Tory peer demands total ban on CAT FLAPS to protect birds... and says collars ... trends now

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A Tory peer has demanded a total ban on cat flaps to protect birds from their hunting habits.

Lord Blencathra also said collars with bells should be compulsory for felines so they cannot sneak up on prey. 

The intervention came as the ex-minister sounded alarm that cats allowed to roam freely were killing 60million garden birds a year. 

During a Lords debate on legislation that would create two new offences of cat and dog abduction in England and Northern Ireland, the peer insisted he was a 'cat lover'.

But he argued there is 'no justification whatsoever' for owners to take a 'laissez-faire attitude' by letting their pet 'go in and out when it pleases'.

The suggestion was knocked back by Labour's environment spokeswoman Baroness Hayman of Ullock, who said her own cat was 'rather frightened' of birds after being terrorised by a chicken.    

Lord Blencathra offered his 'full support' to the Bill before backing a call from Natural England chairman Tony Juniper for cats to wear bells.

He told peers: 'All independent studies suggest that cats allowed out to wander at will kill about 260million mammals per annum in the UK and 60million garden birds.

'Of course there are other predators killing animals and birds... but the contribution from roaming cats is massive and unnecessary.

'Studies by three UK scientists, and published in the journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science, show that in the UK cats with bells killed 34% fewer mammals and 41 per cent fewer birds.

'We need every measure we can to preserve our declining garden birds.

'So I would make collars and bells compulsory for cats let outside. But I would go further, my Lords, and I'd ban cat flaps completely.'