A Member of Parliament has paid a visit to Cats Protection’s Forth Valley Adoption Centre to see first-hand how the charity helps cats both in the local area and across Scotland.

John Nicolson, the SNP MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, met staff and volunteers at the centre before being given a behind-the-scenes tour where he met some of the cats currently looking for new homes.

Cats Protection speaks up for the 685,000 pet cats in Scotland and has a Scottish network of 24 volunteer-run branches, four adoption centres and nine charity shops. In 2021, the charity rehomed 2,500 cats in Scotland.

As the leading voice on cat welfare, Cats Protection is calling on the Scottish Government and politicians to introduce measures to help improve feline welfare, including the introduction of compulsory microchipping for owned cats.

John Nicolson said: “I was delighted to visit Cats Protection’s Forth Valley Adoption Centre and meet the fantastic team there. They do wonderful work - not just rehousing cats to safe and loving homes but also helping with microchipping and neutering of cats for folk who are struggling with their family budget at the moment.

“I was also interested to hear about how Cats Protection is working with local authorities across Scotland to scan beloved pets which have been killed on the roads by hit-and-run drivers. Sadly this is the fate of too many cats - victims of speeding and careless drivers.

“I was incredibly impressed with all that Cats Protection do.”

Cats Protection’s Advocacy & Government Relations Officer for Scotland Alice Palombo said: “We were so pleased to welcome John Nicolson to the centre to discuss the work we do to help cats, such as encouraging more landlords to allow tenants to have a pet cat. We also discussed our campaign for the compulsory microchipping of pet cats in Scotland, a measure that would help protect countless cats into the future. It’s great to see politicians taking a keen interest in cat welfare, which is an important issue for many people.”