Cat owners warned over new law they must follow or risk £500 fine

12 March 2024 , 10:03

1097     0

All cats must be microchipped by June 10

Cat owners, listen up. There's a new rule you need to know about or you could get hit with a big £500 fine.

Your furry friend needs to be microchipped with your latest contact info before they turn 20 weeks old to help keep them safe. The law comes into force on June 10 this year. If you don't chip your cat by then, you'll have 21 days to get it done or you'll have to pay up. This new rule will help lost or stolen cats find their way back home.

Right now, there are nine million cats in England, but 2.3 million of those aren't chipped. That makes it tough to bring them home if they go missing. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said: "Cats and kittens are treasured members of the family, and it can be devastating for owners when they are lost or stolen. Legislating for compulsory microchipping of cats will give comfort to families by increasing the likelihood that lost or stray pets can be reunited with their owners."

Microchipping is like putting a tiny chip, as small as a rice grain, under your pet's skin. It has a special number that you put on a list so if someone finds your pet, they can scan the chip and know it's yours. Cats that live on their own, like farm or wild cats, won't have to be microchipped. But if your cat already has a chip, make sure your contact info is right.

Madison Rogers from Cats Protection said: "Cats Protection is delighted that pet cats in England will be given the same protection as dogs when it comes to microchipping. The charity regularly reunites owners with their much-loved cats, and in most cases this is only possible thanks to microchips.

Furious chimp launches bottle at girl filming him leaving her bleeding at zoo

"No matter how far from home they are found, or how long they have been missing, if a cat has a microchip there is a good chance that a lost cat will be swiftly returned home."

Rom Preston-Ellis