Cats Are Still A Big Part Of Our Lives

Pedigree cats are more in favour now that the plain old moggie

Pedigree cats continue to be the pet of choice for cat owners in Northern Ireland with the scale tipping further in favour of actual breeds rather than moggies, according to Cats Protection.  

Cats Protection, the UK’s leading cat welfare charity, helps an average of 157,000 cats and kittens a year across the UK through its national network which includes around 185 volunteer teams and 32 cat centres. Cats Protection was founded in 1927 originally as the Cats Protection League.

The charity’s Cats and Their Stats (CATS) Report 2025 revealed that between March 2024 and 2025: 53,000 cats were acquired in Northern Ireland42% were pedigrees vs. 32% moggiesIn the previous year: 24% were pedigrees vs. 70% moggies (out of 27,500 cats)  

In keeping with the wider UK, a new breed of young, affluent pedigree cat owner is replacing the “older cat lady with moggy” stereotype, with pedigrees now making up 30% of Northern Ireland’s total cat population of 250,000.   

According to the report, 64% of those who acquired a cat over the past year were 18–34, while the 35+ age group has dropped from 60% to just 36%. 64% of all cat owners in Northern Ireland are now female.  

Alongside this increase, the popularity of buying cats has increased faster in Northern Ireland than all other devolved nations, with bought cats now representing 30% of all cats in Northern Ireland (compared with just 15% in 2024).  

Sarah Elliott, Cats Protection Central Veterinary Officer, said: “In Northern Ireland, like the UK, cat acquisition is increasingly skewing towards pedigree cats and purchase over adoption.

“We therefore need to motivate cat owners in Northern Ireland to help reverse the ever-growing popularity of 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 animal welfare organisations, not only does your pet 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.”  

Alice Palombo, Cats Protection Advocacy and Government Relations Manager, added: “There is no typical way to get a cat in Northern Ireland, so we welcome Minister Muir’s ambitious animal welfare pathway which looks to ban the third-party sale of kittens and regulate rehoming organisations.

“This is a huge step in the right direction for cat welfare, but cat breeding regulations are needed to safeguard all cats.

“To be effective, regulations need minimum standards for cat breeding which includes ban on breeds with extreme characteristics and maximum litters a cat can have a year and in their lifetime.”  

Elsewhere in the report it is highlighted that neutering numbers have fallen in Northern Ireland to 80% as has the proportion of cats with a microchip, which is now 60% compared with 64% in 2024 and 67% in 2023.

However, insurance and vaccination numbers have increased although they still lag behind the UK as a whole.   

Cats Protection has information about the benefits of neutering at:

www.cats.org.uk/neutering 

nd for microchipping at 

www.cats.org.uk/microchipping.

The charity welcomes Daera’s examination of the case for mandatory microchipping of cats and is hoping for a swift introduction of compulsory microchipping of pet cats with a petition backing this available for signatures here    

Further details can be found in Cats and their Stats Report Northern Ireland 2025 with the UK-wide report here.