Former Conservative minister, Lord Blencathra, has urged for a ban on cat flaps to help protect the UK’s dwindling population of garden birds. He stated that there is “no justification whatsoever” for cat owners to adopt a “laissez-faire attitude” by allowing their pets to “go in and out when it pleases”.
In addition, he supported calls for outdoor cats to be required to wear collars and bells, citing research that suggests this could reduce the number of birds killed by cats.
Lord Blencathra’s suggestion came as peers backed a proposed law to introduce two new offences of cat and dog abduction in England and Northern Ireland. Under current legislation, animals are considered property, but campaigners argue that the emotional value of pets and the distress caused if they are stolen should also be recognised.
The proposed Bill would make it an offence to take a cat or dog from the lawful control of another person, with culprits facing a maximum prison sentence of five years. The Bill moved closer to becoming law after receiving an unopposed second reading in the Lords, having previously cleared the House of Commons.
Lord Blencathra expressed his “full support” for the Bill and endorsed comments made by Natural England chairman Tony Juniper advocating for cats to wear bells.
He informed the House of Lords: “All independent studies suggest that cats allowed out to wander at will kill about 260 million mammals per annum in the UK and 60 million garden birds.
“Of course there are other predators killing animals and birds, as the letters in the Telegraph this week have pointed out, but the contribution from roaming cats is massive and unnecessary. Studies by three UK scientists, and published in the journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science, show that in the UK cats with bells killed 34% fewer mammals and 41% fewer birds.
“We need every measure we can to preserve our declining garden birds. So I would make collars and bells compulsory for cats let outside. But I would go further, my Lords, and I’d ban cat flaps completely.”
Lord Blencathra remarked that animal welfare organisations had recommended that cats should only be allowed outdoors after sunrise or before sunset to prevent them from preying on birds during their feeding times.
He continued: “There’s no justification whatsoever for cat owners taking a laissez-faire attitude and letting a cat go in and out when it pleases.
“Don’t call yourself a cat lover if you have no idea where your cat goes at night, where it can be attacked, run over, catch fleas, diseases and kills precious wildlife.”
Earlier, Lord Blencathra proposed amendments to the penalties, suggesting a fixed £5,000 fine regardless of an individual’s financial situation and more severe consequences if the offence involves multiple individuals.
He remarked that the current penalties in the Bill are “theoretically quite good”, but warned: “But they will never, ever happen because once the rather wet, woke, liberal Sentencing Council produce their sentencing guidelines no-one will ever get the maximum and the average sentence will be watered down to a few hundred pounds and it’ll not be paid.”
Shadow environment spokeswoman Baroness Hayman of Ullock expressed Labour’s backing for the Bill and conveyed her curiosity about Lord Blencathra’s feline-focused suggestions.
Lady Hayman humorously defended her own pet, stating he is “not a very prolific killer” and admits he has become “rather frightened” of birds after an “encounter” with a hen.
Lord Douglas-Miller, the environment minister, affirmed: “The Government strongly supports this Bill. It represents another important step in our progress on animal welfare.”
Addressing Lord Blencathra’s remarks, Lord Douglas-Miller disclosed that his officials had recently met with representatives from the Songbird Survival charity.
He shared insights from the University of Exeter research, revealing: “They heard about research by the University of Exeter which showed that owners can reduce their cat’s hunting by adjusting their cat’s diet or by spending short periods playing with them.”
Lord Douglas-Miller assured that the Government would maintain dialogue with the charity to help promote its awareness campaign.
The Bill is set for more detailed examination in the Lords at a subsequent stage.
Annabel Berdy, the Senior Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Cats Protection, stated: “The Pet Abduction Bill will give pets the full recognition they deserve and help stamp out the horrific trade in stolen pets which causes so much misery to owners and animals.”
