1 Apr 2024
There will be new challenges and opportunities for veterinary practices when a change in the law comes into force on 10 June that will mean all cats in England have to be microchipped. In this article, the author explains everything you need to know about the process…
Tammie O’Leary
Job Title
Image © iStock.com / Manuta
In 2016 it became a legal requirement for dogs to be microchipped in all UK nations, and that the keepers’ contact details are kept up to date on a DEFRA-compliant database.
From 10 June this year, it will be compulsory that owned cats in England are microchipped and registered in the same way¹.
Battersea Dogs and Cats home reported in its “Compulsory Microchipping – Is it working?” 2023 report that, when fully microchipped correctly, 90% of dogs were able to be reunited, compared with 41% of dogs that were not microchipped as the regulations require². This provides confidence that the microchipping and registration process works well when those involved are compliant.
Cats Protection’s “Cats and their Stats” (CATS) UK annual report 2023 found that an estimated 8 million cats are microchipped (73%), while 3 million (27%) are potentially not microchipped. The top reasons for not being microchipped are that the cat doesn’t go outside (27%), the cat doesn’t stray or go far (18%) and the keepers hadn’t thought about it (14%)³.
As we know, even with the best of intentions, cats can leave their place of residence and become lost. It is not for the sector to police microchipping, but to advise and direct clients accordingly. It is, therefore, important that practices and charities provide relevant, up-to-date information about complying with their legal obligations and make them aware of the potential consequences of not adhering to the law and the stress caused by not keeping contact details up-to-date.
With the new cat regulations coming into force in June, we can segregate the areas that require attention into two sectors – pre and post-registration.
This area includes educating cat keepers* and breeders about the benefits and requirements to microchip cats in their care and by what age.
This can be achieved through different methods:
The pet protection journey does not end once the keeper has taken the first step to have their pet microchipped. Correct registration is essential to ensure that if a pet’s microchip was ever scanned, the keeper would be contacted quickly.
Did you know, on average, nearly 13,000 pets registered with Identibase go missing each year in the UK⁴? No one wants to think about their pet going missing, but it happens more than people might think. With nearly 9,000 of these pets registered with the database getting reunited with their keepers⁵, it leaves a considerable number of pets left to fend for themselves or worse should the details be incorrect on the microchip.
In 2022, 59% of cats that came into Battersea Dogs and Cats Home did so without a microchip, and due to issues such as inaccurate database records, its team was only able to reunite 7% of cats². The stress caused by the “unknown” when a pet goes missing can be minimised by making sure contact details are always correct.
Time is a valuable commodity and, therefore, different registration options are available that can save time. These include:
Except for self-registration, all other options require the keeper to log in to their database account, check their contact details are correct and verify their pet. Sadly, all too often we hear that a pet has been found, it is microchipped and either the microchip is not registered, or the contact details are incorrect delaying the pet and keeper from being reunited. A small amount of time invested in administration can provide peace of mind to the keeper.
There have been incidents where the keepers have left practices understanding that their pet is registered, but it is not clear to them that they are required to do any more. This results in the registration not being completed, thereby delaying the pet being reunited with its keeper should the pet ever become lost. Battersea reported that 34% of inaccurate records seemed to be due specifically to new keepers not registering a newly acquired dog on a database². There is, therefore, the opportunity to reinforce the importance of acting straight away with potentially an increased number of cats being microchipped in England in 2024. With the majority of cats being free roaming, there is also an increased likelihood of a cat being “lost” than a dog.
It is the keeper’s responsibility to make sure registration is complete. Instructions are, therefore, useful in practice and details can often be found in the microchip packaging. Providing information at the time of implantation or at reception will help guide keepers as to the next steps.
It is important that keepers are aware of which database their pet’s microchip is registered on so they can update contact details as needed. In the 2023 PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, 60% of veterinary professionals stated that they had experienced keepers’ details not being up-to-date on microchip databases – 62% of cat keepers (5.1 million cats) whose cat had been microchipped did not know what database their cat’s microchip was registered on, which was slightly higher than dog keepers (58%).
It also reported that 51% of veterinary professionals had seen pets that were microchipped, but not registered to any databases⁶.
Compliance is integral to a successful reunification outcome should a pet go missing. A lost pet causes heartfelt stress. The experience can be improved on with the peace of mind that when the pet is found, the keeper is immediately traceable. If a client has never had a cat or dog before, this journey of essential identification will be unknown to them and the time to discuss what is involved or providing materials in puppy and kitten packs will be of great help. Providing breeders with clear instructions as to their responsibilities and what information to provide to new keepers is important. Microchip suppliers and databases should provide this information for implanters to share.
Cost is another factor of concern when it comes to registration and/or transfer of keepership. It is important that veterinary professionals understand how the microchip database works to inform clients on what they can expect to be charged going forward. Currently, 22 DEFRA-compliant databases are listed on www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-cat-microchipped
Keepers can be fined up to £500 if a dog is registered on a database that is not on the list. The same fine will apply to cat registrations from 10 June 2024. It is worth informing keepers about this, as often there is a perception that they have registered with a database and they have taken the responsible action. Sadly, non-DEFRA compliant databases are being promoted and it is not clear to the keeper they have registered incorrectly and could still be fined. Providing an FAQ page on the vet practice website on the microchipping and registration journey is a worthwhile task.
* The word “keeper” is used in this article because a pet does not always reside with its owner.
