Palace of Westminster needs a rat catching cat but the place is unsuitable for one!

News media today (Daily Mail Online) state that the House of Commons which is within the Parliamentary estate called the Palace of Westminster on the banks of the Thames, has a massive rat problem and that the solution or partial solution would be to introduce a couple of domestic cats into that environment but Battersea Dogs & Cats Home object and state that the environment is unsuitable for a domestic cat.

Palace of Westminster needs a rat catching cat but the place is unsuitable for one! Image: MikeB

That's today's UK cat story! Battersea are stating that the rodent problem at the Palace of Westminster is so great that poisonous traps have to be laid to kill the rats but the traps would kill a cat as well. That's the theory.

Battersea have an interest in this (and are a stakeholder) because they are the animal rescue shelter which has in the past provided rat catching domestic cats to various UK government buildings including the home and office of the Prime Minister namely Number 10 Downing Street (Larry, who is still in residence) and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office where Palmerston used to live but who is now retired. He found it too stressful by the way! He was being bullied by Larry.

I'm told that they are going to provide 'Gladstone', another rat catcher to live at the Treasury. So, Battersea is the number one supplier of rat-catching moggies for the UK government. No doubt they have been approached by somebody at the Palace of Westminster to discuss providing a rat catching moggy and they've said no.

Battersea claim that the environment at the Parliamentary estate would be just too dangerous and a clear health risk for domestic cats mainly because of the traps put down for the rodents.

I wonder if that is correct? They could not put down any traps and provide several cats instead to see what happens. It would be lovely for someone like me if there were three, four or even five domestic cats catching rats in and around The House of Commons on the Parliamentary estate. It would be a great coup in terms of public relations for working domestic cats.

Anything which improves the public image of the domestic cat in the eyes of the wider public is beneficial to domestic cat welfare in my view.

Of course, if there were five domestic cats at the Palace of Westminster there would have to be probably a couple of people designated to be cat caregivers. It would be quite a responsibility to make sure that they remained within the estate and were healthy, well fed and had good toilet facilities. 

There would have to be some rules and procedures to make sure that it worked satisfactorily as you don't want to upset politicians who might claim that they are allergic to cats. I am sure that there are a number of politicians at Westminster who are frightened of cats which might be a problem as well.

Woman with double chin says she would rather starve to feed her cats

NEWS AND COMMENT: This is a BBC story published eight hours ago. The headline is "Cost of living: pet owner would rather starve to feed cats".

Under the headline is a picture (see below) of the woman, Miari Workman, holding her two cats. She has a double chin and she's clearly carrying too much weight. Starving? Not eating enough? Nah!

Ms Workman has made a bold statement which has caught the attention of the news media but she's clearly not carrying through on that statement. She has no need to starve herself because she is finding a way not to and that, by the way, is to go down to a local pet food bank. Free cat food.

I wonder sometimes whether people use pet food banks who should be using them. Do people who operate pet food banks actually check with care the credentials of their customers? Do they check whether they really are out-of-pocket completely to the point where they have to starve themselves as Ms Workman indicates?

I don't think so. In fact, I'm certain that it never happens. She says that she is a single mom with kids and two cats and really struggles with money. This is what is likely to happen because if you've got children you've got to be around for them and therefore you can't go out to work. And therefore, you rely on welfare benefits. And human and pet food banks.

I think though that she has made a statement which is over the top. If she was really skinny and looking pale then I would believe her. But her words are empty.

She also says that the pet food bank "helped tremendously". And "Sometimes I'll feed my daughter and go without and make sure I've got food for the cats."

She goes without food but I think she could go without a little more food because she needs to eat less. That is quite obvious.

Although I can't believe this woman, I can believe, through personal experience that food prices in the UK have rocketed and I believe a lot of the time the rises are unjustified. I believe that the supermarkets are jumping on the bandwagon of inflation and adding an extra price rise in order to increase their profit margins. This is unscrupulous.

Pet food has risen by 12.6% over the past 12 months and human food has risen by 18.2% over the same period.

The one good thing that Ms Workman states is that when you adopt a cat you don't just get rid of them because you're struggling to pay your expenses. You find a way to keep looking after them. Too many people find it too easy to abandon their cat companions as a time convenient to them. 

And sometimes people use events such as the cost-of-living crisis in the UK to get rid of their cat. It's a way of justifying it.

An animal welfare assistant at Blue Cross, who runs the pet food bank, Gemma Greg, 25, said that since January she had noticed that more people were using their charity. And she also said that many families were looking to have their pets rehomed for financial reasons.

