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Owners must ensure their cat is microchipped before the pet reaches the age of 20 weeks with their contact details stored and kept up to date in an approved pet microchipping database.
With more than nine million pet cats in England, the introduction of the legislation in force from Monday, June 10, will make it easier for lost or stray pet cats to be reunited with their owners, shared a statement from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
Microchipping is already compulsory for dogs and is proven to be the most effective method for identifying lost pets, with microchipped dogs more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner, it added. It is safe and easy to implant, with an average cost of around £25 for microchipping and registration. Charities and reputable cat rescue organisations may be able to microchip a cat at a reduced rate.
Unique serial number
The chip, generally around the size of a grain of rice, is inserted under the skin of a pet. It has a unique serial number that the keeper needs to register on a database However, microchipping is not compulsory for free-living cats with little or no human interaction or dependency, such as farm, feral or community cats.
The legal deadline was confirmed in legislation laid in March 2023 giving owners over a year to comply with the new requirements. Failing to comply with the law could see owners receive a fine of up to £500.
