Cats Protection welcomes new laws on microchipping

Cats Protection has welcomed Government plans for compulsory microchipping of pet cats.

The UK's largest cat charity, which has campaigned for years for the measure, says the new regulations will be a major step forward for cat welfare in England.

With the charity's research showing that 26% of all pet cats in the UK are not currently microchipped – a total of 2.8 million cats – the new regulations will mean more cats benefit from the protection of a microchip. 

Cats Protection's Head of Advocacy & Government Relations Jacqui Cuff said: "As the UK's leading cat charity, we have been at the forefront of the campaign for compulsory microchipping of pet cats.

"Every day, we see how important microchipping is for cats and for the people who love them – whether it's reuniting a lost cat with their owner, identifying an injured cat, or helping to ensure an owner can be informed in the sad event that their cat has been hit and killed by a car.

"Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost cats and can help ease the pressure on rescue charities like Cats Protection. Without a microchip, a lost cat will most likely end up being rehomed to a new home as there is often no trace of their original owner."

Cats Protection's CATS survey, published in October 2021, shows that while 7.6 million owned cats (70%) are microchipped in the UK, there are currently 2.8 million (26%) which are not microchipped, with a further 4% of owners stating they didn't know if their cat was microchipped. 

Tens of thousands of people have backed Cats Protection's campaign for compulsory microchipping of pet cats by signing petitions and responding to consultations. Overall 99% of respondents to the government's consultation supported compulsory microchipping of owned cats.

Once introduced, the regulations will mean all owned cats in England aged over 20 weeks will need to be microchipped. Cats Protection urges the government to bring these new regulations in as quickly as possible and expects to see them introduced in 2022.

All cats adopted from Cats Protection are microchipped, giving new owners the peace of mind in knowing their new feline friend can be easily  identified if they go missing.

For more information about Cats Protection, please visit www.cats.org.uk