Petition · past parliament

Make cats lose the right to roam on entering someone else's property

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Change the current law on cats' right to roam to state that their rights are void on entering another person's property.
Current law states that dogs are out of control/dangerous if they attack an animal, even in their own home/garden. A cat has right to roam, so can enter any home/garden. If a cat enters a dog's house and is attacked, the dog could be put to sleep, and its owner sent to prison, while the cat's owner has no legal repercussions. Dogs and owners should feel safe in their own homes without worrying about a cat entering their property, which could result in pet death or dog owner imprisonment.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We understand that you are concerned about the implications of cats entering private property, but we're not sure what changes you want to be made to the law.

The welfare of most animals is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal, but it's not clear if you want the Government to restrict this offence in relation to cats on private property, or do something else.

You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.

Timeline

18 Aug 2022 Petition opened for signatures
22 Aug 2022 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 22 Aug 2022

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.