Cats Protection welcomes law requiring owners to get pets microchipped or face a £500 fine

People who do not get their felines chipped by the time they are 20 weeks old could be fined up to £500 after the law comes into effect in England in 2023.

The proposals aim to make it easier for lost cats to be returned to their owners.

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“Cats Protection fully supports compulsory microchipping of owned cats,” said Stefan Blakiston Moore from Cats Protection’s National Cat Centre in Chelwood Gate.

“It’s something we’ve been calling for for a number of years and it’s been the case for dogs since 2016,” he said.

Stefan said every cat owner knows their furry friends are ‘free to roam’ and that they can go missing.

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“By having a microchip in the cat it is a safe and permanent way for a pet cat to be identified,” he said.

Stefan said the procedure is simple and can be done during a trip to the vets, costing between £20-£30 depending on the practice.

He added that cat owners who have not microchipped their pet will still get 21 days to have one implanted before being hit with a fine.

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“There’s a huge number of cats without a microchip across the country,” said Stefan, explaining that an estimated 2.8 million cats do not have the implant.

He said the chip is simple and can be scanned by a vet or a rescue service to find a unique number, which will be on a database and returns the owner’s details.

“Sadly eight out of ten cats that come into our centres don’t have a microchip so it’s a big issue,” said Stefan.

“We want to get those cats back to their families but it’s incredibly hard to do so,” he said.

“Cats across Mid Sussex will benefit from this.”

Stefan said that even in tragic cases where cats have been injured or killed Cats Protection needs to locate the owners.

“It’s heartbreaking to not know the fate of your cat,” he said.

Cats Protection has more statistics on microchipping across the UK in its ‘Cats and Their Stats’ report.

Visit www.cats.org.uk to read it.

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline charity and was founded in 1927 as the Cats Protection League.