By
Daily Mail Reporter
19:02 EST, 21 July 2012
|
19:03 EST, 21 July 2012
Cats normally get by on nine lives but those in London definitely need more.
Owners in the capital are 50 times more likely to make an insurance claim for their ill or injured pet than those in the safest place, Bury St Edmunds.
Research by the Co-operative pet insurance group found that owners in the Suffolk market town typically only claimed for ‘low level issues’ such as hayfever, rather than their cat being injured by a passing car or after being hurt in a fight with another animal.
Health hazard: Cat owners in London are 50 times more likely to make an insurance claim for their ill or injured pet than those in the safest place, according to new research
Other safe places were Aberystwyth and Altrincham in Cheshire.
London was the riskiest city, ahead of Reading and Bristol. The largest number of claims in London – 15 per cent – was made for domestic cats needing treatment after a fight, often with feral and stray animals.
The RSPCA has warned that the number of stray cats in the capital is at a record high. The charity estimates there are now two million in Britain, with a tenth of those in London.
Former Sixties model Celia Hammond, who now runs her own animal charity, described the situation regarding strays in London as ‘out of control’.
Owners in the safest place, Bury St Edmunds (pictured), only claimed for ‘low level issues’ such as hayfever, the study found
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Two things can reduce the chances of a cat being hurt or killed. They are both so easy. Neutering and keeping them in at night. Any animal rescue or vet will tell you this.
If both male and female cats are neutered they are far less likely to wander, get involved in fights, become territorial, get injured and pick up diseases like FIV from bites. They bite when mating. Neutering males should also stop them spraying. It’s best to get them neutered at 5 months, but it is never too late to do it. Kittens can get pregnant at 6 months old.
Keeping them in from dusk until after the morning traffic rush hour will also lessen the chance of injuiries and deaths, and also help save many birds from meeting their end in the claws and mouth of a cat.
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Lots of Indian and Chinese restaurants in London.
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The need for a cat is outdated. The licence fee should be re-introduced and be made quite substantial to act as a deterrent to prevent people from keeping these nuisances.
– Johnny Reb, 1st City of Sanctuary, EUSSR, 22/7/2012 8:50 ~~~~ A licence for cats? When was that?
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Cats are probably more likely to end up as a takeaway meal in some parts of London’s ‘communities’
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Never trust a cat owner !
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Could it be with london being so huge there are 50 times more cats than most other areas. It likes car insurance there are more claims in cities because there are cars in cities.
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I never let my two out unless for a walk in the garden on leads in the summer. They are perfectly happy and safe.
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The need for a cat is outdated. The licence fee should be re-introduced and be made quite substantial to act as a deterrent to prevent people from keeping these nuisances.
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Can we please have a socio-economic analysis of the owners who make the claims? Will there be a correlation to the types who suffer ‘whiplash’ injuries?
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If boy cats are neutered they are much less likely to get into fights with other cats. And, of course, they should have a safe, protected place where they can go outside to play.
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