Cornish MP calls for cats to be given same welfare and import protections as dogs
Sheryll Murray says it would help to prevent the illegal kitten trade
A Cornish MP is calling for cats to have the same welfare and import protections as dogs to help prevent the illegal kitten trade.
Sheryll Murray, who represents South East Cornwall, has spoken in a Westminster debate.
She told a Westminster Hall debate there was a “missed opportunity” in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to “stop the illegal trade in cats and kittens before it reaches the scale and cruelty of the illegal puppy trade”.
Ms Murray welcomed plans in the Bill which would see the minimum age puppies could be imported raised to six months, and would ban importing “heavily pregnant” dogs or dogs with “mutilations” such as cropped ears, all aimed at combatting the rise in illegal dog trading.
She added: “I am however concerned about a lack of focus on cats by Defra, which could result in a missed opportunity to stop the illegal trade in cats and kittens before it reaches the scale and cruelty of the illegal puppy trade.”
The Conservative MP, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on cats, said there had been an increase in the number of people wanting to buy cats in recent years, with many people purchasing sought-after breeds.
Citing evidence from Cats Protection, she said online adverts for cats had increased in number, and prices on popular pet-selling websites had “skyrocketed”.
She added: “With more high-value cats being sought there is a risk of even more unscrupulous sellers looking to exploit cats and consumers for profit.”
Ms Murray called for cats to be given similar protection to dogs in the Bill, including a minimum import age of six months for kittens, a ban on importing pregnant cats to avoid stress to the animals, and a ban on importing cats which had suffered the “cruel and unnecessary” process of being declawed.
The MP said: “Whilst cats and kitten importation is less well spread than dogs, it is clearly a route to satisfy demand for pet cats in Great Britain and there is no reason to suppose that cat welfare is respected any better than dog welfare by those that import illegally.”
The SNP’s Peter Grant (Glenrothes) said he had been “owned by a series of moggs” in the past, adding: “It is essential that we always impose our standards, standards that have been accepted by the vast majority of people in these islands, which is that animals deserve to be treated humanely, to be well treated.”
Defra minister Rebecca Pow said a consultation on the Bill launched over the summer had “largely focussed on dogs”.
The minister said: “I fully acknowledge the concerns that have been raised on extending the measures to cats and I am also aware that a number of stakeholders are calling for us to raise the minimum age at which kittens could be imported and to ban the import of heavily pregnant and declawed cats.”
She added: “In the consultation we didn’t propose these measures because there is currently limited evidence there is a significant trade in illegal cats or significant welfare movements.”
However, Ms Pow said the Government wanted to “go further” to protect animal welfare, describing it as an “uppermost” commitment.