protection
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