16 Jan 2025
Allister Webb
Job TitleA panel of vets and welfare experts has called for a ban on the breeding of cats with extreme and harmful characteristics.
A report by the Animal Welfare Committee, which advises both Defra and devolved administrations, said several breeds should be included in the restriction because of “almost inevitable and frequently severe” health and behavioural issues.
In response, the department said it was considering the recommendations, which a leading feline charity described as “extremely welcome”.
The report’s recommendations include a call for breeding regulations in England and Wales to be brought into line with those already in place in Scotland.
It argued that should include a regulation that no cat is kept for breeding if it could “reasonably be expected” that doing so would be harmful to either its health and welfare, or that of any offspring.
The report said: “Breeds should not be perpetuated where they suffer from health and welfare problems linked to characteristics selected for/associated with that breed.
“Licensing legislation should explicitly prevent licensing of those breeding these animals throughout the UK.
“Specifically, it is recommended that there is sufficient evidence to justify inclusion of the Scottish fold, munchkin and other dwarf breeds within this prohibition, due to the almost inevitable and frequently severe physical suffering and behavioural restrictions highly likely to be experienced by all individuals within these breeds.”
The call for legislative change was released after an advisory paper from the UK Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs, published last month, warned that owners were likely to be committing offences if they breed from moderately or severely brachycephalic animals.
Meanwhile, other recommendations in the paper included the development of a centralised online information hub and considering raising the minimum age at which kittens can be sold legally from eight to 12 weeks.
A Defra spokesperson said the department was “carefully considering” the report, but appeared to rule out any early legislative proposals by stressing policy changes would be based on “appropriate engagement with stakeholders”. However, the spokesperson argued that the existing Animal Welfare Act already requires cat owners and handlers to protect the animals in their care from suffering and meet their welfare needs in accordance with best practice.
She added that further guidance was provided in the Government’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats, as well as the Petfished communications campaign aimed at prospective owners.
But Madison Rogers, Cats Protection’s associate director of advocacy, campaigns and external affairs, said the group was “delighted” by the report’s recommendations.
Ms Rogers added: “Some pedigree cats are bred with extreme traits which may look pleasing to us, but actually have a disastrous effect on the cat’s health and welfare or its offspring. For example, the mutation that causes the striking folded ears of the Scottish fold cat also causes debilitating pain when the cat moves, jumps or plays.”
However, the group has also called for licensing regulations to be updated to reflect the growth of online sales – particularly via social media – and ensure there was proper enforcement of the rules.
