Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 16 March 2022
I absolutely take that on board and I sympathise with the member for having a small office in Broughty Ferry. My priority, too, is for the bill to protect dogs.
However, I am told by Cats Protection that many cats have been stolen for breeding purposes. There have been a number of instances when cats have been returned home with their sides shaved where there would have been a scar if they had been neutered, which suggests that thieves are targeting cats in order to breed from them.
The rise in cat theft can also be attributed to the online market in cats and kittens. Owners are increasingly likely to buy their cat rather than adopt one. More than a third of the cats that individuals or families have obtained in the past year were bought, and the public are increasingly going online to find that cat—68 per cent of purchases were made through that method last year.
Analysis of the trend has revealed that cat prices across three pet-selling websites—Gumtree, Preloved and Pets4Homes—have rocketed in the past year, with people spending an average of £474 in 2021, compared with £327 in the previous year. Of course, that has helped to fuel demand and make cat and kitten theft, just like dog theft, far more attractive to thieves, who are looking to profit directly from the sharp rise in prices.
Sadly, what is not taken into account—as far as I am concerned, it should be—is the devastating effect that theft has on cats and their owners and the families who love them. For many cat and kitten owners, those cute companions—like dogs—proved to be a godsend during the pandemic by providing important interaction, friendship, direction and love during anxious and troubled times.
It should be mentioned that cats are especially prone to stress, which is triggered by changes in their environment or stressful situations, such as being transported. I support the call from Cats Protection for a specific offence of pet theft to be introduced that covers all companion animals, including cats and dogs. However, I absolutely take on board Maurice Golden’s position on ensuring that the dog theft legislation gets through. Furthermore, it should include—