.com Forum · UK Forum
Replies in this thread : 12
| Author | Topic : UK animal welfare laws...new guidence | |||
| Kitt Coty Basic User Posts : 59  |
A Government paper out today gives new guidence on animal welfare laws.All dogs,cats and horses must be entertained.It doesn't give any guidence on what type of entertainment(and it isn't April 1st.)
More seriously anyone with a cat must have a seperate litter tray for each one.I wonder where they got these ideas from. |
|||
| tomcat1 Basic User Posts : 2,000+ |
quoteI work at a vets, and we recommend 1 box per cat. If cats share, sometimes one cat bullies the other, or claims the area the litterbox is in as his/her own, and makes it hard/impossible for the other cat to use it. This can then lead to UTIs from the cat can be forced to hold it in, or peeing/pooping somewhere else. Most cats will co-habit and share boxes without a problem, but essentially cats aren't supposed to live in groups, and so frictions are more common. Seperate litterboxes is one way to reduce this  |
|||
| Kitt Coty Basic User Posts : 59 |
quoteThat makes great sense.Not being a cat person I hadn't thought of that.I think the guidelines are for better care for animals all round.I am still wondering how to extra 'entertain' my dogs lol |
|||
| Wicken Fen Kennels Basic User Posts : 80 |
I find it interesting that dog owners spend a lot of time training their dogs to pee and poo outside whilst cat owners spend equally as much time training their cats to pee and poo inside (often in the kitchen!). |
|||
| Kliazma Basic User Posts : 2,000+ |
To be honest, I have 4 cats and 2 litter trays They all happily share with each other and one takes it upon herself to tidy the litter trays up every day before anyone else uses it again. We've never had any issues with any cats in the past sharing either But I guess all cats/households are different Madz |
|||
| Carat Basic User Posts : 500+ |
I have one 18 yr old cat and 1 litter tray. Probably have more accidents than anyone, he seems to think the toilet floor is his toilet recently. I agree that animals should be 'entertained' but a definition would be helpful. I hate people who get dogs and dont exercise them. I dont understand why they get them. My cat is old and cranky and really wouldnt enjoy me trying to 'entertain' him. He just wants cuddles and food. It makes it sound like i am being cruel for giving my horse a day off in the field, as how can we prove she is entertained munching away with her friends? If you look into it welfare isnt properly explained either in the law. It should be defined by different species, an example being some animals get distressed without company, and some do with company. |
|||
| Kliazma Basic User Posts : 2,000+ |
quoteExactly! Whereas it's actually being very kind to do so. |
|||
| PetbeKees Basic User Posts : 257 |
Entertained in this case means included. The Animal Welfare Act is the best news, we as animal lovers can have ever dreamed of. Of course it is still in the stage of being created, as all possible scenarios have not as yet been included, but as the previous Act was at the turn of the last century....its good news. I run a Branch of Cats Protection, and as such we do give every cat within a cat pen ( kennel ) a tray each, however that doesnt mean to say I do that with my own cats, the Act doesnt say I have to, it merely gives guidance. The Act is there in order to ensure we provide the 5 freedoms for our pets. 1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour. 2. Freedom from Discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area. 3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment. 4. Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind. 5. Freedom from Fear and Distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. So providing you follow the above, then as long as your pet is happy and thriving no one is going to insist on you changing anything. Chris |
|||
| Wicken Fen Kennels Basic User Posts : 80 |
this post has been edited 1 time(s) Pity that these requirements are not as rigidly applied to millions of farm animals. Farms holding the RSPCA's Freedom Foods certification have been sucessfully prosecuted for cruelty. edited to add In their native Malta, Pharaoh Hounds are bred as working farm dogs to hunt and kill rabbits, which are considered a pest by farmers. My Pharaoh Hound's great grandfather was a Maltese import so this instinct is quite strong in her. Since hunting with dogs is now illegal, how am I supposed to allow her to exhibit her normal behaviour? Which law should I break? It seems like sometimes the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. |
|||
| PetbeKees Basic User Posts : 257 |
Yes you are right, this is why the legislation has not been finalised yet. We in Cats Protection also face something similar. We trap feral cats to neuter and return. To recognise which ones have been neutered a small piece of the ear is removed ( 1 centimeter ) is this mutilation? according the AWA it would be, hence further legislation is required. A new law like this one has to be looked at, added too and amended for years before something truly workable can come into play, but at least we can thank the powers that be that something has at last been done that will, in time, be of huge benefit to animals in general. |
|||
| Wayward Kennels Basic User Posts : 1,000+ |
quoteActually if you read the hunting mammals with dogs bill you will find Rabbits are exempt. The hype and hysteria surrounding this bill mostly generated by the pro-foxhunting fraternity has left a huge amount of misconception. As a farmer I very much supported this bill...... we have sheep and poultry and are more than capable of protecting our stock, as required by law, from predation by the humble fox. He is little to worry about compared to the large carnivores we expect other countries to protect. Many within the farming community are sick and tired of being used as a scape goat and excuse for such a cruel and barbaric sport as foxhunting. Unfortunately it has been turned into a political issue rather than what it truly is which is an animal welfare issue. I do not see what this bill has to do with the animal welfare act but rest assured there is no conflict of interest concerning your dogs catching rabbits. |
|||
| Wayward Kennels Basic User Posts : 1,000+ |
quoteFeral cats do..... should have seen the farm when we first moved here. It was apalling. I guess it is one of those things where common sense should rule........ I am used to living with welfare guidelines with livestock, they are just that........ guidelines. You cannot be prosecuted for breaking them but they can be used as evidence if suffering entails as a result of not following them. Of course I suppose that somewhere there is an official who considers our cats emotionally abused because our poor felines are forced to go outside to potty. I guess 120acres may be enough though..... or do we need a seperate garden/farm for each cat too?  |
|||
| Merryfoot Basic User Posts : 144 |
Not in the UK anymore, but at the clinic I work for, we also trap and fix feral cats and barn cats and cats for low income people. We clip the left ear tip so we can recognize which have been done, and which haven't - well, we don't to pet cats, but ferals and barn cats. That is an example of how I feel that some of these laws are being taken too far. I don't consider it mutilation - it is an easy way to identify the animal as being fixed, and many cats lose parts of their ears in cat fights anways. The cats never notice their ear tip, but they do notice their areas, LOL. |
11/4/2008 11:48:37 AM
11/4/2008 12:11:43 PM|
Replies in this thread : 12 Post Reply |
