Pet Abduction Act 2024

2 Cat abduction

(1) A person (A) commits the offence of cat abduction if—

(a) they take a cat so as to remove it from the lawful control of any person, and

(b) A and the cat are both in England or Northern Ireland at the time the cat is taken.

(2) The offence of cat abduction is not committed if—

(a) at any time before the taking of the cat—

(i) the person (A) who took the cat,

(ii) the person (B) from whose lawful control it was taken, and

(iii) the cat,

all lived together in the same household,

(b) A and B had been living together before the cat began to live with them,

(c) A and B subsequently ceased to live together, and

(d) A took the cat at or after the time when A and B ceased to live together.

(3) It is a defence for a person charged with the offence of cat abduction to show that the person had lawful authority or a reasonable excuse for taking the cat.

(4) A person is taken to have shown a fact mentioned in subsection (3) if—

(a) sufficient evidence of the fact is adduced to raise an issue with respect to it, and

(b) the contrary is not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

(5) A person who commits the offence of cat abduction is liable—

(a) on summary conviction in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates’ court, or a fine, or both;

(b) on summary conviction in Northern Ireland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both;

(c) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years, or a fine, or both.

(6) In this section, references to a person taking a cat include the person—

(a) causing or inducing the cat to accompany the person or anyone else, or

(b) causing the cat to be taken.