The countries covered by this article are listed below. Please scroll down to read about their laws pertaining to animal welfare:
- Introduction
- Cases/events – links
- Australia Law
- Austria Law
- Bangladesh Law
- Burma Law
- Canada Law
- China No Law
- Croatia Law
- EEC – European Union
- India Law
- Japan Law
- Malta Law
- Mexico Law
- New Zealand Law
- Pakistan Law
- Philippines Law
- Portugal Law
- South Korea
- Romania Law
- Sweden Law
- Turkey Law
- UK law
- USA law
- Notes
- Contract Law – Cats
- Suing on Cat Contract
Savannah cat – Motzie – lives in Oklahoma
photo copyright Helmi Flick
Intro
This lengthy mouthful of a title, Laws on domestic cat breeds wild cat species and animal rights law enforcement, shows that the intention of this page is to provide something comprehensive. It will take time to achieve that. The links to other pages are therefore growing slowly. This is the start, please note (at 22-10-08). Taking a broad brush approach there are three main headings in relation to cats and the law:
- Criminal law – animal protection from human abuse (see also cat abuse).
- Civil law – tort (civil wrong) and contract. See Law of Contract Concerning Cats for an overview.
- International laws/regulations concerning wild species (e.e. CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). See CITES in relation to cats. Also see IUCN Red List for cats.
I will be covering these various aspects of the law with regard to as many countries that I can. At the outset I am concentrating mainly on criminal law issues and the protection of wild cat species. It is important to remember that the law is constantly evolving. What is correct today is history tomorrow. This makes accuracy difficult. A good example is the mini surge, late 2009, when 8 cities in California banned the declawing of cats. This is was forced upon local legislators because veterinarians refused to act responsibly in curbing their desire for profit over cats’ welfare.
Laws can change behavior. The laws or lack of them in a country, in relation to cats and animals, reflect very accurately the status quo of the country’s attitude towards the cat, the wild cat and animals generally. It tells us what people think of the domestic cat and wild cats and their place in society and that tells us a bit about the society of that country as a whole. It may be surprising to know that there are laws (albeit few and far between) that relate to specific cat breeds. There are certainly laws that relate to mixed-breed cats and specific wild cat species.
An example is the banning of the importation of the Savannah cat into Australia. See also the legalities of owning a Savannah cat in the USA. However, the umbrella animal rights laws or laws relating to animals will obviously include cats, whether they are purebred pedigree cats or not. The links on specific cases (see below) go mainly to posts on my Blogger site, a sub-domain. Each post concerns an aspect of law in relation to a cat. Where relevant, in the posts, a reference to the requisite legislation is made by way of a link.
In the UK the Crown has waived its copyright for UK legislation. This means that I can reproduce it provided I comply with the conditions, which I have. I have, in general, carried this concept through to reproducing the relevant laws of other countries. An important note in respect of criminal law and the cat is that animal abuse precedes human abuse. A person who abuses and hurts an animal probably needs counseling and/or educating. This makes animal welfare law very important. It deals with the early signs of criminality and can identify it. In some states of America a counseling order can accompany a conviction as a proactive measure.
Apparently, one of the first animal welfare laws to be enacted was in the UK: Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822. It was called the Martin’s Act after the Member of Parliament Richard Martin who was instrumental is the creation of the Act. It may have been the first. The RSCPCA say it was the first ever animal welfare legislation.
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Hi Carlo, There there is no easy way or trick to preparing for an article. The better you know your subject the easier it is of course. At the moment I am dictating my articles using software called Dragon Dictate. I find it easier to write through dictation because when you type that can be a distraction to thinking or it can hold up one’s thought processes. Perhaps above all, the key is to know your subject well and then it’s just a matter of practice. The better you know the subject the more everything falls into place almost immediately and after that it is simply a matter of ensuring that the facts are correct or one states an opinion and you make that clear.
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Thanks.
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The title was an attempt years ago to improve search engine optimisation. It did not work but it cannot be changed now. Also the subject matter is somewhat boring anyway!
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Hi Michael,
Interesting to read about the variations in animal laws in different countries. While all countries have a very long ways to go in creating new animal laws and improving existing laws, it’s clear that some countries do very little to protect the animals.
India animal laws is possibly the most interesting study since they have such a strong tradition of respecting life in it’s many forms. The West is having a negative impact on them in this regard. More and more fast food restaurants such as McDonalds (where they serve hamburgers) are showing up. Hollywood is a negative influence. The desire to be more like the West is eroding traditional ethics.
You made a critical point when you said that the laws reflect the attitudes of a society. They also reflect our general indifference toward non-human animals. We forget that we’re just another animal on the third rock from the sun. With our superior reasoning capability shouldn’t we be animal guardians rather than opportunists? I see animals as little brothers that should be protected.
The police and the military protect the humans. Who protects the animals?
I’ve got a question for you: The meat part of the food industry is in such high demand that the meat industry has an enormous amount of power to protect it’s current and future profits. How does a small and relatively weak organization or a single person introduce an animal rights bill to become a law when the opposition seems impenetrable? I’ve always wondered that.
Interesting read, thanx,
=^-^= Hairless Cat Girl =^-^=
Well big business with politicians run the world. Big business does not generally care about animals in an way. Never mind ‘animal rights’. That is why the world’s resources are being used up and wild cat habitat destroyed. Animals are vulnerable to the top predator: humans.