Finnish petition aims to leash cats, hits signature milestone
A petition has been submitted to one of the EU parliaments, proposing a ban on allowing domestic cats outdoors without a leash. According to this initiative, cats would not be permitted outside the owner's property without proper supervision.
The authors of the petition are advocating for a change in Finnish law regarding cat care, suggesting that the definition of animal neglect should also encompass situations where cats are outside their owners' properties. They want the new law to prohibit keeping cats outdoors without a leash, even if they are within the owner's yard.
The petitioners believe that cats leaving the property without supervision should be considered abandoned. According to "Interia," the authors want this ban to also apply to situations where cats are in their own yard, if this area is located in a densely populated region, where cats could pose a threat or cause problems.
It's worth noting that in Finland, the law already requires dogs to be leashed during outdoor walks, and the proposal is to extend this requirement to cats.
Currently, in Finland, when citizens notice cats roaming outside properties, they can report this based on animal welfare regulations. However, according to the petition authors, these regulations are not sufficient, and the time required for authorities to address these reports is too long.
Finns want a ban on letting cats roam free
The initiators are therefore calling for changes in the law that would more explicitly define that keeping cats free-roaming would be considered a crime. The petition states that such an amendment would aim to "clarify the regulations and clearly criminalize keeping cats free-roaming."
According to the petition authors, free-roaming cats in Finland kill millions of wild animals each year, leading to significant ecological and financial losses. They emphasize that although the law currently allows for reporting such cases, some individuals irresponsibly neglect their obligations towards their cats, citing unclear regulations.
According to "Interia," the petition was submitted as part of a civic initiative that allows eligible Finns to propose new laws and changes to existing regulations. For the initiative to reach parliament, it must gather at least 50,000 signatures within six months.
Although at the beginning of December the number of signatures was around 35,000, in recent days, support for the initiative has grown rapidly, and ultimately, the number of signatures exceeded the required threshold of 50,000.
