Animal welfare charity Battersea is today welcoming the Government’s announcement to introduce legislation that will make the microchipping of pet cats compulsory. The new law will help reunite lost cats with their loving owners.
Last year almost two thirds (59 per cent) of cats that were brought to Battersea were not microchipped, compared to only 21 per cent of dogs. A microchip with up-to-date information is usually the most efficient way to trace an owner and reunite a pet with their family. Last year Battersea was able to reunite 474 dogs with their worried owners thanks to a microchip, but in stark contrast only 40 cats were able to re-join their families.
Michael Webb, Battersea’s Head of Policy & Public Affairs, said: “We take in stray cats every single day and although we know many of these are most likely much-loved pets who’ve simply wandered too far from home, we have no way of tracing their owners if they don’t have a microchip. Now that owners will be required to get their cat microchipped and keep their details up to date, rescues like Battersea can spare owners heartache and reunite thousands more missing cats each year.
“We would urge cat owners to get their pet microchipped as soon as they can. It’s a simple and painless procedure and an up-to-date microchip is the easiest way to get your pet back quickly and safely should they go missing.”
Battersea scans every animal for a microchip when they first arrive and will make sure every dog and cat is microchipped before going on to their new homes. The charity has supported the introduction of compulsory microchipping for pets for many years and worked closely with the government to help make microchipping mandatory for dog owners. Since microchipping became a legal requirement Battersea has tracked the law’s impact.
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