Highlands and Islands MSP Emma Roddick joins Cat Protection to find out more about cat welfare priorities

Emma Roddick MSP met Cats Protection at a parliamentary reception in Holyrood to discuss the charity’s work across Scotland to improve feline welfare which includes through rehoming, neutering, education, and their campaigning work.

The event, on 16 June, was sponsored by Mark Ruskell MSP and held to highlight ways that politicians can help support Scotland’s 685,000 pet cats and their owners.

Cats Protection’s ‘The Time is Meow: A cat welfare Action Plan for Scotland’ sets out the issues the charity is campaigning on, which includes calling on the Scottish Government to introduce compulsory microchipping for pet cats.

Emma Roddick said:

“It was a pleasure to meet with Cats Protection and discuss their priorities for changes to cat welfare protections that could be implemented in Scotland, including compulsory microchipping.  As the owner of a rescue cat myself, I know how important it is that there are policies in place to prevent suffering.”

Cats Protection’s Advocacy & Government Relations Officer for Scotland Alice Palombo said:

“It was wonderful to welcome so many MSPs who were keen to find out how they can support cats and the people who care about them.

“Scotland is a nation of cat lovers, with 20% of households owning one, so their welfare is important to a huge number of people. While Scotland already has some strong legislation in place to protect cats, there is always more that can be done. We were pleased to discuss our priorities with so many MSPs as part of our work to help cats in Scotland.”

Cats Protection, the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, has a Scottish network of 24 volunteer-run branches, four adoption centres, and nine charity shops which also offer advice on cat care. In 2021, the charity rehomed 2,500 cats in Scotland and helped neuter 10,500 cats and microchip 1,600 cats.

To find out more about the charity’s campaigning work, please visit www.cats.org.uk/speakingupforcats