The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021

Regulation 2

SCHEDULE 7 Specific conditions: breeding cats

Interpretation

1.  In this schedule—

“adult cat” means a cat aged 6 months or more,

“sleeping area” means a fully-enclosed indoor area in which a cat can rest and sleep.

Advertisements and sales

2.—(1) A cat must not be advertised or offered for sale—

(a) which was not bred by the licence holder,

(b) from a place other than the premises where it was born and reared under the licence,

unless the cat is over the age of 12 months and was procured by the licence holder for breeding purposes.

(2) Any advertisement for the sale of a cat must—

(a) include the number of the licence holder’s licence,

(b) specify the local authority that issued the licence, and

(c) display the age of the cat being advertised.

(3) Any equipment and accessories being sold with a cat must be suitable for it.

(4) The purchaser must be informed of the age, sex and veterinary record of the cat being sold.

(5) No kitten aged under 8 weeks may be—

(a) sold, or

(b) permanently separated from its biological mother.

(6) Sub-paragraph (5)(b) does not apply in relation to a kitten if—

(a) separation of the kitten from its biological mother is necessary for the health or welfare of the kitten, other kittens from the same litter or its biological mother, or

(b) the kitten’s biological mother is deceased.

(7) A cat may only be sold if the name, and an address, of the licence holder are disclosed to the purchaser.

Number of breeding female cats and litters produced

3.—(1) The number of breeding female cats kept in relation to the licensable activity of breeding cats at any time on the premises specified in the licence and on which the licensable activity is carried on must not exceed the number specified by the local authority in the licence.

(2) The number of litters produced on the premises during each consecutive 12 month period commencing with the date on which the licence was granted or, as the case may be, renewed must not exceed twice the maximum number of breeding female cats specified in the licence.

Suitable environment

4.—(1) Each cat must have access to—

(a) a clean, dry and warm sleeping with comfortable bedding and which is free from draughts, and

(b) an exercise area.

(2) Each cat must be provided with sufficient space to—

(a) stand upright on its hind legs,

(b) lie down fully stretched out,

(c) walk, and

(d) turn around,

without touching another cat or the walls of the sleeping area.

(3) The exercise area must not be used as a sleeping area unless the cat chooses to do so.

(4) There must be a separate birthing area for each breeding female cat to give birth in and which contains a suitable bed for giving birth.

(5) Each birthing area must be maintained at an appropriate temperature and include an area which allows the breeding female cat to move away from heat spots and from her young if she chooses to do so.

(6) Each cat must be provided with constant access to a sleeping area.

(7) No kitten aged under 8 weeks may be transported without its biological mother except—

(a) if a veterinary surgeon agrees for health or welfare reasons that it may be so transported, or

(b) in an emergency.

(8) No pregnant breeding female cat may be transported later than 54 days after the date of successful mating or artificial insemination except to a veterinary surgeon.

(9) No breeding female cat may be transported earlier than 48 hours after giving birth except to a veterinary surgeon where it is not otherwise practicable or appropriate for that person to attend to the female cat.

(10) In this paragraph, “exercise area” means a secure area where cats may exercise and play.

Suitable diet

5.—(1) Each kitten must be provided with the opportunity to start weaning as soon as it is capable of ingesting feed on its own.

(2) Each adult cat must be provided with feed appropriate to its needs.

(3) Each kitten must be provided with feed appropriate for its stage of development.

(4) Reasonable efforts must be made so that each kitten ingests the correct share of the feed provided.

Training and exercise

6.—(1) Opportunities to exercise which benefit the cats’ physical and mental health must be provided, unless advice from a veterinarian suggests otherwise.

(2) All kittens must be given suitable and adequate opportunities to—

(a) learn how to interact with people, cats and other animals where such interaction benefits their welfare, and

(b) become habituated to noises, objects and activities associated with a domestic environment.

(3) All adult cats must have at least daily opportunities to interact with people where such interaction benefits their welfare.

Housing with or apart from other cats

7.  Each adult cat must be given suitable and adequate opportunities to become habituated to handling by people.

Protection from suffering, injury and disease

8.—(1) All cats for sale must be in good health.

(2) Any cat with a condition which materially affects, or is likely to materially affect, its quality of life must not be—

(a) transferred in ownership,

(b) offered for sale, or

(c) moved from the premises specified in the licence and on which the licensable activity is carried on, other than to an isolation facility or veterinary care facility where the animal is in need of isolation or treatment,

until it has recovered, ceased to require isolation or, where there is no need for the cat to be isolated, been certified by a veterinary surgeon as being in a condition that is suitable for such transfer, sale or movement.

(3) The licence holder must ensure that no female cat—

(a) is mated or artificially inseminated if aged less than 10 months,

(b) gives birth to more than two litters of kittens within 12 months,

(c) gives birth to more than 8 litters of kittens in its lifetime,

(d) is mated or artificially inseminated if aged 8 or more years,

(e) is mated or artificially inseminated after she has delivered one litter of kittens by caesarean section.

(4) No cat may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation, behaviour or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring.

(5) Breeding female cats must be supervised with minimal disturbance during birthing and the licence holder must keep a record of—

(a) the date of birth of each kitten,

(b) each kitten’s sex and colour,

(c) the number of kittens in the litter, and

(d) any other significant events.

(6) The licence holder must keep a record of each kitten sale including—

(a) the microchip number of the kitten (if any),

(b) the date of the sale, and

(c) the age of the kitten on that date.

(7) The licence holder must keep a record of the following in relation to each breeding cat—

(a) its name,

(b) its sex,

(c) its microchip and database details (if any),

(d) its date of birth (if known),

(e) the postal address where it normally resides,

(f) its breed or type,

(g) its description,

(h) details of its biological parents (to the extent known),

(i) details of any veterinary treatment it has received, and

(j) the date and cause of its death (where applicable).

(8) In addition to the matters mentioned in sub-paragraph (7), the licence holder must keep a record of the following in relation to each breeding female cat—

(a) the number of any known pregnancies,

(b) the number of its litters,

(c) the date or dates on which it has given birth, and

(d) the number of caesarean sections it has had, if any.

(9) Any preventative healthcare plan agreed with the veterinary surgeon with whom the licence holder has registered under the condition in paragraph 9(8) of the general conditions must be implemented.

(10) The licence holder must keep a record of any preventative or curative healthcare (or both) given to each cat.

(11) Where any other activity involving animals is undertaken on the premises on which the licensable activity of breeding cats is carried on, it must be kept entirely separate from the area where that licensable activity is carried on.