Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that cats are appropriately considered within the Government’s animal welfare agenda.

The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and sets out our priorities for animal welfare for England. It is a comprehensive set of reforms which will improve the lives of millions of animals.

In the Strategy the Government has committed to take steps to improve the uptake of the pet selling licence by those who sell cats and kittens as pets. The Government will also improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

Cats will benefit from broader measures outlined in the Strategy including tackling low welfare imports and implementing the measures contained in the Renters’ Rights Act to make it easier for tenants to keep pets in rented accommodation.