The government has announced today that all cats in the UK must be microchipped and registered on a UK Defra-compliant database to help reunite lost and stray pets.
Lost or stray pet cats are more likely to be reunited with their owners and returned home safely under new pet microchipping rules announced by the Government today.
All pet owners must ensure their pets are microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks and their contact details stored and kept up to date in a UK pet microchipping database. Owners found not to have microchipped their cat will have 21 days to have one implanted or may face a fine of up to £500.
There are over 10.8 million pet cats in the UK, with as many as 2.8 million unchipped, meaning that it would be very difficult to reunite them with their owner if they get lost or stolen. Eight out of 10 stray cats coming into Cats Protection’s centres are not microchipped.
The simple procedure involves inserting a small chip with a unique serial number under a cat’s skin. This number can be read by a scanner and checked against a UK microchip database to help reunite lost pets quicker with their registered keeper, saving heartache and concern.
All owners must have their cat microchipped by 10 June 2024 and owners found not to have microchipped their cat will have 21 days to have one implanted or may face a fine of up to £500.