The Animal Welfare Act is a new law that will provide much greater protection for animals.
The law comes into force on 28 March in Wales and on 6 April in England.
The Animal Welfare Act includes a new 'welfare offence' - which put simply means that the owner of a pet is legally obliged to care for their pet properly, by providing:
a proper diet, including fresh water
somewhere suitable to live
for any need to be housed with or apart from, other animals
the ability to express normal behaviour
protection from and treatment of, illness and injury
It is important to remember that most pet owners will not need to change the way they care for their animals to comply with the new las - most people will already provide for their pets needs.
The law is not designed to catch people out - only to help protect animals that do not receive proper care.