Cat lovers have been left hissing at a proposal to restrict areas where their beloved pets are allowed to roam and hunt wildlife.
With some 27 million birds slain each year, a new report is advising the Scottish Government to take drastic measures that include keeping cats locked inside - and even banning ownership altogether.
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) also suggested setting up ‘cat containment areas’ - designated parts of the country where compulsory restrictions could be put in place to prevent pet cats from roaming and hunting.
About 2 years ago my cat went outside on a Thursday and didn’t come back until Monday morning. Shortly after that he went out and came back limping, yowling his head off and unable to put weight on one of his front legs.
After a weekend racked with worry frantically searching my neighbourhood was followed by a 4 hour round trip to the closest “out of hours” vet and almost £1000 I decided the risk of letting him outside was too great, so I’ve kept him inside ever since. Pretty sure he’d like to go outside but it hasn’t been that bad. I just try to play with him as much as possible to keep him entertained. I did hang bird feeders by the window for him to watch but didn’t get any customers.