Local Assembly Member Angela Burns AM joined the UK’s largest cat charity at the launch of their Manifesto for Cats.

With over 29 per cent of Welsh homes owning at least one cat, it was important to see what needs to be done in Wales to improve the lives of one of the nation’s favourite pets.

In Wales, Cats Protection rehomed 2,600 cats and kittens in 2014. It has two Welsh Adoption Centres (Bridgend and Wrexham) and seven volunteer branches across Wales.

As well as rehoming cats, Cats Protection is the leading authority on cats and helps people better understand their needs. The charity also promotes and supports neutering as the only effective way to reduce the number of unwanted and abandoned cats.

Proposals to improve the lives of cats include better controls on the breeding and sale of cats, banning snares, and ensuring more owned cats are microchipped.

Mrs. Burns said: “We just have the dogs now, but until recently my family was owned by two lovely moggies, both strays. They kept us, and the dogs in order, and we miss them very much. I was delighted to support Cats Protection and genuinely taken aback when I learnt of the numbers of abandoned and stray cats.

“I was also disgusted to hear of some of the cruelty meted out, cats being used as punch bags or target practice for air rifles.

“I’m very happy to promote the ideas being put forward by Cats Protection to cut down on the numbers of unwanted cats and their commitment to improving the lives of some of the most amusing, elegant, loving and inscrutable members of our families.”