October 01, 2025 - 291 views
Pedigree cats are now the pet of choice for cat owners in Wales with the scale tipping in favour of breeds rather than moggies for the first time, according to Cats Protection.
The charity’s Cats and their Stats (CATS) Report Wales 2025 revealed that between March 2024 and 2025:
77,000 cats were acquired in Wales
49% were pedigrees vs. 41% moggies
In the previous year: 34% were pedigrees vs. 56% moggies (out of 60,000 cats)
Pedigrees now make up 32% of Wales’ total cat population of 480,000.
Alongside this increase, the proportion of ‘bought’ cats in the total Welsh cat population acquired over the past 12 months has increased by 5% (to 29%), however, this figure remains lower than the UK as a whole where 38% were bought rather than adopted or obtained by other means.
The lower number of bought cats in Wales may be due to the relatively stable age profile of Welsh cat owners. In contrast, the UK overall has seen a rise in younger, more affluent cat owners - driving a shift from adoption to purchase.
Sarah Elliott, Cats Protection Central Veterinary Officer, says: “In the UK cat acquisition is increasingly skewing towards pedigree cats and purchase over adoption. We will therefore be keeping a close eye on this trend within Wales and need to motivate Welsh cat owners to help reverse the shift towards buying and become enthusiastic adopters by championing the moggy, as well as highlighting all the benefits of adoption – including the adoption of pedigree cats from rescue organisations, when they occasionally become available.
“When adopting from Cats Protection, like many other rescue organisations, your pet will come neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and with a clean bill of health, but there is also the huge satisfaction of giving a home to a cat that really needs one.”
Elsewhere in the report a picture of Welsh owners as ‘cat companions’ shines through. Owners across the country are researching the needs of their cats more, and still primarily turning to their vet for advice; they fear their cats will get hurt or lost meaning many are choosing to keep their cats indoors while companionship is still the leading reason that Welsh people choose to own a cat, with Welsh owners consistently agreeing more with wellbeing-related statements about cat ownership than the UK as a whole.
Vet engagement is nonetheless lower in Wales, with Welsh owners less likely to take their cat to the vet routinely every year compared with the UK as a whole (55% versus 64%) with cost and stress, for either cat or owner, remaining the top reasons for Welsh owners not visiting the vet as much as they would like. C
ats Protection has tips for keeping cat care costs low at www.cats.org.uk/cost-of-living which includes advice such as enquiring about veterinary payment plans, preventative vet care to help avoid significant surprise illness and guidance around insurance. The charity also provides tips for making vet visits less stressful - www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/how-to-make-vet-visits-less-stressful-for-your-cat
Chris Ward, Cats Protection Advocacy and Government Relations Officer for Wales, says: “We are concerned by the move towards increased buying of cats and acquisitions of pedigrees within Wales as the Welsh cat market remains mostly unregulated. Cats Protection therefore welcomes the Welsh Government’s commitment to regulate animal welfare establishments which are responsible for almost a quarter of all cat acquisitions.
“We are also calling on the Welsh Government to go a step further and regulate cat breeding. To be effective, regulations need minimum standards for cat breeding which includes a ban on extreme characteristics and maximum numbers of litters a cat can have each year and in their lifetime. This has always been key to ensuring improved welfare for cats in Wales, but is of even greater urgency now that we see the trend toward increased buying and the increasing appeal of pedigrees to Welsh owners.”
Further details can be found in Cats and their Stats Report Wales 2025 (English version) and Cats and their Stats Report 2025 (Welsh version) with the UK-wide report here.
Additional information about Cats Protection can be found at www.cats.org.uk.
