International Declaration ofResponsibilities to Cats

Cat welfare is a complex subject and the responsibility for
implementation of good welfare for cats falls to a numberof organisations as well as to individuals within a country.
Good welfare requires an understanding of the issues andgood collaborations.
As cats are sentient beings, they are entitled to protection
from unnecessary suffering. This responsibility falls to:• Central governments setting welfare law and tone
• Local and central government authorities

implementing law and population management• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

and individuals undertaking cat welfare work
including population management• Individuals owning cats
• Those living alongside street and community cats
• Individuals breeding and selling cats
• Veterinary professionals treating cats1Living alongside cats
The domestic cat exists in a wide range of habitats across the world, is highly
adaptable and can reproduce prolifically. Cats and people coexist in most ofthese places.
In many countries there are laws to prevent dogs living on the streets. However,street or community cats are common the world over.
The relationship between people and cats lies on a spectrum of ‘closeness’.
The extremes of this spectrum are the pet cat living completely indoors in ahuman home, relying on its owner for all of its needs, and the cat that lives
totally independently of people, avoiding human contact where possible. These
extremes would be termed indoor only pet cats (many pet cats have free accessto the outdoors) and feral cats respectively.
Between them on the spectrum are pet cats with outdoor access, and cats thatlive alongside people but not in their homes, are friendly/interactive to variousdegrees, and are fed or cared for to various degrees. This latter group would betermed street or community cats.
Stray cats are pet cats that are no longer in a home (either by their choice or
because they have become lost or abandoned) and live alongside the street orcommunity cats.

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Problems caused by cats
Local authorities are often asked to deal with problems associated with street,
community or feral cats – some live in large groups which may cause noise, smellor health nuisance problems to people. Both local and visiting people may be
distressed to see large numbers of kittens dying of disease or malnutrition, issues
which are inevitably present when large numbers of reproductive cats are trying
to survive. Cats can be considered as vermin in some places. In others there may
be additional issues of predation on endangered species.

Welfare of catsCats are sentient beings and experience pleasure and pain. Welfare is not justabout physical issues; emotional wellbeing is equally important. Being ‘owned’ asa pet cat does not necessarily mean that there are no welfare issues for that cat,as the owned cat’s environment and lifestyle can impact on welfare. Likewise, acat living successfully on the street may not necessarily have welfare issues.
We do know that street, community or feral cats can suffer because of cruelty orpersecution, problems caused by the stresses of reproduction and disease, lackof good nutrition, injuries from accidents, being preyed upon by other animals,
or by inhumane methods of population control carried out by local authorities(inhumane trapping/catching, destruction or holding facilities). Street cats do notusually have access to veterinary care, either emergency or preventive. Neutering
cats removes reproductive stresses and prevents overpopulation and many ofthe problems that go with it, such as public nuisance.
Pet cats may have welfare problems associated with the stresses of living withpeople who do not understand or fulfil their needs (this can be excesses as well
as deficiencies, eg, obesity) or where veterinary care for cats is not as good as
it could be. Creating certain looks through breeding has also resulted in cats
suffering with serious health problems.
International Cat Care has developed this ‘International Declaration ofResponsibilities to Cats’, to provide a clear framework to help different entities
work together and play their part to protect and improve cat welfare. The
declaration will help those responsible for cat welfare to understand how toensure that all cats, owned and unowned, are protected from suffering and aregiven the opportunity to live a good life.
We are asking people to support this Declaration by signing it. The moresignatures we have, the better able we are to show the world how many people
care about cats and want their welfare to be improved. To sign the Declaration,
go to: goo.gl/Ef6qq4.

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Government responsibility●● To develop (using appropriate expertise) and provide a legal framework forgood feline welfare and to encourage and enforce it.
●● To support local government, police forces and NGOs in implementing the law
properly.
●● To support (not necessarily monetarily) the work of good NGOs in their cat
welfare work, including population management.
●● To encourage responsible pet ownership (neutering, microchipping andregistration, and preventive health care).
●● To encourage responsible breeding and selling of cats.
●● To recognise the position of, and to protect, feral cats within the cat
population and the law.
●● To ensure identification of street/community/feral cats that have been
neutered (ear tipping rather than notching is the method of choice atpresent), and to ensure ear tipping is not considered a mutilation under law.
●● To outlaw declawing and other cosmetic surgery.
●● To encourage responsible (re)homing of abandoned or relinquished pet cats.
●● To recognise animal hoarding as a human issue and to encourage
collaboration between cat and human welfare organisations.
●● To collaborate and share best practice and experience internationally.

