New law making it compulsory to microchip cats welcomed by Eastbourne MP

The new rule will come into force on June 10, 2024.

Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell, who sat on a delegated legislation committee looking at the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023, said the move was also supported by animal charities such as the Cats Protection – which said eight out of 10 stray cats taken in by its adoption centres are not microchipped.

There was also public support for the measure with 99 per cent in a government consultation saying they wanted it to happen despite around 25 percent of cats still not being microchipped, according to the MP.

Mrs Ansell said: “I am very pleased this measure is now law because it will help charities like Cats Protection and the RSPCA reunite cats with their owners far more easily.

“Compulsory microchipping for dogs has been in place for some time and it is sensible that cats are now joining them.

“Cats and dogs are often much-loved members of the family and anything that ensures they remain so is good news."

Mrs Ansell, who took in two cats from Cats Protection after her son came through life-saving surgery, said she is a cat-lover.

The MP also explained how she spoke about the role animals play in many areas of life, including health, and what they had meant to her family when supporting an earlier animal welfare legislation.

The microchipping move was also a Conservative Manifesto commitment.

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