The Dealer rarely takes credit for moving the dial on national debates, but his recent assertion that the country’s comely cats were killing up to four million birds each year has clearly gotten some traction among the country’s movers and shakers.

Cork TD Christopher O’Sullivan, who is Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, claimed on social media recently that the number of Irish birds killed each year by cats could actually be as high as 16 million.

Fingal councillor Joan Hopkins responded by suggesting that the wearing of bells by cats should be mandatory during the nesting season.

Others wanted cats put on leads.

All in all, this could be a catastrophe – pun intended – for our feline friends.