There was a veritable eye roll by West Cork Cllr Danny Collins when he reposted an article about a Dublin-based councillor calling for cats to wear bells.

‘Where is this country going I ask?’ Cllr Collins posted after extolling the excellent work done by cats, including his own, at keeping rodents at bay.

He sparked a debate as almost 100 people reacted on social media.

Some, like Bernie O’Mahony, mirrored the eye roll when she commented: ‘Holy mother of God, I can’t believe what I am reading, cats with bells!’

But others found the proposal made by Joan Hopkins, a social democrats councillor for Howth-Malahide on Fingal County Council, right on the money.

Maureen O’Sullivan proudly posted a photograph of her beautiful black cat and told Cllr Collins: ‘Wise up... I put a bell on her and she still catches mice and rats.’w

Cllr Hopkins suggested that it should be mandatory for cats to wear a bell during nesting season as part of a wider debate on wildlife.