Microchipping cats and why it matters to The Cat’s Whiskers
New legislation to introduce compulsory cat microchipping came into force on 13th March, making it easier for lost or stray pet cats to be reunited with their owners. There are over 9 million pet cats in England, and as many as 2.3 million are unchipped, making it very difficult to reunite them with their owner if they get lost or stolen.
The new rules mean cats must be microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks and their contact details stored and kept up to date in a pet microchipping database. 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. It won’t be compulsory for free living cats that live with little or no human interaction or dependency, such as farm, feral or community cats.
What does it involve?
The process of microchipping involves the insertion of a chip, generally around the size of a grain of rice, under the skin of a pet. This is a simple injection between the shoulderblades and once the chip is in place, the cat won’t know it’s there. The microchip has a unique serial number that the owner needs to register on a database. When an animal is found, the microchip can be read with a scanner and the registered owner identified on a database so the pet can quickly be reunited with them.
When should I get it done?
There’s no minimum age to have your kitten microchipped although you should have it done before they go outside to explore for the first time. Many owners will do it at the same time as they’re having their pet neutered when they’re already under general anaesthetic. Most rescue centres will microchip kittens by the time they’re eight weeks old. If you inherit an older cat, a vet or rescue centre can scan and check for an existing chip, and if there isn’t one, you’ll need to arrange for this to be done..
How do I change my cat’s microchip?
If you move home or change your contact details, it’s important that you get your cat’s microchip updated, by contacting the database where your pet is registered to change contact details. If you know the database, you can check details online or by phone. If you don’t know the database, your local vet or rescue centre will be able to scan your cat and give you the number.
What does it mean for The Cat’s Whiskers – why are we telling you this?
Regular customers will know that one of the questions on our Customer Contract Form is ‘is the cat microchipped and what is the number’? For us to fall in line with legislation, we’ll have to insist that from 10th June 2024, all cats coming in to board with us are microchipped and we will need to be provided with their number. But for us, there’s a more human element to all this too. In the, hopefully very unlikely event of an emergency – eg a fire in the cattery – of course our policy will always be to rescue as many cats as safely possible and relocate them to the house, office, cat kitchen – anywhere where we can keep them safe and contained. But it’s not impossible that we might just have to release cats into the garden and surrounding neighbourhood and if they’re chipped, we’ll stand a much better chance of re-uniting them with their owners.
If you have any concerns about this, please do drop us an e-mail or give us a call and we’ll happily have a chat about any options.
Cheryl & Pete xx
We are always ready to take on your furry friends at The Cat’s Whiskers cattery.
Call us, email us, whenever.
