According to the UK Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA), over 62% of UK households are dwelling to not less than one pet with feathers, fur, or scales, to a point. This signifies that roughly six in ten households personal a canine, cat, or different home animal. Based on this report, it’s estimated that 12 million pets in UK households are cats.
This is critical as a result of regardless of the UK being a nation stuffed with pet lovers, pet theft – and particularly cat theft – is an unlucky actuality that many pet homeowners need to face.
Nobody likes to think about what would occur if their beloved pet have been stolen from them. It’s truthful to say that this kind of incident would represent most pet homeowners’ worst nightmares, particularly as pets are frequently seen as a part of the household. Cat theft, extra particularly, has occurred approximately 1,300 times over the last five years, and is, regrettably, turning into extra widespread.
However, by understanding some primary and easy security tricks to defend your feline buddy, you may make an enormous constructive distinction in stopping them from falling into unsavoury fingers.
Why Are Cats Stolen?
Most cat thieves are financially motivated, with them seeking to generate income off your stolen cat in a couple of notable methods.
For breeding functions: Many thieves try to focus on unneutered cats to breed them, with the purpose of promoting the litter of kittens. Rare breeds are normally focused as younger kittens can normally be bought for a excessive value, which is why it’s crucial that neutering and spaying cats be executed as quickly as potential.
To be bought: If a cat can’t be bred, some thieves will attempt to generate income by promoting the cat itself. Some consumers are fairly determined to purchase a brand new pet as quickly as potential, with out a lot concern as to what circumstances the cat was bred in, whether or not it has been vaccinated and whether or not it has a microchip. Even although adoption is all the time more ethical than buying, it doesn’t cease new pet homeowners from probably taking a stolen cat away from its dwelling, if a thief has masked the place the cat got here from.
To declare a reward: Another approach to generate income from stealing a cat is to safe one and anticipate the distressed proprietor to publicly provide a reward for his or her pet’s protected return. The thief would hypothetically method the pet proprietor disguised as a genuinely involved citizen, claiming to have ‘discovered’ the misplaced pet, returning it and receiving the monetary reward in return. Alternatively, a extra sinister method is to blackmail the proprietor and demand a ransom fee for the pet’s return.
Despite the reprehensible and abhorrent actions of pet thieves, it may be comforting to know that pets are not often – if ever – focused strategically. If a possibility to steal a cat presents itself, it’s possible {that a} thief will simply take their possibilities. However, that doesn’t justify their actions in any respect.
The greatest approach to forestall your cat from ever being stolen – whereas giving them the flexibility to roam round outdoors freely – is to comply with the beneath recommendation.
Keep Your Cat Indoors [Overnight]
Nighttime presents a greater alternative for a prison to steal a cat. Cats are naturally extra nocturnal, and do quite a lot of wandering at night, normally to search out potential items to carry their homeowners.
Unfortunately, the shortage of daylight or avenue lighting makes it simpler for criminals to lurk and lure the cat right into a false sense of safety. Therefore, a very good workaround is to ban your cat’s outdoors entry when it will get to a sure time at night time and tempt them to return inside by shaking a tin of treats or calling their identify.
Some cats usually are not thinking about going outside a lot in any respect, which in flip, makes them inherently safer. However, in case you let your cat roam outdoors, it is perhaps price setting a unfastened ‘curfew’, or, a ‘purrfew’, if you’ll.
Neuter, Spay, Microchip and Insure Your Cat
It’s all the time really useful to get your cat neutered or spayed to stop any danger of unintended litters and cease male cats from roaming too far. Many thieves are tempted to steal cats for breeding functions as they know they will generate income from doing so, particularly in case your cat is a uncommon breed. By neutering and spaying your cat, it’ll dissuade any motivated thieves trying to make use of your cat for this function.
Microchipping your cats makes it even tougher for cat thieves to get away with utilizing your pet as collateral, however equally, tough for shelters or authorities to return a cat that’s been discovered. Recently, the UK authorities made microchipping for cats compulsory, with all homeowners accountable for getting their cats microchipped by tenth June 2024. Owners that don’t accomplish that probably face fines of as much as £500. Read extra about what this implies for pet homeowners here.
Also, take out pet insurance coverage. This doesn’t simply cowl vet payments, opposite to well-liked perception. Some insurers present loss or theft cowl, which will help you recuperate your cat extra rapidly.
Contain Your Cat
An progressive approach to allow your cat to exhibit their pure wild behaviours whereas guaranteeing they don’t roam additional than needed is to create a protected out of doors atmosphere for them.
You can use bespoke cat enclosures, fences, catios and cat runs, which may convert your backyard or outdoors area into an enclosed and protected territory in your feline buddy. This means which you can let your cat roam freely outdoors with full peace of thoughts understanding that they received’t be approached by a pet thief.
Consider ProtectaPet’s progressive merchandise and options in case you want a spot to start out.
Use Digital Technology
Cat GPS trackers mean you can preserve tabs in your cat’s present location through your cell phone. You can get trackers constructed into cat collars, and whereas some pet homeowners don’t agree with collars, in case your cat wears one, it will probably work wonders at enhancing their security. If you get a quick-release collar that matches nicely and has an ID tag, this could be a good resolution. Even if it’s eliminated, you’ll be able to nonetheless see the newest logged time and placement which will help you retrace your cat’s final recognized steps.
Another resolution is to put money into skilled HD safety cameras to observe your private home’s outdoors areas. While this might not be in your agenda once you first transfer home (extra on this later), it will probably work wonders at recognizing nefarious exercise in your property, with push notifications or alerts despatched to your cell phone.
Collectively, this know-how can kind a part of a wise dwelling renovation and improve. Provided that you just take really useful steps to make sure the general safety of your private home – together with your networks and linked home equipment – you’ll have the ability to conveniently monitor what goes on once you’re not current, and prevent unauthorised access to your techniques.
When you progress dwelling along with your cats in tow, there’ll understandably be an adjustment interval for them. It’s really useful to keep your cat indoors for a few weeks earlier than letting them roam outdoors your new property, to permit them sufficient time to familiarise themselves with their new dwelling. If you allow them to out too early, they might grow to be confused and find yourself misplaced.
Sometimes, in case your cat is misplaced, it might grow to be simpler prey for cat thieves within the space. To minimise disorientation and stress, preserve them indoors till they’re accustomed to their environment, and guarantee they will discover their manner again confidently.
