Welcome to vnonline.co.uk

vnonline.co.uk provides the veterinary nursing profession with the latest news and industry developments, as well as events, resources, learning materials and careers.

Our website is dedicated to veterinary nurses and we strive to provide a platform where you can voice and explore your interests.

Not a member yet? Sign up for free!

Register for free with vnonline.co.uk to gain unlimited access to news, resources, jobs and much more!



Click here to become a member






Log in to vnonline

Forgot your password?

Posted: 23rd December 2024

Government urged to regulate cat breeding
Scottish folds are one of the pedigree cat breeds that can have breed-related health problems.
Report from Animal Welfare Committee calls for new legislation.

The Animal Welfare Committee, which advises the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Scottish and Welsh governments, has called for new legislation to regulate cat breeding.

The call is included in a new independent report on cat breeding produced by the the committee, which is made up of veterinary and animal welfare experts.

The committee wants to see licensing introduced that explicitly prevents the breeding of cats which suffer from health and welfare problems linked to breed characteristics.

The recommendations also include allowing only registered veterinary surgeons to undertake ultrasound scans of pet cats for pregnancy diagnosis and only after careful consideration has been given to welfare harms, and that all artificial reproductive procedures should be banned from being used in domesticated cats.

The committee’s report has been welcomed by Cats Protection. According to the charity’s Cats And Their Stats report for this year, sales of pedigree cats have overtaken sales of non-pedigree cats for the first time.

The charity is concerned that some genetic mutations in pedigree cats, such as that which causes the folded ears of Scottish fold cats, can also cause significant health and welfare problems. A petition launched by the charity calling for cat breeding to be regulated has attracted more than 50,000 signatures.

Madison Rogers, associate director of advocacy, campaigns and external affairs for Cats Protection, said: “Cats Protection has been calling on the government to urgently introduce regulations to licence cat breeding.

“Following engagement earlier this year with the Animal Welfare Committee, we are delighted to see they have released an independent report recommending that the government regulate cat breeding and ban the breeding of cats with known and harmful extreme traits.”

The full report from the Animal Welfare Committee can be read here.

Image © Shutterstock



Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history



Latest news | Careers | Events | Resources | Contact us | Terms and conditions | Data Protection and Privacy |Cookie policy | About us | Copyright
© 2024 Vision Media, all rights reserved. vnonline.co.uk is not responsible for the content of external websites.