To not want to get my cat microchipped

[Geriatriccatowner]

My cat is 18. She’s an indoor cat and spends most of her days curled up on a bed.

She won’t attempt to go outside.

Why should I pay for this invasive procedure on a cat that doesn’t need it?

In your position I wouldn't bother. Leave your old cat to live out the rest of her life in peace. If she isn't an escape artist she isn't likely to start now at 18.

You can’t guarantee she won’t go outside, you may have a good idea but you don’t know for certain. She’s very old and could get confused or spooked and end up outside and lost because as you say she doesn’t go outside. Why take the risk to her when you clearly love her. That’s why you should do it. As for “why you should pay for it” surely any cost is worth it for your cat to be safe. You’re being ridiculous. As others have said it’s not invasive. It’s your responsibility as a pet owner to keep up to date and follow the laws that are put in place. It’s literally common sense. She could become unwell and need vet treatment. Chances are your vet wouldn’t report you but they might - do you “know” that as well? Get her chipped.

sunnydaysanddaydreams · Today 11:42
MrsSkylerWhite · Today 11:41

Agree with others. If she won’t be going out, no one will know anyway.

They will when she next needs the vet”

Will they? Is that what vets will be required to do? Our 4 are chipped but we’ve never been asked about it.

Seems unfair for indoor cats/owners.

You are being completely unreasonable. Are you really going to deny your cat vet care? At the age of your cat the vet should be seeing him/her every year anyway so just get it done the next time you need to go. Like so many others have said it is no more invasive than an injection.

I had a very elderly and unwell cat that never left the house until the day she did. About a week before she died she suddenly wandered off and lay in the road. A lovely person picked her up and got her to the RSPCA who scanned her chip and had her back with us within hours. It meant we got the chance to say goodbye to a much loved pet. If she hadn't been chipped we would never have known what happened to her.

YABU - it is a very minor thing to get done and something that any responsible owner would get done anyway.

I’m very much in favour of microchipping and support the new law, but the company that has a monopoly on it is a bloody racket, and that doesn’t impress me at all. Getting a bit tired of pet owners being a license to print money. I’d be fine with it being some kind of tax or social fund, but not for private profit.

Will they? Is that what vets will be required to do? Our 4 are chipped but we’ve never been asked about it.

Up until next month it hasn't been a legal requirement, so of course vets won't be checking chips. I think someone up thread said they do check now with dogs, so that's likely to start with cats too once the law comes in.

I had an indoor cat for 15 years, he was chipped. He got spooked one day and got out and went missing. I never would have thought it would happen but it did. I'm glad he was chipped so that I knew when he (or his body) were found I would know what happened. I got him back.
Also, it's not an invasive procedure. It's just like their booster jabs.

All my animals are chipped, even my rabbits, and none of them have batted an eyelid at it or had any reaction. But I wouldn’t bother doing an elderly house cat either. Unless you would need to put them in a cattery or something. The vets have never scanned any of our animals at appointments, in fact the vet said it might not be worth chipping the rabbits as they don’t usually bother scanning lost rabbits as so few have chips!

But at 18 years old any cat might well need vet care. Is the OP to deny her cat that care just because she doesn't want to get the chip done? If there is pet health insurance I expect compliance with the law will be a requirement of the policy.

Why is unfair for indoor cats? My local FB group often has people posting because their indoor cat has got out and gone missing. It happens a lot.

Vets here routinely scan cats before treating them, even when it’s just an annual vaccination.

Our vet scans to check the chip is still working every time. I think it's even more important for indoor cats to be chipped because if they did get out they wouldn't know where they were, no familiar smells etc.

Allergictoironing · Today 12:14
Will they? Is that what vets will be required to do? Our 4 are chipped but we’ve never been asked about it.

Up until next month it hasn't been a legal requirement, so of course vets won't be checking chips. I think someone up thread said they do check now with dogs, so that's likely to start with cats too once the law comes in”

Fair enough. As I said, ours are all chipped but I hadn’t actually been aware of the requirement coming in.

In that case, OP, have her done. It’s very quick, none of ours did so much as miaow so I guess it’s not too painful, either. Dollop of tuna afterwards and all will be forgotten 😁

If something happens to you, your pet could be euthanased if it isnt chipped. I was unexpectedly rushed to hospital some time ago and someone else had to go into my home to look after my dog.

Not many insurance companies want to insure cats over 18 and it’s so ridiculously high when they do. I stopped the insurance as I felt I would not give my cat any treatment to prolong his life if he became unwell (he deteriorated very quickly and had a heart attack he was 19)

The vet won’t deny care (money is involved) and what treatment would a cat of 18 have

Imagine if she one day jumps out of an open window, perhaps through fright if something startles her, or even by accident. Your poor old cat will be afraid and have no idea how to get back in again having never been outside before, she may run far away in panic to hide, and there will be no way anyone finding her to find out she is yours.

You / she have been lucky so far. I would always microchip, just in case. Very little to lose by doing it.

In the - admittedly unlikely - event she got out and was hurt then having a microchip will mean that you will be notified where she is and you'd be able to make decisions about her care, if she needs it, so much more quickly. It's of benefit to the cat, it really is.

You might know how heartbreaking it is looking for a cat which has disappeared. Night after night wandering the local streets calling her name, trying to hear any tiny mew over the sound of the traffic (hence doing it at night). Phoning all the local vets and animal sanctuaries, phoning the Council to ask if the bin men have seen a body in the road...... I've done it, hours wandering around the roads where I lived near central London, late at night and early morning. Took 3 days before I found her.

An easy injection for a microchip would have saved me and saved her, but it was before I'd even heard of microchips and no vet suggested them to me. Long time ago, but the bleakness of my heart at the time, well, I've not forgotten it.

Next time you have to taje her to the vet, have a chat with them.

It's not just about you & your cat though is it.
Lots of cats get lost or worse stolen. If / when you take your cat to the vet, they will check the microchip against the database...
Same with dogs, criminals even try to get the chip out in oder to sell them on as pets.... Same can happen to cats. Having her chipped will rule out any confusion to ownership.

How much is the fine? Less than 500? I would not bother either. Wait and see what the future brings. Put the money aside for vet care.

As people have said, it’s the law in England from next month and there only exclusion is for feral cats. It’s really no different from getting your cat vaccinated against infectious diseases - it’s just an injection - and if your cat ever was to escape then your chances of getting her back are obviously increased, particularly if she starts to get a bit confused the older she gets.

You need to be a responsible pet owner. You cannot guarantee she will never end up outside.

I'd wait until the next visit, Op, and if the vet raises it, comply

My boy is 15 and hates the vets, last time he went he was really badly affected for 3 days. I certainly wouldn't make a special visit to the vets just to be chipped

O woops, the fine is 500 sorry I misread.
Still I would indeed leave it until next time you are at the vet.

I wouldn't bother at that age. I am also not sure who is going to enforce this, I doubt vets will be reporting their customers, or there will be special enforcement officers patrolling the streets trying to lure cats to a scanner.
The only scenario I can envisage is if the cat gets lost / picked up and finds its way to the 'dog' warden and then enroute to the pound. You'd need to pay the release fee and a fine to get them back.