DEFRA's 2024 Regulations (Part 6)

Part 6 - DEFRA's Regulations

If you thought part 5 couldn’t be beat, the level of ignorance of the people writing Section 6 is unparalleled.

I think what I find so utterly stunning about this entire section is the document purports to have been written for low IQ local authority employees to work out the star rating, but the inclusion of section 6 as a regulation goes beyond any normal level of stupid.

Like so much else DEFRA wrote it’s an advisory that should be a separate document given to all new businesses when they open and everything practicable or appropriate decided on an individual basis by the owners.

These regulations can’t be policed and no one running a cattery needs to be told how or when to feed a cat, and then DEFRA screws up the entire section by following every statement with a contradictory or arbitrary caveat.

6.0 Suitable diet

Adult cats must have at least 2 meals a day at least 8 hours apart, as appropriate to the cat’s needs. Dietary requirements that are agreed with the owner must be followed. If there are concerns about an individual cat’s diet, veterinary advice must be sought. One feeding bowl and one water bowl must be provided for each cat. These must be separate containers. Food and water must be kept away from each other and away from the litter tray (at least 60 centimetres apart).

I can’t imagine anyone sitting at a desk thinking that someone running a cattery would need a regulation on how to feed or water a cat or that a local authority would be able to enforce it.
If any advice was needed, the entire nonsense could be replaced by a single line:“Wet food and water must be provided twice a day in separate bowls far enough from the litter tray to prevent spoilage” is all that needed to be written.

6.3 Food

Food bowls should be emptied and cleaned following feeding so that food, particularly wet food, is not left out until the next feeding time.

If you don’t understand the variety of cat’s eating habits, then you aren’t fit to write any statutory legislation.

6.4 Some bollox about bowls:

• non-porous
• cleaned daily
• disinfected between different cats
• disinfected at least once every week
• disposed of if damaged

“disinfected at least once every week” is totally incorrect and not in keeping with any other regulation relating to food or hygiene - bowls should idealy be metal so that they don't get damaged and should be disinfected every day and more efficently using a dishwasher.

Water:

Constant access to fresh, clean drinking water must be provided in a suitable receptacle for the species that requires it.

Every species requires water but many cats do not drink water, and many obtain their liquid from their wet food - which had you consulted with any cattery prior to writing anything down, DEFRA wouldn’t look like such an ignorant clown show today.

This discussion of DEFRA's regulation fiasco is covered in ten short articles:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10