Mary Glindon MP: A cat is for life

We sometimes banter about whether cats or dogs are better. As it happens, more people own dogs than cats but there are the same number of 11 million for each. This is because some people have more than one cat. And an estimated 2% of us own rabbits.

However you see it, our pets are important to our lives and obviously to theirs.

I recently met representatives of the charity, Cats Protection. For nearly a century this community of volunteers, employees, supporters, and partners has sought to improve the lives of cats and how people care for them.

As they put it, they aim to help people see the world through cats’ eyes. Useful and detailed advice is at www.cats.org.uk

There is a small and darker element to the story. Abusers can target cats, even kill them, to control or coerce a partner or family member to stop them leaving. Abusers know that most refuges cannot take pets and exploit that.

Their Lifeline service also provides free and confidential cat fostering to enable owners to escape domestic abuse. I hope it can be extended in time to the North East. Details are atwww.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/cp-lifeline/accessing-lifeline

More generally, many are now buying pets as presents. It’s vital to remember this is a responsibility as well as a pleasure. Cats (and dogs and rabbits) are for life and not just for Christmas.

Happy Christmas to one and all, the two-legged and the four-legged alike.

Mary Glindon is Labour MP for North Tyneside