Cat owners urged to microchip pets as law changes

Helen Wood, from Derbyshire Cats Protection Centre, said chipping cats was a "one-off" process

Cat owners in Derbyshire are being urged to ensure their pets are microchipped as a new law comes in to force.

It was already a legal requirement for dogs to be chipped in England, and that was extended to cats on Monday.

But staff at the Derbyshire Cats Protection Centre said the majority of felines brought to the Ashbourne site over the last year - 66% of them - were not microchipped.

Helen Wood, manager of the centre, said: "It does make it very difficult to reunite cats with their owners if they are not microchipped."

'Chipped for life'

All cats have to be microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks old or feline owners will risk a fine of £500 under the new law.

Ms Woods said getting cats chipped was a "one-off" process that was quick and harmless.

"Microchips are around the size of a grain of rice," she said.

"It's very small and can be implanted by our vets very quickly.

"It doesn’t hurt the cats, it's like giving them an injection and they are then chipped for life."

Vet Tatum Stander urged pet owners to keep their personal details up to date

Tatum Stander, a vet at Bright Side Vets in Swadlincote, agreed that is "very important" for pets to be chipped and said it was important for owners to ensure their details are up to date.

"One of the worst thing you can go through is to lose your pet," she said.

"People think you get the microchip done and your details are updated automatically.

"Please make sure your phone number and address is up to date on the system or we won't be able to reunite your cat with the owner."

A 2024 report by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) said about two million cats in England had not been microchipped.

The report also showed that 54% of cat owners were not aware that cats had to be chipped in England before the change in the law.

Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer at the PDSA, said: "Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost pets.

"As we’ve seen with dog microchipping, those who are microchipped are more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner."

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