Purrfect! Scotland Has No Plans to Ban Cats, Leader Says

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) urged ministers to explore introducing containment zones -- within which there would be restrictions on cats -- to protect wildlife in "vulnerable areas". (AFP)
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) urged ministers to explore introducing containment zones -- within which there would be restrictions on cats -- to protect wildlife in "vulnerable areas". (AFP)
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Purrfect! Scotland Has No Plans to Ban Cats, Leader Says

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) urged ministers to explore introducing containment zones -- within which there would be restrictions on cats -- to protect wildlife in "vulnerable areas". (AFP)
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) urged ministers to explore introducing containment zones -- within which there would be restrictions on cats -- to protect wildlife in "vulnerable areas". (AFP)

Scotland is not planning to ban cats, the leader of the devolved government insisted Monday, after welfare experts gave ministers pause for thought in a new report.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) urged ministers to explore introducing containment zones -- within which there would be restrictions on cats -- to protect wildlife in "vulnerable areas".

Such a plan could lead to rules requiring cats to be kept indoors and potentially barring them in "new housing developments in rural areas" near "conservation-sensitive areas", the commission noted in a new report.

But before any fur could fly, Scottish leader John Swinney said Monday that his ministers were not poised to impose a ban, or restrictions, on cats.

"There's a report being produced by an external organization which has come in to the government for consideration," he said.

"Let me just clear this up today -- the government's not going to be banning cats or restricting cats. We've no intention of doing so and we will not be doing it."

In the report, the experts noted that evidence suggests all cats "can have a significant impact on wildlife populations, through predation and competition for resources with vulnerable wildcat populations".

"Some countries already require cats to be contained all the time or seasonally to protect wildlife populations," it said.

"This may be an option to reduce the welfare impacts of domestic cats on wildlife."

The report recommended the Scottish government, which has responsibility for a host of domestic policy areas in Scotland, to instruct its agency NatureScot to produce a report on containment areas.



Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

 A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

 A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.

The mercury soared to 31.4 degrees Celsius (88.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday in the central town of Livadia -- the highest-ever recorded for March, according to National Observatory of Athens’ Meteo.gr.

Across the country, other weather stations registered temperatures more typical of balmy May than the closing days of winter.

"The very high maximum temperatures recorded during the last four days (from Wednesday to Saturday) in the country, were record highs for the month of March in many areas," Meteo.gr said.

Following a surge of wildfires, a nationwide ban on burning material on rural properties is in effect until March 18.

"To have such temperatures so early in March, this has never happened before!" meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos told ERT television.

The unusual spike was attributed to a blanket of Saharan dust in the air.

This winter is listed as the 13th warmest in Greece. The previous one, in 2023-2024, remains the warmest on record.

Inhabitants in Greece will have to brace for plunging temperatures from Tuesday, though, weather-watchers said.

"A cold air mass on Tuesday will give showers and snow all over the country," Giannopoulos said.

"In Athens, where today we have 27 degrees the maximum temperature will be 11 degrees. This is a rollercoaster," he added.

The abrupt change is particularly problematic for the agricultural sector.

In Greece's region of northern Macedonia -- which experienced 27 degrees on the weekend -- the expected frost is set to cause severe damage to fruit trees that are in full bloom.

Greece has become a climate-change hotspot. It had its hottest summer and warmest winter on record in 2024, according to data from the Meteo.gr network.

The year brought unprecedented temperatures, extreme rainfall and a notable frequency of impactful weather events.

Thirty-one significant weather incidents disrupted daily life in 2023, well above the 2000-2024 average, while nine weather-related deaths were registered.