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Code Of Conduct For Cat Owners

Author: FAB (Feline Advisory Bureau)
Posted: Wednesday 1st February, 2006. 00:00:00

You may have noticed articles recently in the press about the 'pet police' and 'animal rights' in relation to cat keeping. These refer to government guidelines or Codes of Conduct which are being put together as part of the secondary legislation which goes with the new Animal Welfare Bill (which is expected to clear Parliament in the next few months). Of course, in order to catch the eye of the reader, headlines are often rather extreme. However, for any responsible cat owner there is nothing to fear and perhaps even something to learn.

FAB has been involved in the working group which drew up the cat care code with DEFRA and we are delighted with the content. Not only does it cover physical care, but it touches on cats' behavioural needs too. From the obvious concepts such as 'cats cannot be vegetarians' to the less well understood 'cats are not pack animals like dogs', it looks at how we live with our pet cats. Journalists seem surprised that it will be a long document, but in order to provide good information it needs to be set out clearly and explained properly. There is no point in saying, for example, that cats need 'adequate' toilet facilities but not to explain what this means - it helps nobody.

Those organisations and charities that try to protect our animals and have to deal with the consequences of irresponsible pet ownership have been frustrated by the present law, under which an animal will have to have been badly treated before anything can be done to help it. Under the new legislation there will be a 'duty of care' to look after our animals which should allow something to be done before this extreme has been reached. The new codes will have to guide owners as to what is needed and hence will have to be detailed and comprehensive.

Animal organisations have worked long and hard to get the government to take an interest in pet care - we should be delighted that the needs of our cats are being looked at clearly and sensibly based on the expertise of a number of pet and veterinary organisations, FAB being one of these.

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