A new law will mean cat owners could be fined up to £500 if their cats aren't microchipped.
New rules introduced in Parliament this week mean that from June 2024 all cats throughout the country must be microchipped before the age of 20 weeks. Cat owners have until Monday, June 10 of next year to get their pets microchipped.
From that date, any owners who are found to have failed to microchip their cat will have 21 one days to get one implanted, or they could face a fine of up to £500.
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The aim of the new rules is to make it easier for lost of stray pets to be returned home safely, which environment secretary Therese Coffey described as a time of "devastating" loss for many cat owners.
Ms Coffey said: "Cats and kittens are treasured members of the family, and it can be devastating for owners when they are lost or stolen. Legislating for compulsory microchipping of cats will give comfort to families by increasing the likelihood that lost or stray pets can be reunited with their owners."
Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said microchipping was "by far" the most effective and fastest way to identify lost pets.
She added: "As we’ve seen with dog microchipping, those who are microchipped are more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner. By getting their cat microchipped, owners can increase the likelihood that they will be reunited with their beloved pet in the event of it going missing."
Madison Rogers, of Cats Protection, said: “The charity regularly reunites owners with their much-loved cats and in most cases this is only possible thanks to microchips. No matter how far from home they are found, or how long they have been missing, if a cat has a microchip, there is a good chance that a lost cat will be swiftly returned home."
Microchipping involves inserting a chip, generally around the size of a grain of rice, under the skin of a pet. This has a unique serial number that the keeper needs to register on a database.
When an animal is found, the microchip can be read with a scanner and the registered keeper identified on a database so the pet can quickly be reunited with them.
It will not be compulsory for free living cats that live with little or no human interaction or dependency, such as farm, feral or community cats.
Owners with cats that are already microchipped should ensure their details are up to date, Defra said.
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