Important new law for cat owners

We all love cats, of course we do, and this new law that applies to all cat owners will be introduced on 10th June this year.

In order to keep track of our feline friends and reduce the number of strays and lost cats, before your cat reaches the age of 20 weeks, they will need to be microchipped.

The simple, low cost proceedure can be carried out quickly by a vet or vet nurse for around £30. The procedure is often completed at the same time as neutering, so the animal will be under a general anaesthetic.

The CVS group who have surgeries across Telford including, Lawley, Madeley and Haygate Road in Wellington state on their website “A microchip is a small implant, the same size as a grain of rice, which sits underneath the skin. “When the area containing the microchip is scanned, a unique 15-digit code is retrieved.

This code can be registered on a national database against your details, meaning if your cat ever gets lost or stolen you can be easily identified as their owner.”

Owners also have an obligation to keep their details up to date on the database when they move house.

Next Steps Cat Rescue also welcome the changes to the law, “Microchipping is vital to getting cats reunited with their owners so that they can get home or the right treatment as soon as possible at the vets.

“Cats can travel miles or get in vans and time and time again, it has helped reunification, even after many years.

“We would also like to say that neutering is vitally important as males will travel miles to mate and often get knocked down by cars or lost and female cats can end up having kittens outside.”

The benefits go beyond tracking though. You can get cat flaps and automatic feeders that recognise cats by their microchip and only allow the right cat access to your house or their food.

The laws have applied to dogs since 2016.