Pet owners risk £500 fine from today as new rule comes into force

10 June 2024 , 11:06

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New cat microchipping laws come into force today (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Millions of cat owners are risking a £500 fine as they still haven't microchipped their moggy despite a new law coming into place.

Charity Cats Protection said its research showed owners of up to 2.2 million cats have yet to comply with the rule, which came into force in England yesterday (June 10). It said there are around 1.9 million cats in England who are not microchipped, while around 300,000 cats have owners who aren’t sure if their pet is chipped.

Of the owners who haven’t microchipped their pet, one in four said their cat doesn’t venture outdoors and 19% said their pet didn’t wander far when they did pop out. Meanwhile 14% said their cat was identifiable by its collar and another 14% said they just hadn’t thought about microchipping their feline.

But Cats Protection says microchipping is important because it will greatly enhance the ability of cat charities, vets and councils to reunite lost cats with their owners. Madison Rogers, head of advocacy, campaigns and Government relations for Cats Protection, said: “Some owners think they are never going to go through the trauma of losing their pet cat, but in the last year 115,000 pet cats in England went missing and never returned home so this is much more common than people think.

“Cats are nimble and extremely agile and can easily slip out without us noticing. It’s very easy for cats that live indoors to escape, particularly in the summer where it’s easy to accidentally leave a window or a door ajar. A microchip is safe, stays with your cat for its lifetime and is linked to contact details that are stored safely in a database. Provided that owners keep the contact details up to date, then a microchip provides the very best chance of being reunited with a lost pet.”

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According to Cats Protection, it usually costs between £20 and £30 to have your cat microchipped, depending on where you live in England. Vets are able to arrange the simple and easy procedure.

Natasha Wynarczyk