New legislation that affects cat owners across England has been passed through Parliament giving owners until June 2024 to have their pets microchipped.
Compulsory cat microchipping, which stores details of the owner’s contact details in a database, will be required before pet kittens reach the age of 20 weeks. Any owners discovered to have not micro with owners potentially fined up to £500.
It’s estimated that there are approximately 2.3 million pet cats across England who are currently not microchipped. The law won’t apply to feral, farm or community cats.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
“Cats and kittens are treasured members of the family, and it can be devasting 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.”
The new legislation follows a public consultation in which 99% of the 33,423 people who responded supported compulsory cat microchipping in England.
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:
“I am pleased that we are progressing with our requirement for all cats to be microchipped.
“Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost pets. 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.”
The process of microchipping involves a chip the size of a grain of rice inserted under the skin of a pet. The owner registers their details into a database, which is linked to a unique bar code on the chip. If the pet is lost, the chip can be scanned to discover who owns the cat.
The government has also stated that those owners who already have their cats microchipped should ensure their contact details are fully up to date.