Felidae the Felidae, grouped according to the traditional phenotypical classification with the corresponding genotypical lineages indicated. It includes all of the currently living cat species. There is considerable variation in the taxonomy used for the wildcat. It used to be regarded as "Felis silvestris" with distinct subspecies "F. s. silvestris", "F. s. lybica" and "F. s. ornata" in Europe, Africa and Asia respectively. Since 2017, the IUCN Cat Specialist Group recognises "silvestris" and "lybica" as distinct species. The phylogenetic relationships of extant felids are shown in the following cladogram, based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis of Johnson et al. (2006). The
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and replaced by EU Directive 2010/63/EU In 2002, a Government select committee inquiry described the Act as the "...tightest system of regulation in the world" in relation to the regulation of using animals for research. Prior to ASPA, the use of animals in the UK was regulated by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, which enforced a licensing and inspection system for vivisection. Animal cruelty was previously regulated by the Protection of Animals Act 1911 (now largely repealed) and more recently by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, both of which outlaw the causing of "unnecessary suffering". Specific exemptions apply to