Pet Theft Awareness

Your address here (NB must be included for your MP to respond to your correspondence) Your MP’s name House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Date Dear  Name of your MP Including Family Cats in the Proposed Pet Abduction Offence in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill I am writing to you as my constituency MP to express my disappointment at the Government’s decision to limit the new Pet Abduction Offence in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to dogs and to ask you to make representations to relevant ministers to reconsider their position with regard to the inclusion of our family cats. As you are aware, in May 2021 in response to growing public concern about the rise in reported pet theft since the start of the pandemic, the government established a Pet Theft Taskforce to investigate and to recommend any necessary measures to tackle the problem. After taking expert evidence from individuals and welfare organisations, albeit almost exclusively in respect of dogs, the Taskforce published i

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT NOW! Cats are family members - can you help us by writing to your MP? Cat theft soared by 40% last year and yet it is not included in the Pet Abduction offence currently going through parliament as part of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. It was a recommendation of the Pet Theft Taskforce that this offence should include cats and horses and it was intimated that it would come into law by Spring 2022. Cat owners love their cats every bit as much as dog owners love their dogs and they have an equal capacity to suffer; the government seems to be ignoring this. Delay-after-delay later pet owners are wondering if this Bill will ever become law. A broken promise? We hope not. We need ministers, MPs and the Lords to understand that cat theft causes the same misery as dog theft and they need the same protections and deterrents. Pet Theft Awareness has been campaigning hard to have the theft of cats included in the offence and, until the Government Ministers played