John Swinney was yesterday dragged into the row over whether cat ownership should be banned or restricted in Scotland.
The First Minister insisted he has ‘no intention’ of following through on the proposals, despite the idea coming in a Scottish Government report.
His comments came after The Mail on Sunday revealed that an expert group set up to offer advice to ministers raised the prospect of ‘cat containment areas’ because of concerns about the harm they cause populations of native mammals and birds.
Asked about the issue yesterday, Mr Swinney said: ‘There’s a report being produced by an external organisation which has come in to the Government for consideration.
‘Let me just clear this up today – the Government’s not going to be banning cats or restricting cats.
‘We’ve no intention of doing so and we will not be doing it.’
A report by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, published by the Scottish Government, cites research showing that in the UK some 57 million mammals, 27 million birds and five million reptiles and amphibians are brought home to pet owners each year by their cats.
The report suggests the extreme option of banning cat ownership in areas where wildlife is most at risk.
John Swinney (pictured in 2009) with Molly the cat, during the opening of a 15 million small animal hospital at Glasgow University
The First MInister ruled out banning cats, saying ‘we will not be doing it’
It also explores the idea of 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.
Similar containment areas have already been set up in several parts of Australia, with strict rules meaning cats must be permanently kept indoors.
The report calls for research to be carried out to explore ‘introducing cat containment areas… and restrictions on cats to households in vulnerable areas’.
It said: ‘The evidence suggests that all cats can have a significant impact on wildlife populations, through predation and competition for resources with vulnerable wildcat populations.
‘Some countries already require cats to be contained all the time or seasonally to protect wildlife populations.
‘This may be an option to reduce the welfare impacts of domestic cats on wildlife.
‘However, there are also welfare impacts for the cat of preventing access to outdoor environments.
‘This approach requires investment from owners in ensuring good cat welfare and allowing behavioural opportunities for hunting, exploring, exercise and mental stimulation.
‘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 Commission recommended that the Scottish Government instructs its agency NatureScot to produce a report on containment areas.
According to the charity Cats Protection, a fifth of households own the 830,000 pet cats in Scotland.
Alice Palombo, advocacy and government relations officer for Scotland at Cats Protection, said: ‘Not all cats hunt and for those that do, pragmatic solutions like keeping cats indoors at dawn and dusk can balance the needs of domestic cats and wild animals.
‘Cats are great pets for all sorts of reasons, whether it’s providing companionship for elderly people or those living alone, comfort for people with health conditions or helping children learn important lessons in caring for others.’
A report published by the Scottish Government last month recommended introducing legislation to require the compulsory microchipping and registration of cats in Scotland, a proposal supported by Cats Protection.
