Protecting cats from dog attacks
While the draft Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Bill remains out for scrutiny in parliament, Cats Protection have called for changes to include attacks on cats.
The charity wants to help ensure owners of dangerous dogs are effectively prosecuted following a string of fatal dog attacks on cats recently.
It reported that, in England alone, one cat is killed as a result of a dog attack every week and there is currently no law against this.
Cats Protection said it welcomes the government's proposal to include offences that occur anywhere in England and Wales, rather than just public places, but wants it to extend its definition of victim to include all "protected" animals.
The charity is therefore asking the public to back its campaign by writing to their local MP.
Jacqui Cuff, advocacy manager at Cats Protection, said: "Every incidence of a serious, often fatal attack on a cat is a tragedy for the cat and its owner and something we believe should be regarded as a criminal offence.
"In Northern Ireland, setting a dog on any animal owned by someone else is a criminal offence – we want all cats in the UK to have the same level of protection."
The Envionment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee is currently taking evidence for the draft bill, therefore Cats Protection has submitted information about the problem of dog attacks on cats.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
