Microchipping cats to become mandatory

[RustyBear]

The Queen's Speech has included an intention to make microchipping cats mandatory - not sure whether this is for all of the UK just England.

Background in this article from the Guardian last month:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/15/plans-for-compulsory-microchips-for-cats-amid-rise-of-thefts-in-uk

I don't see it as a problem tbh. All mine have been microchipped because rescues come that way as standard.

Our dogs were chipped before we brought them home.
Our kittens were chipped whilst under anaesthetic for spaying. (Not allowed out before that.)
It’s a horrid thought. But one of our old (rather poorly) cats was hit by a car. The chip meant we could be contacted and get to say goodbye/know exactly what happened.
For me it’s an animal welfare issue not a political one.

You can't have it both ways though? . Legally they're not property as they do not have to be controlled, on leads or confined, can go roam (and shit in peoples gardens without ramifications to the owner - and I say that as a cat owner myself) fight, breed and hunt and you do not legally have to report one being hit by your vehicle like you do a dog. And despite what people think, hitting a dog with a car has to be reported so the driver can seek damages from the dog owner. It's not even for the good of the dog and owner.
Cats also fuck off and move in with other people. Or they just disappear for years.

Chipping dogs is law (though never have I ever seen anyone actually get prosecuted other than professional breeders so as usual, it's only the easy targets) but chipping cats is for convenience if you cat is found by a rescue or you own a microchip cat flap.

My cat is chipped purely so I have a bawhair's chance of finding her if she goes missing.

@OhRene random cats don’t move in with me. No.
I would help rehome a cat I knew to be a stray. Flyers and chip check and appeals through press and social media showing no owner.
But I wouldn’t feed a cat that doesn’t belong to me.

@ErrolTheDragon
petslady.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/police-cat-5.jpg

It’s definitely a thing

Maybe not you @Wolfiefan but just one look at aibu and The Litter Tray tells us that many a roaming, greedy cat is immediately classed as a starving stray, promptly fed by a well intentioned person and then it doesn't go home, therefore confirming its homeless status. Chipped or not.
Cats are not loyal as a general rule.

[quote SappysCurry]@ErrolTheDragon
petslady.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/police-cat-5.jpg

It’s definitely a thing[/quote]
That's a cat detective van, not a cat detector van.

It will detect all sorts of things but only bother to tell you about fish.

😭😭
Unless it’s a red herring

Mine is chipped. He needed to be to get his passport. I would have done it anyway though.

While in essence I think that compulsory microchipping is a good thing I think this has been ill thought out.
For dogs policing of the microchips is carried out by dog wardens when stray dogs are reported. I have been present when notices have been issued giving owners 21 days to microchip their dig or they will get fined and I have chipped dogs rather than owners get the notice.
However, there is no cat warden so implementation of legislation would be impossible without funding of a body responsible for this.
I also believe that the same individuals who ignore the dog law will ignore one for cats.
It has been law since April 2017 that all puppies over 8 weeks of age are microchipped. Yet still we see unchipped puppies being sold. Equally since April 2020 it has been law that puppies and kittens should not leave their mother till they are over 8 weeks of age, but still we see 6 and 7 weeks old puppies and kittens in new homes.
We seem to be acquiring a whole raft of animal welfare laws which on the surface are very admirable, but have no real teeth.

@OhRene it’s not cats that are the problem. It’s people. We have had a couple of visiting cats. Never fed either. Found out who one belonged to. But the other was a fluffy well groomed and well fed cat with a fabulous collar. Clearly neither were strays.
If people don’t entice cats in with yummy food then they won’t move in.
I wouldn’t feed a cat unless I was sure it was in desperate need.

Good idea.
My brother lives on a busy ish road and several cats knocked over each year. It would be easier informing owners. Would also help a bit with the missing/stolen cats on fb posts.

One of my cats has many homes he visits for food. He always comes home at night though.

If people don’t entice cats in with yummy food then they won’t move in.

Based on experience, that isn't always true. Some cats will move in anyway and just go home for food.

@Etulosba they can’t move in if you don’t let them.
I found a neighbour’s cat curled up on our bed once. Took him back outside and let them know he had sneaked in just in case he did it again.

Hopefully it will stop roaming cats. Rather annoyed at the local cats using my new wildflower garden as a toilet. My dog isn't allowed to pester the neighbours, about time it was extended to cats. Put netting on your fence to prevent them getting out!

Regularly on a local vet's Facebook page there are posts about unneutered and not microchipped, or microchip details not up to date cat's brought in injured or dead. It really saddens me that pet ownership especially for cats is not taken seriously.

It also happens with found dogs with no microchip or details not up to date either and that is the law. Some people change their mobile numbers frequently and don't bother updating it with important places.

they can’t move in if you don’t let them.

Which was rather my point. Just not feeding them isn't enough.

Cats shouldn’t simply move in. Either it’s yours and you get it chipped and pay all other bills. Or it isn’t

In Grumpy's case, it is probably more accurate to say that the cat in question (TC) is trying to annexe the Grumpy land and abode as his territory and property.

And given that Grumpy has 4.5 cats the cat detector van will have no trouble picking up the purrs. Shame one isn't called 'Eric' though.

And on that score, the cat detector probably also carries the business card of the Confuse-a-Cat company.

@minniemomo

Hopefully it will stop roaming cats. Rather annoyed at the local cats using my new wildflower garden as a toilet. My dog isn't allowed to pester the neighbours, about time it was extended to cats. Put netting on your fence to prevent them getting out!

Why would it stop roaming? Mine are all microchipped. I still let them out?

This is good news. I work with a cat charity and we get so many cats in who could be reunited with their owners if they were chipped, or rather if their chip details were kept upto date which is a bigger issue.
Ultimately just like with dogs nothing will happen to those who don't bother but it will at least encourage more people to get their cats chipped and mean less end up in rescue centres.
I actually reunited a lost cat with its owner a few weeks ago thanks to its chip. Managed to trace the owner within the hour and it was back home within 2 hours of me finding it. Had been missing for 3 weeks and was quite far from home.

@Fluffycloudland77

Dh says Gove is the animal lover.

I can picture him, in the style of a second rate Blofeld, with large moggy sitting beside him.

if their chip details were kept up to date which is a bigger issue.

I was surprised that the cost of registering details was in addition to the cost of the chip.

@coogee

if their chip details were kept up to date which is a bigger issue.

I was surprised that the cost of registering details was in addition to the cost of the chip.

In general the cost of registration is included in the price of the chip particularly with more reputable companies, but it is changes to details that are charged for.

The thing that doesn’t add up for me is that cats are treated as wild animals in law. They are allowed to roam where dogs are not and can be feral where dogs may be picked up by a dog warden. How does this match up with micro chipping, what happens if they have no owner? Also cats definitely decide who their owner is and they won’t care if the chip doesn’t match where they wish to live.