It might be tempting to ask whether spending parliamentary time on a bill that tackles pet theft is a little indulgent. Do we really need such legislation, with all that’s going on at the moment? But ask any victim of this pernicious crime and they will leave you in no doubt that there is nothing trivial about losing a beloved pet to theft.
Sitting in the public gallery for the second reading of Conservative MP Anna Firth’s pet abduction bill, which would apply in England and Northern Ireland, I was struck by how convivial and almost jocular the atmosphere was on the floor of the house. Here was a bill that united parties of all colours, as hon members spoke movingly of their unquestionable love and devotion to their pets, expressed concern that a well-meaning “Granny Miaow” would not be prosecuted simply for rescuing stray cats from the streets, and joked that their dogs had been robbed of a prize at the Westminster dog show.
But behind the banter lay a serious issue – one I know about first-hand: 13 June 2013 was the day I last saw my strikingly handsome Siamese cat, Clooney, undisputed Lord of his Kingdom and the bossiest keeper of my heart. Clooney had purred his way into filling a vacancy – I was a recent empty-nester – and became an unapologetically indulged family member. This demanding but irresistible cat-brat needed me and, goodness, how I needed him at this new phase of my life. But on that summer’s day, a courier van pulled into my driveway and I never saw him again.
It is difficult to describe the torturous place my mind inhabited over the following days, nights, weeks and months, and the physical consequences for my health. My mind was plagued by images of starvation, injury or deliberate cruelty – thieves, after all, don’t steal with compassion or care. The object of their theft is just that – an object to them.
And herein lies the most absurd parallel between law-makers and law-breakers: the law currently considers our beloved pets to be mere objects. Under the Theft Act 1968, pets are afforded no greater protection than personal possessions. The penalty for stealing a pet – and the police resources allocated to their recovery – is calculated solely on their monetary value.
It is precisely in recognition of our pets’ sentience and capacity to suffer when stolen that the government’s pet theft taskforce recommended a specific offence of pet abduction rather than theft. In its previous incarnation, within the shelved kept animals bill, this was solely about dogs. But credit to Firth who, having seen the data provided by my organisation, Pet Theft Awareness (we reported a 40% increase in police-recorded cat theft in 2021), decided that cats deserved inclusion as well. Firth’s bill describes two distinct offences: the taking and detaining of a dog from the lawful control of any person; for cats, this is restricted to just taking, thereby preventing Granny Miaow from being fined or sent down for up to five years.
But does the bill go far enough for those of us who have loved and lost, and campaigned for changes to the law for a decade or more? Certainly, I’d have favoured seeing Granny Miaow reminded that she has an obligation to make reasonable efforts to locate the owner of any cat she rescues, which will be made easier with microchipping of cats (compulsory from 10 June this year for cats over 20 weeks old). And it is important that we recognise that not all roaming cats are strays in need of a home – they can be displaced family felines simply requiring kindness and, crucially, scanning.
As the bill moves on to the committee stage, I can’t help wondering what would have happened had it been in place back in 2018, when I discovered Clooney had been scanned and his microchip details accessed by two identifiable veterinary surgeries. Scandalously, both failed to contact me. If the bill had been around, perhaps the police would have had more resources to investigate – and I might now have Clooney back in my arms.
Toni Clarke is a retired teacher, author of the annual Cat Theft Report and campaigns manager at Pet Theft Awareness
