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

Protection from suffering, injury and disease S

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.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 7 para. 8 in force at 1.9.2021, see reg. 1