New campaign calls for action on cat breeding
"The commercial market today chiefly operates through home-based breeders placing advertisements on classified websites that sell everything from fridges to felines."
A new campaign is calling for legislation to ban the sale of kittens under the age of eight weeks and prevent unscrupulous breeding practices.
Cats Protection, which launched the 'True cost of kittens' campaign, says the current law dates back to 1951 and is no longer fit for purpose.
"The way pets are sold has completely changed since the 1950s, and far fewer cats are sold in pet shops," said the charity's advocacy manager, Jacqui Cuff. "The commercial market today chiefly operates through home-based breeders placing advertisements on classified websites that sell everything from fridges to felines."
As a result, kittens are being bred in poor welfare conditions and sold with serious health problems, leaving owners with substantial vets bills. Often leaving their mothers too young, kittens are sold for anything from £50 to hundreds of pounds. There is also a growing market for unusual looking kittens often described as crossbreeds, such as ragdoll or Persian crosses.
Cats Protection wants to see a ban on the sale of kittens under eight weeks of age, regulation of repeat breeding of family cats and a definition of commercial sales. It is also urging the government to close legal loopholes that allow breeding for sale to take place without scrutiny, usually from domestic premises.
Defra is currently reviewing animal establishment licences - a move that Cats Protection has welcomed. Jacqui Cuff said updating the pet vending laws would be "a huge step towards safeguarding feline welfare".
Members of the public are being asked to urge their local MP to seek assurance from Defra that new legislation will address cat welfare issues.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
