Media release from Cats Protection

13 April 2011

Cat charity calls for compulsory cat microchipping

Further to the news released today that only a quarter of the UK’s eight million cats are microchipped, Cats Protection is urgently calling for compulsory microchipping of all pet cats.

The UK’s leading feline welfare charity says that two in three cats taken into its care are not microchipped, costing the organisation over £190,000 to microchip them.  

Further, the charity ends up dealing with around 40 ownership disputes per year – the majority of which involve cats handed in as strays that are not microchipped.  

This situation puts major financial and time constraints on the charity, which has its hands full looking after over 7,000 unwanted cats at any one time.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is for cats to be microchipped,” said Peter Hepburn, Cats Protection’s Chief Executive. “The heartache and upset that a lost cat can cause is immense, as is the suffering to the cat. It could be so easily solved by a tiny ‘chip that is no bigger than a grain of rice.

“When a cat comes into our care, the first thing we do is look for some sort of identification, including scanning for a ‘chip. In a lot of cases, there is no ‘chip so then we have no option but to trawl lost and found registers and to advertise the cat as missing. However, this is a very time consuming process with no guarantee that we will ever locate the owner, despite the best efforts of our volunteers and staff.

“It is a heartbreaking experience when an owner loses their beloved pet and is never reunited with them. Making sure a cat is easily identifiable is vital to increase the chances of a happy reunion so, if compulsory microchipping was brought in, many of these problems would be solved.”

Microchipping is a simple procedure, no more painful than an injection, and can be performed by a vet or other specially-trained personnel. A small microchip, containing a unique identification number, is inserted under the cat’s skin between his shoulder blades. The number is linked to a database containing details of the pet, as well as the owner’s contact details. When a scanner detects the microchip, a simple phone call can ascertain the owner’s details and the pet can then be quickly returned home. However, it is very important pet owners keep their details up to date so owners should check their certificate which will tell them how to do this.

Cats Protection is part of the Alliance for Compulsory Microchipping (The Alliance), which brings together a large number of animal welfare charities, assistance dog organisations, veterinary authorities, microchipping pressure groups and the Communication Workers Union to jointly campaign for the introduction of compulsory microchipping.

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and helps over 215,000 unwanted cats each year through a national network of 256 volunteer-run branches and 30 Adoption Centres each year.