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Local authority responsibility●● To consider the interests of cats, humans and other animals when making
decisions that affect cats, including those made on public health grounds.
●● To implement welfare laws.
●● To make decisions on population management of unowned cats based on
ethical and humane approaches. Management should be planned, targetedand effective, and consider all potential sources of cats. Practices such asusing poison or gas to kill cats are totally unacceptable. Where euthanasia
is required, authorities must ensure this is done humanely by trained andcompetent persons.
●● To ensure that population management is done humanely. Trap, neuter,vaccination and return (TNVR) is currently the humane method of choice forpopulation management of cats and authorities should follow best practice.
Neutering should be undertaken under anaesthesia by vets trained in thetechniques with suitable equipment and drugs.
●● To collaborate with good NGOs in sorting out the best approach to theproblems caused by unowned cats.
●● To ensure that euthanasia is a legitimate welfare option for some cats where
significant and or sustained physical or emotional suffering exists or is known
to be imminent. Failure to administer euthanasia to a cat when needed can bea major welfare issue.
●● To collaborate and share best practice and experience internationally.

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Responsibility of NGOs or individuals undertaking
cat welfare work including population
management
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) may undertake both trap, neuter,
vaccination and return (TNVR) work with unowned cats or provide a place wherecats can be kept in order to find them new homes if appropriate. Those keeping
cats in order to find them homes are referred to as homing centres (rather thanrescues, sanctuary, adoption centres etc) as they should not simply store cats,
but actively try to find them homes or alternative environments rather thanconfine them for long periods of time. Confinement is highly stressful for cats
and may not be in the cats' best interests.
●● T o collaborate with local government and veterinary authorities, localcommunities and other organisations to recognise and understand the needsof people living in the community as well as the welfare needs of cats. Aim fora consensus with stakeholders.
●● To try to differentiate between the different types of cat (pet or stray vsstreet/community or feral cats) and deal with their needs appropriately.
●● To undertake best practice on TNVR for street/community or feral cats andwork with local authorities where possible. Neutering should be undertaken
under anaesthesia by vets trained in the techniques with suitable equipment
and drugs. TNVR should be undertaken in a strategic, carefully coordinatedand sustainable way, eg, local people and vets trained to do TNVR.

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●● To try to differentiate cats which are street/community or feral (and therefore
will not be suited to going to a pet home) from those which are likely to live
closely with people/communities without undue stress or distress and toprovide alternative outcomes for street or feral cats – eg, TNVR, relocating toa farm/working cat location.
●● Where cats are taken into homing centres, it is the responsibility of the centreto ensure the five welfare needs of the cat are met:•••••

The need for a suitable environment
The need for a suitable diet
The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
The need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease●● To provide facilities in homing centres that minimise stress/distress andmaximise the control of infectious diseases. Measures should be in place toensure that a cat does not leave a homing facility appreciably less healthy(physically or psychologically) than when it arrived.
●● To ensure that all cats and kittens are neutered before they are (re)homed.
●● To provide cats and kittens with appropriate preventive care (which mayinclude vaccinations and parasite control).
●● To microchip cats before they are homed where there are systems in place inthat country for chipping and registration.

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●● To target resources appropriately to home as many suitable cats as possible
with the shortest possible length of stay and an adequate quality of life.
●● To place a suitable cat in an appropriate home, taking into account the needsof both the cat and the new owner.
●● To encourage neutering and microchipping of owned cats in the communityand promote good health care and welfare.
●● To understand that human intervention is not always in a cat’s best interest,eg, a feral cat will not want to live alongside people in a home.
●● To ensure that euthanasia is a legitimate welfare option for some cats where
significant and or sustained physical or emotional suffering exists or is known
to be imminent. Humane euthanasia may be the most appropriate option foran individual cat although that decision should never be taken lightly andalternative options for healthy cats should always be explored. Failure toadminister euthanasia to a cat when needed can be a major welfare issue.
●● To work with human welfare organisations on cases of cat hoarding to findmore successful solutions.
●● To collaborate and share best practice and experience internationally.

