Should there be restrictions on the number of cats per household? Research conducted for a BBC documentary suggests that many cities are overpopulated with cats and that perhaps each household should be limited to just one cat. Would this affect you? Do you agree?
'There should be a one cat per household poliicy for people living in cities as keeping more than one feline is cruel, an expert has claimed.
Dr Sarah Ellis said keeping more than one cat in the city makes them unhappy as they have to compete for space and are limited to short journeys, ruining their confidence, independence and ability to hunt.
She suggested city dwellers should be limited to a single cat to reduce the population in urban areas in a bid to make pets happier.
Dr Sarah Ellis studied 100 cats living in towns, cities and farms and found that cats living in less crowded places were happier because they had more space to roam and could develop their hunting skills.
She told the Radio Times: 'Sadly there are a lot of disputes going on due to the high density of cats.
'We love cats therefore we’re not content with one – we want two or three or four and if our neighbour feels the same and his neighbour feels the same, we suddenly have a huge problem – three households with nine cats.'
She said keeping multiple cats is making them unhappy.
Dr Ellis, a Lincoln University expert in animal welfare and behaviour, said cats living in towns and cities are limited in how far they can roam, affecting their confidence and social skills.
She added: 'Cats are the ultimate control freaks. They need to be able to control their environment and we're keeping them in a situation where they can't always do that, particularly when they don't have access to the outside – or they do but they can't control when it's available to them.'
She also said modern open plan houses are also a nightmare for cats, as they like to hide. And punishing cats for jumping and climbing on furniture should also be stopped, as the animals are happiest when they are off the ground.
Dr Ellis tracked the cats for a new BBC2 series Cat Watch: the New Horizon Experiment.' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/11129778/One-cat-per-household-policy-for-city-dwellers.html
So it seems cats are happier when their environment is less crowded but many humans are happier with more than one cat. And...many of us cat owners are convinced our cats are happier when they have another cat for company! What should we do?
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It is proposed that there should be a one cat per household policy for people living in cities