Cat-loving MP Nicola Blackwood backed tougher restrictions on the sale of puppies and kittens in a debate in the Commons.

Thursday’s debate was called after an e-petition called for a ban on the sale of puppies and kittens in outlets like pet shops.

It said separating the animals from their mothers and transporting them mean they “often suffer serious life-threatening problems including impaired immune systems, poor socialisation, infectious diseases and shorter life spans”.

The Oxford West and Abingdon Conservative MP told the Commons: “Having been a cat owner all my life – my current cat is called Naughty Cat – I hope that we can also ask for the regulation to be reviewed to take account of the impact on kittens and that owners are made suitably aware of the issue when seeking to buy a new cat.”

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