I'm back to my original point. The last thing you should do is to get rid of your cat. You can find other ways to save money. You can stop paying subscriptions for mobile phones. You can stop or reduce your outgoings in many areas. You can save enough money by restricting your outgoings to allow you to afford cat food. I just don't see inflation as a good excuse.

Pet oxygen mask use for the first time by firefighters in London house fire

NEWS AND COMMENT: It seems strange to me that this is apparently the first time that a specially designed custom-fitting oxygen mask has been used by firefighters in the UK on a cat. Or perhaps it is the first time it's been used in London, UK. The report is unclear on that. However you look at it, it appears that the UK is well behind America. I have read many reports on American news media of custom-designed pet oxygen masks used by firefighters although I suspect they are not used across the country.

Pet oxygen mask use for the first time in London house fire by firefighters. Photo: PA.

In this instance, the oxygen masks were donated by not-for-profit organisation Smokey Paws. They can be used on cats, dogs as well as smaller animals such as snakes and mice. The masks will be carried on fire engines in Hammersmith, Richmond, Paddington and Battersea as part of a pilot scheme. If it is a success the pet oxygen masks will be rolled out to fire stations across London.

The introduction of pet oxygen masks appears to be a recognition by firefighters in the UK that pets are an important part of the family and it is inappropriate nowadays to improvise by using oxygen masks designed for humans which will clearly be less effective.

Station officer Nathan Beeby who was at the fire on Friday when the mask was used for the first time said: "Crews did a great job in challenging conditions to tackle this house fire and then were able to focus on the pets they had rescued. Having something specially designed made so much difference as the mask is properly sealed around the animal's muzzle and all the oxygen is going into their lungs. The crews all thought it was a great piece of equipment that was easy-to-use with the training they had all received, quick to get to work with and ultimately saved the cat's life. Having the specialist equipment there also put the occupier at ease and they were really happy with the outcome."

For a cat and animal lover it is great to see concern for animals in house fires. In my experience of reading news media articles about house fires and the rescue of pets from them, it is often the case that the cats don't get out but humans do. This is understandable because the first and instinctive desire of a human is to get out to safety and not to find their cat beforehand, which may jeopardise their life.

Pet oxygen masks of various sizes. Image: PA.

It makes you think though. For example, anybody can have 10 cats in a house. There are no laws against it. But perhaps there should be a law which states that anybody who is 10 cats in a house should have a sprinkler system! That might sound extraordinary or ridiculous but, in that house, there are going to be at least 11 sentient beings, 10 of which are dependent upon the remaining one, the human caregiver. If that house goes up in flames, a sprinkler system would save lives.

In the UK there are quite heavy rules governing landlords who rent out houses of multiple occupation i.e. in-house conversion in which there might be 10 families. There will be all kinds of considerations to help protect the lives of the occupiers in an emergency. Firstly, I don't see much difference between that and a home with 10 cats in it.

Public are outraged by Kurt Zouma's cat abuse. I'm pleased.

The public are outraged by Kurt Zouma's Bengal cat abuse. I'm very pleased. I am also surprised by the strength of the sentiment. And it isn't just the public; the news media have come down hard on him too. It is great. Anything which supports cat welfare is progress as far as I am concerned.

There has been an outpouring of anger against Kurt Zouma because of his obnoxious behaviour in drop-kicking one of his Bengal cats and also slapping the cat while the cat was being held by a child. And he slapped the cat hard. Arguably that is also child abuse. He is at least potentially psychologically damaging this child and he is certainly teaching his child that it is all right to behave like that was an animal. Shame on him.

RELATED: Premier League footballer videoed kicking and slapping a Bengal cat.

Kurt Zouma. Photo in public domain.

And to compound the bad behaviour, his brother videoed the whole thing and uploaded it to social media. And to make matters even worse his brother laughed while he videoed the abuse. It was terrible but what is delightful is the fact that the public have got behind cat welfare. They want to see Zouma punished. They don't want him to play in the forthcoming football matches. He has been fined two weeks wages which has told the world how much he earns because the fine is £250,000.

Ironically, his playing colleagues are complaining that they are underpaid because they have, for the first time, discovered what he earns. David Moyes the West Ham manager insists that he will play in the next match this weekend against Leicester. He was criticised by the public and others including Garry Lineker for playing him in the match against Watford which occurred 24 hours after the cat abuse incident. Garry Lineker accused West Ham of being tone deaf to the gravity of the event.

