Overview

• The charity says harnesses can block cats’ natural flight response and trigger stress, advising owners not to take cats on lead walks.
• Its latest survey reports 15% of owners now use harnesses, up from 10% a year earlier.
• Ownership is tilting toward younger, urban and more affluent households, with 31% of 18–34-year-olds owning a cat.
• More than half of cats acquired in the past year were pedigrees, while neutering has dropped to 82%, leaving about 1.5 million unneutered.
• Despite England’s 2024 microchipping law, younger owners are less likely to microchip; GPS trackers are not a replacement, and the charity urges sturdy carriers for transport and prioritising adoption.