Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has asked Lord Benyon, the Minister responsible for animal welfare, to support increased protection for Savannah cats (a hybrid breed of wild and domestic cat).
Mr Seely is seeking to amend the Bill to ban the breeding and import of Savannahs.
The Island MP submitted these amendments in collaboration with the Isle of Wight-based Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, who have campaigned against the breeding of wild and domestic cats through their SERVIVAL campaign.
In his letter to Lord Benyon, Mr Seely said: "Breeding Savannahs is painful and cruel to the domestic cat. The resultant Savannahs are also, fundamentally, wild animals; they are not suitable pets and are often abandoned by their owners. Despite their unsuitability, the Savannah trade, fuelled by social media, has grown.
"Our amendment aims to protect both domestic cats involved in the breeding process and their hybrid offspring."
Mr Seely concluded by saying: "I hope you will consider my amendment's merits."
The law currently requires some Serval owners to possess licenses. This depends on the generation of the hybrid cat. The list of species that require a license was last amended in 2007 to require licenses to own the immediate offspring of pure servals and domestic cats, but subsequent hybrid offspring currently do not require licenses.
The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary's SERVIVAL campaign has been endorsed by leading animal welfare charities, including Born Free, the RSPCA, Cats Protection and Battersea Cats and Dogs Home. You can find more information on their campaign here.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill is currently awaiting its Report Stage in the House of Commons. There is no set date for the Bill to return.
