The first minister rules out the idea after experts suggest ways to reduce the impact domestic cats have on wildlife.

Writing in his regular Record column, the Scottish Labour leader says John Swinney's years at the heart of the SNP Government cannot be overlooked.

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It is an unusual topic for John Swinney, who is more often seen discussing issues such as the state of the NHS and proposed increases to council tax. But the First Minister has now been forced to insist publicly that Scotland will “not be banning cats” following a series of bizarre reports at the weekend.

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ScotRail have seemingly poked fun at the Scottish Government following rumours that ministers were planning to ban cats in the country. It comes after the Glasgow Times revealed that John Swinney completely rejected reports put forward from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) – a group of independent experts – which recommended the government look at potentially instituting containment areas for cats to protect local wildlife.