Parliament Workbench
Data: Motions & questions to 19 Nov 2026

Written Question · S5W-21434 · Session 5

 what analysis it has carried out or plans of the feral cat population, and what action it is taking to manage it.

Answered Asked by Maurice Golden Con Lodged 5 Feb 2019

The question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out or plans of the feral cat population, and what action it is taking to manage it.

The answer

Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 Feb 2019 · 21 days after it was lodged, on time

There is no national monitoring or management scheme for feral cats in Scotland. In strict terms, the term “feral” applies only to formerly domesticated animals and their offspring living completely independently of humans rather than stray individuals or colonies that are not owned by anyone but are fed by or otherwise rely on humans. True feral cats are relatively rare in Scotland.
Scottish Wildcat Action, which runs until 2020, conducts a programme of Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return (TNVR) of feral, unowned domestic cats and hybrids within five wildcat priority areas. To-date, over 200 cats have been trapped as part of this TNVR programme. Outside the five priority areas, unowned domestic cat management is conducted by dedicated volunteers working for organisations such as Cats Protection.

In the Official Report

No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-21434 by reference.