The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission estimates that domestic felines annually kill at least 27 million animals in the UK.

Whispers of a cat ownership ban in Scotland circulated the internet recently. The rumors caused so much outrage that the country’s head of government, First Minister John Swinney, had to dispel the notion of any official ban.

The Scottish government wants everyone to know it does not plan to ban cats. First Minister John Swinney was forced to issue the statement after a report by independent experts branded felines a threat to Scotland’s wildlife.