POLL: Should domestic cats be restricted from going outdoors? 

A vicious predator considers her next  kill. 

The SNP was this week forced to deny it had any plan to ban or restrict domestic cats – after the suggestion was made in a Scottish government report.

First Minister John Swinney clarified the government had “no intention” of banning cats or preventing them from going outside.

The idea had arisen in a report by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, published by the government, which highlighted the millions of wild animals killed every year by murderous moggies.

Among a number of suggestions in the report, the most extreme involved banning cat ownership in areas where wildlife is most at risk.

After the proposal was widely shared in news reports with headlines such as “Fury as households in Scotland could be banned from getting a pet cat”, Mr Swinney beat a hasty retreat.

Closer to home, Shetland Times columnist Laurie Goodlad provoked furore last year after calling for cats to be kept indoors to prevent them killing wild birds.

Her Straight Talking from April generated many column inches on the letters page, as furious pet owners came to the defence of their furry friends.

And what would such a ban mean for Lerwick’s most famous cat, Tommy? Could his days of strolling nonchalantly through his domain be numbered?  

Let us know your thoughts by taking part in this week’s poll.