Leading charity wants cats to be put on the political agenda
Cat-paigners hope to purr-suade Scotland’s paw-liticians to put felines first with a unique moggy manifesto.
The Manifesto for Cats was delivered to members of the Scottish Parliament this week at an event aimed at putting the welfare of cats firmly on the political agenda ahead of the Holyrood election.
Cats Protection, the national charity, unveiled its 10-point document at a reception at Holyrood, hosted by Christine Grahame MSP.
In Scotland, 23% of households have at least one cat, which is an estimated cat population of approximately 900,000. Of those it is estimated that 45% (approximately 400,000) of owned cats are not microchipped and that there are approximately 90,000 unneutered cats.
The charity is calling for existing and prospective MSPs to get behind the manifesto in order to ensure that one of the nation’s best loved pets is fully protected by policies and the law.
Cats Protection has over 1,300 volunteers and 48 branches which operate alongside its Glasgow Adoption Centre.
The issue of feline welfare is very relevant to Scottish voters.
In 2014, its Scottish branches and adoption centres found homes for over 5,700 unwanted and abandoned cats.
As well as rehoming unwanted and abandoned cats, the charity also promotes neutering, provides cat care advice, and delivers talks about cat care to thousands of schoolchildren and community groups every year.
Cats Protection's advocacy manager Jacqui Cuff said: “Over the past few years, we have been contacted about a worrying number of issues that our supporters and the general public want us to raise with the Scottish Government.
“Nearly one in four Scottish households owns a cat, so the issue of feline welfare is very relevant to Scottish voters.
“Delivery of the manifesto for cats would improve the lives of thousands of cats in Scotland and prevent them from harm. We're hoping that politicians will back our call to improve the welfare and wellbeing of thousands of cats.
“There’s much more that Scottish Government and local authorities can do to ensure a better world for cats.”
Christine Grahame MSP said: “As a cat owner myself, my cat Mr Smokey has been microchipped and I would encourage other owners to do the same.
“I also believe there are many areas of policy where more can be done to improve feline welfare and I look forward to working with Cats Protection.”
