Rescue
No legislation currently in place.
ADCH Minimum Welfare and Operational Standards require cats to have a separate sleeping accommodation which provide somewhere for the cats to hide. All cats shall be provided with a bedding area or bench, large and suitable enough to allow the animal to lie comfortably. Shelves or raised areas shall be provided to allow cats to rest high up. In some catteries that are completely indoors, it is not necessary to have completely separate sleeping and exercise areas. Cat exercise areas should be 1.65 m² for single cats; 2.2 m² for two cats and 2.8 m² for up to 4 cats. The floor area should be equal to the sum of the sleeping and exercise areas and the cat needs a unit to sleep on, e.g. feline fort. The run enclosure should be a minimum of 1.8m tall. Shelves or
raised areas should be provided in the exercise area and steps or a ramp should be provided to allow easy and safe access for elderly, ill, very young or disabled cats.
Boarding
No legislation currently in place.
Code of Recommendations for Cats
As a minimum a cat should be provided with a living space that –
a. is large enough to allow it to lie down and rest or sleep in a natural posture,
b. is large enough to provide it with space, other than the place in which it rests and sleeps, to stand up, stretch, walk three paces and turn around in a normal posture,
c. provides it with shelter that is dry, ventilated, but protected from draughts and which provides protection from direct sunlight and extremes of heat and cold,
d. provides daylight or light equivalent to daylight during normal daylight hours, and
e. allows continuous access to water and appropriate access to food (to ensure it receives a sufficient quantity of food as required to meet the duty of care).
4. A cat should have access to an outside area where it can dig and cover urine or faeces with soil or other material or it should be provided with a deep litter tray.
5. A cat should be able to go to the toilet in a place other than the place where it normally eats, drinks, rests and sleeps.