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Responsibility of owners of pet cats●● To select a cat as a pet that will not suffer from health and welfare problems
because of its genetics, conformation and/or fearfulness of humans.
●● To understand the needs of the pet cat in order to maximise positive
welfare and minimise negative welfare. How this is done may depend on theindividual cat. For owned cats the five welfare needs are the responsibility ofthe owner:••••• he need for a suitable environment
TThe need for a suitable diet
The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
The need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease●● To neuter pet cats (or potentially use other accepted methods ofcontraception) to prevent unwanted kittens and the associated welfare
problems. Neutering should be undertaken before the cat reaches puberty,between 4 and 6 months old.
●● To microchip and register cats to help in identification of cats.
●● To provide vaccination and other preventive healthcare for their cat(s).
●● To take reasonable steps to prevent pet cats causing nuisance to neighbours.

9Responsibility of those living alongside street
and community cats●● To look out for the welfare of neutered community cats by feeding andproviding shelter, and to collaborate with efforts by local authorities orNGOs to neuter and treat cats.
●● To respect legislation to prevent cruelty to, or the abuse of, street cats.
●● To feed responsibly and not create visual or odour nuisance by feeding
animals. Feed alongside neutering programmes and ensure rubbishmanagement.

10Responsibility of those involved in breeding andselling cats●● Before entering into breeding cats, to become educated on the subject offeline reproduction including pregnancy, birth and kitten development, so
as to possess the basic knowledge on how to breed cats and raise kittens
responsibly.
●● To only use Felis catus for breeding pet cats – breeding hybrids using wildcats
brings ethical, welfare and environmental issues.
●● To avoid the breeding of cats with inherited problems (either disease orconformational) that may have adverse welfare outcomes for the individual
cats, and act on welfare and health issues before more breeding occurs.
●● To work with veterinary professionals on healthy breeding.
●● To follow best practice legislation or guidelines for breeding and selling catsand kittens.
●● To ensure that the five welfare needs are met for cats and kittens in their care:•••••

The need for a suitable environment
The need for a suitable diet
The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
The need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease●● To manage and care for cats and kittens and their needs, whether accidental
or purposeful breeding.
●● To ensure the welfare of stud cats which may not be kept within the home.
●● To produce healthy kittens which will not be stressed by living as pets – ie, aresponsibility to ensure kittens are used to people and everyday occurrences
in a normal home.
●● To find responsible homes for the kittens they breed and sell through ethicalchannels.
●● To neuter/vaccinate/mircrochip/provide preventive health care for kittens
before they go to homes, and to pass on appropriate advice, including advice
on proper care.
●● Cat registration and showing organisations, cat clubs, breed advisorycommittes and judges must understand the problems associated with
conformation or inherited defects detrimental to cat health and welfare, andhybrid breeding, and take all steps necessary to prevent these problems
occuring and to ensure optimum welfare for individual cats and breeds.

11Responsibility of veterinary professionals●● To ensure the five welfare needs are met for cats in their care:••••• he need for a suitable environmentT
The need for a suitable diet
The need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
The need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease●● To refuse to declaw (or undertake other cosmetic surgery) in countries where
it is still permissible under law, noting that ear tipping (to show that street
cats have been neutered) should not be considered or treated as a mutilation.
●● To provide facilities that minimise stress for cats when in the veterinary
environment.
●● To encourage owners to neuter, identify and provide preventive healthcare fortheir cats.
●● To provide education on the cat’s needs and understanding of cats.
●● To work with breeders to produce healthy cats, and with prospective owners
to select the right pet cat for them.
●● To ensure cats are handled in an empathetic and safe manner.
●● To provide pain relief when required.
●● To strive to be as up to date as possible with information on cat care andtreatment.
●● To provide humane euthanasia.
●● To work constructively with local authorities and/or NGOs and individuals on
cat welfare issues including population management.

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