And this is what I really, really like about the story. People are concerned about cat welfare. I do not think that this would have happened like this 10 years ago. There is much more awareness about animal welfare nowadays than in the past. I believe that this may be a result of a concern for the planet in general because of global warming. People are concerned about the environment and what they do that might damage the environment.

It is quite a short step from this way of thinking to be concerned about animals. In part this is because the way we treat animals has an impact on the environment. I'm referring to livestock and meat eating.

Some people have been surprised. One person wondered if cat abuse is as bad as racism. I don't think that you can compare the two. But if a premiership footballer was prosecuted for racism or homophobia or was punished by the club for a racist remark, this person argued that he would be punished less than Kurt Zouma will be for abusing his cat. I get the point but this person is guessing how Zouma will be punished. We don't know. The RSPCA is investigating on behalf of the police and we expect them to make a statement about their intentions soon. They've seized his two cats. They may or may not return them depending on the outcome of their deliberations.

Here are the screenshots from the video of Zouma kicking and slapping his Bengal cat. Please click on the links.

• Kurt Zouma forcefully slaps his Bengal cat. Photo 1.
• Kurt Zouma drop-kicks his Bengal cat. Photo 2.
• Kurt Zouma drop-kicks his Bengal cat. Photo 3.

Zouma's brother - the guy who filmed the abuse - has been dropped by his football club which is in one of the lower divisions (Dagenham and Redbridge). A different approach. Moyes wants to play Zouma because he is a good footballer (left back) and Moyes is desperate to finish in the top four in the Premiership to enable West Ham to play in the European Championships next season. It is money over morals.

They should prosecute him under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 for animal abuse and cruelty. I expect that to happen. And if he's convicted, he will be punished but the punishment will not be severe. Although he could, technically receive a five-year prison sentence as a maximum, this is not going to happen. The abuse was not as bad as that. It was bad and callous and stupid and it betrayed an ignorant person but he will be fined if he is prosecuted and convicted.

There are much wider issues too, which come out of the story. A lady on LBC radio made the point that the UK is not a nation of animal lovers. This is the opposite to what people in other countries believe. Great Britain is portrayed as a place where animal welfare is prioritised. It isn't true. Of course, it is better than all the countries of Asia and South America and the Middle East but there is still lots of animal abuse in the UK. There are lots of idiots in the UK would like to harm animals. We could do a lot better.

Big cats in England? It is time to stop the charade.

The "Beast of Somerset" has emerged again from those soggy fields and behind trees. The Sun newspaper, ever ready to sensationalise, declares that a big cat the size of an Alsatian has been filmed and it is the clearest ever footage of the "Beast of Somerset". 

First off, an Alsatian is much smaller than a big cat but that is beside the point, I suppose. The video clearly shows a black domestic cat of standard size walking across a field. If people have difficulty in assessing the size of a cat at a distance, then you only have to look at the way the cat walks, i.e. their gait, to tell you that this is a domestic cat.

Clearly a black domestic cat enjoying an outing near his home in some adjacent fields. Not a Beast of Somerset as sensationally claimed. Photo: Kennedy News Media.

Big cats walk in a very masculine way if that's a good description, even if they are female. They saunter and they are very muscular in their limbs. It is a completely different way of walking and running. It is highly noticeable and this black cat is trotting like a domestic cat, using delicate and dainty steps. And the limbs are far too skinny to be a big cat.

I suppose that just because the cat is black somebody thinks of a black panther and we have a big cat on the loose in the south-west of England. No, it's just a quiet news day when the editor is asked to somehow fill the newspaper. It's a complete laugh and it is transparent and of course the editors of the newspapers know exactly what they're doing. The problem is that some people, some frankly gullible people, actually believe it. 

There is a group of people in England who believe that there are scores of big cats of various species hiding away in copses in the British landscape but all we ever see are grainy, blurred videos and images which is highly convenient because they don't provide us with sufficient information except when you can tell a difference by the way they walk!

It is time to stop this charade. I have written articles about this before and on every occasion, I've been proved right. I have also written about what I believe to be the best test if one is needed (and it is not to be honest) to gauge whether a video of a so-called big cat is genuine, which is the way they walk as mentioned. 

You can use YouTube if you want to study the differences. The big cats saunter and trot in a lugubrious nonchalant way whereas the domestic cats step daintily through the wet grass and their paws are tiny in comparison. I won't go on because I've made my point. The problem is the news media won't stop presenting these ridiculous news stories so they don't get the point, sadly.