The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWG) has suggested strict new measures on outdoor cats because of their “significant impact on wildlife populations”, the BBC reports.

However, Mr Swinney has swiftly responded that his government has “absolutely no intention of banning cats” and affirmed that a cat curfew is off the cards as well.

The overwhelming majority of cat owners in Europe, including in the UK, allow their pet cats to roam free.

It’s only in the likes of the US and Australia where cat owners tend to keep their pets confined to their homes – which cat charities in the UK say is worse for their physical and mental health.

The SAWG report risks inflaming the feline culture war, with fiery arguments between European and American cat owners often playing out on social media.

On TikTok, videos of young Americans lecturing their European counterparts, often describing allowing cats to go outside as a form of animal abuse, receive tens of thousands of likes.

The Scottish government says it will continue to review the recommendations of the SAWG report.