Responsible ownership and care of domestic cats in Scotland: report

2. Background and definition of area of analysis

The management of the domestic cat population in Scotland (including aspects of responsible ownership) was raised at the earliest point in the development of SAWC and was included in our discussions on issues to prioritise. This issue has been considered as important from two main perspectives: the welfare of the cats themselves and through their impact on conservation of the wildcat and other wildlife in Scotland.

Particular attention has been paid to the question of microchipping and registration of domestic cats, and to fertility control.

A petition (PE1674) was made to the Scottish Parliament in 2017 by Dr Elspeth Stirling, seeking a review of the Code of Practice on Non-Native Species and the identification of measures, which could be introduced to control the domestic cat population and protect the existence of the Scottish wildcat. This petition received more than 4,000 signatures and the support of a number of organisations and individuals involved in wildcat conservation. The Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan (SWCAP) steering group also produced a paper in 2018 setting out proposals for additional control measures for domestic cats to reduce the incidence of hybridisation with wildcats. Further written submissions and evidence were made between 7^th December 2017 and 30 January 2020, when the petition was closed, acknowledging the work conducted, but commenting that there are continuing efforts to conserve the wildcat. This petition and associated papers can be found in the archived section of the Scottish Parliament website. Dr Stirling has subsequently requested that SAWC consider this matter.

A further petition (PE1938) was lodged in 2022 by Carlie Power, calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce mandatory microchipping of cats in Scotland and to assess the effectiveness of current microchip scanning processes.

New legislation in England requires all pet cats over the age of 20 weeks to be microchipped by 10 June 2024. This is a devolved matter and similar legislation has not been progressed in Scotland or Northern Ireland. However, Cats Protection and other groups have advocated for compulsory microchipping also to become law in other parts of the UK including Scotland (e.g. Calls grow for compulsory cat microchipping in Scotland and Northern Ireland | Vet Times).

Compulsory microchipping of dogs and equids (horses, ponies, donkeys and mules) has been law in Scotland since 2016 (The Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016) and 2021 (The Equine Animal (Identification) (Scotland) Regulations 2019) respectively. However, lack of a consistent database of microchipped animals for cats has been cited as a reason for not pursuing mandatory microchipping for pet cats.

Concern is also growing about the breeding of cats for extreme traits and hybridisation with a variety of wild cat species that cause welfare problems.

Given the continuing concerns about cat breeding, population management and other aspects of responsible cat ownership, it was considered appropriate and timely for SAWC to take an evidence-based look at the issue of responsible cat ownership and cat welfare. As stated above, our focus is primarily on the welfare of domestic cats whether owned (pet cats) or unowned (often called feral cats but see Table 1 below) and we consider the issues of their interactions with wildcats and other wildlife primarily from the perspective of welfare rather than conservation.

In considering this area we will focus on a number of key questions:

• How should responsible ownership and care of domestic cats be defined?
• What are the welfare harms/issues associated with owned and unowned (stray and feral) cats:
  • For the cats themselves
  • For other wild animals (birds, mammals)
  • For the reintroduction of wildcats in Scotland?
• What are the welfare benefits/harms of compulsory microchipping of domestic cats?
• What are the welfare benefits/harms of compulsory neutering and licensing/regulating breeding of domestic cats?