Fact Check: Scottish wildlife report did not recommend outright cat ban
A report by Scotland's advisory body for animal welfare, which contains a range of recommendations for responsible ownership of cats, has been misrepresented online as evidence of the Scottish government considering an outright ban on keeping cats as pets.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), a group of experts appointed by the government, opens new tab to advise on wildlife and companion animal protections, published its independent report, opens new tab on the welfare of domestic cats in January.
The SAWC report makes multiple recommendations to the government, such as mandatory chipping and registration of owned cats, but there is no recommendation to ban them outright.
One section on fertility and reproductive activity lays out a range of options from 'do nothing' to containment of cats in vulnerable areas, where wildlife is more at risk, with one suggestion that new housing developments could introduce rules against cats being kept in conservation-sensitive sites.
However, the SAWC's recommendation based upon the options listed is for Scotland's natural heritage agency NatureScot to commission a report on the effects of cat containment on wildlife, a definition of vulnerable areas, and possible restrictions on the introduction of cats to households in such areas.
'It did not suggest banning cat ownership,' a SAWC spokesperson said to Reuters.
'The SAWC report offered various recommendations for responsible cat ownership, which mostly focused on the welfare of cats themselves (such as microchipping, neutering, vaccination etc), although we did also consider the wider impacts of cats on other species,' they added.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said to Reuters: 'Banning cats is not a recommendation of the report and we will, under no circumstances, be banning cats.'
VERDICT
Misleading. The report does not recommend a ban on cat ownership in Scotland. In one section about fertility and reproductive activity, the report lists multiple options for action – beginning with Option 1, to 'do nothing' - and includes one suggestion that housing developments in conservation-sensitive areas restrict the introduction of cats to these areas. The SAWC ultimately recommended more research and another report.
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