Millions of cat owners face a fine of up to £500 for failing to get their pets microchipped as a new law comes into force.
From Monday, it is mandatory for every pet feline in England to be chipped before the age of 20 weeks.
Of the estimated nine million in the country, up to 2.2 million are still not chipped, according to data from the charity Cats Protection.
Owners found not to have microchipped their pet will have 21 days to have one implanted or face a fine of up to £500.
It usually costs between £20 and £30 to have a cat microchipped by a vet, the charity said.
Ministers hope the scheme will help reunite thousands of lost pets with their owners and deter animal theft.
According to Cats Protection research, more than one in four owners who have failed to microchip said it was because their pet does not venture outdoors, and about one in seven claimed their cat was identifiable by its collar.
Madison Rogers, Cats Protection’s head of advocacy, campaigns and government relations, said: “Some owners think they are never going to go through the trauma of losing their pet cat, but in the last year 115,000 pet cats in England went missing and never returned home.
“Cats are nimble and extremely agile and can easily slip out without us noticing.
“Many lost cats live a frightening life on the streets. No food, no water, no shelter, no veterinary care and constantly at risk of severe injury or death from many hazards such as cars and wild animals.
From 10 June 2024 cats over 20 weeks old must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database.
— Defra UK (@DefraGovUK) June 5, 2024
This includes cats that usually only stay indoors.
More info on how to get your cat microchipped can be found here: https://t.co/AYhTmobNyF#AnimalWelfare #Cat #Microchipping pic.twitter.com/10ThZ8wPAm
“Collars can easily drop off, become damaged so that the address details become unreadable and, if they are not quick release, can become snagged on obstacles like tree branches, causing injuries to the cat.
“A microchip is safe, stays with your cat for its lifetime and is linked to contact details that are stored safely in a database.”
Alice Potter, cat welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: “We have seen cats coming into our care who are sadly not microchipped and may never be reunited with their owners.
“On average, 11 per cent of all cats coming into the RSPCA’s care are still not microchipped.
“We’ve also rescued cats who have been microchipped but the details haven’t been kept up to date, which is arguably even more frustrating as it means cats spend a long time in our care whilst we fruitlessly try to contact the owner with out-of-date information.
“However, we’ve also seen countless stories of cats that have been reunited with their owners thanks to a tiny microchip – showing what this change of legislation will achieve for animal welfare.”
Nutmeg, a cat owned by Sandra Sinclair, a teacher from Tooting in south-west London, was found wandering the streets of Ascot in Berkshire, 30 miles away from home, after going missing.
The feline was reunited with his family after his microchip was scanned by Cats Protection.
Ms Sinclair said: “We have no idea how he got to Ascot. Did he jump into a delivery van or maybe someone attempted to steal him because he was so friendly?
“Only Nutmeg will ever know, but my family and I are just so relieved we had him microchipped.”
