No, Scotland has not announced a ban on pet cats

Posts circulating on social media have claimed that Scotland has banned pet cats, but this misinterprets the recommendations of a report into the welfare of domestic and wild cats in Scotland. 

One Facebook post says: “In a move that has left the country in shock, the Scottish Government has announced an outright ban on domestic cats, citing environmental concerns, public safety, and ‘general mischief’ as key reasons for the unprecedented decision. The new legislation, set to take effect within the next year, has already sparked fierce debate among cat lovers and policymakers alike.” 

Another says: “Scotland are banning pet domestic cats. Cause apparently there’s to  much wildlife getting killed and they are killing 50 million birds each year. [sic]”

But the Scottish government has not announced a ban on pet cats, and has said that no such ban would be introduced under any circumstances.

Where does the claim come from?

The claim appears to misinterpret a report by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), a group of experts that provides scientific and ethical advice to the Scottish government on the protection of animals. The report, which was published in January 2025, considers the welfare of both domestic and feral cats, and their impact on other wildlife.

The report lists different “options” for possible courses of action for responsible ownership, such as microchipping, vaccination and fertility control. Some of the options considered are to “do nothing”, to make an action compulsory, to run education campaigns and to improve access to veterinary clinics. 

One option listed under the “fertility and reproductive activity control” section is the “compulsory containment of cats in vulnerable areas”, which says new housing developments in rural areas could stipulate that cats “may not be kept in conservation-sensitive areas” or areas that have not had high levels of predation. 

But the SAWC did not actually recommend this option. It instead recommended that more research be conducted. It advised the Scottish government to ask NatureScot, the nation’s natural heritage agency, to commission a report into the impact of cat containment on wildlife, how to define vulnerable areas, and specific containment measures, among other things.

The report did not contain an “option” or recommendation for cats to be banned across Scotland. 

The SAWC confirmed to Full Fact that it “did not propose a ban on keeping cats”. It said: “The SAWC report on responsible cat ownership simply asks Ministers to consider commissioning further work on the impact of cats on wildlife in specific, vulnerable areas and whether there is evidence for containment measures, among other issues such as microchipping.”

While a Scottish Government spokesman reportedly said it will “fully consider the recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission”, a separate Scottish government spokesperson told Reuters: “Banning cats is not a recommendation of the report and we will, under no circumstances, be banning cats.” 

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has also said multiple times that the government has “no intention of banning cats”. We’ve approached the Scottish government for comment, and will update this article when we receive a response. 

We’ve written before about other false claims relating to pets, including that the World Economic Forum has advocated for the slaughter of millions of pets and that you should never throw cold water on an overheated dog.