Popular twitterer and eminent statistician, Independent Voices, has posted the above, as a foretaste of a larger poll, coming soon.

Psychologists will quickly recognise the correlation here between wishing to deny their fellow Scots the joys of full independence and the refusal to either have the responsibilities of owning a pet or, if they must, going for sad wee birds kept in a cage.

The symbolism is spot-on.

We have a big dog and very bossy cat. We’ve had one dog, four cats, two rabbits and countless rodents in the past. A close friend has two reptiles which can retire to a tank but can also freely spend time wandering and crapping, only once I month, I think.