In the UK, there are over 10 millions cats and 2.8 million of these are not identified with a microchip. This means that it would be very difficult to reunite these felines with their owner if they get lost or stolen.
With eight out of ten stray cats coming into Cat’s Protection’s centres without a microchip, they can truly see the importance of identifying an animal. Jacqui Stuff, head of Advocacy & Government Relations at Cat’s Protection told to Gov.uk: “Every day, we see how important microchipping is for cats and for the people who love them – whether it’s reuniting a lost cat with their owner, identifying an injured cat, or helping to ensure an owner can be informed in the sad event that their cat has been hit and killed by a car.” She adds: “Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost cats and can help ease the pressure on rescue charities like Cats Protection.”
Cat owners, here’s what you need to know about this new rule
The introduction of compulsory cat microchipping is an important commitment and the Government guaranteed to introduce it under its flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare. Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said: “These new rules will help protect millions of cats across the country and will be brought in alongside a range of other protections we are introducing under our Action Plan for Animal Welfare.”
So, here’s what you should know about these new rules:
- All cat owners must ensure their pet is microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks old
- Their contact details must be stored and kept up to date
- If an owner is found not to have microchipped their cat, they will have 21 days to have one implanted
- Cat owners could face a fine up to £500 if their cat isn’t microchipped.
This commitment is aimed at improving companion animal welfare. What’s more, the Government is also studying the regulations on dog microchipping and the microchipping database systems to examine whether improvements can be made.
