Animal welfare charity, Cats Protection, has called for the mandatory microchipping of cats after figures show that two in three stray felines are never reunited with their owners.
Around 7,000 strays had to be found new homes last year via Cats Protection because they had no form of identification. The charity is urging the Government to change the law to ensure this number is reduced in the future.
The plea comes at the start of National Microchipping Month (June) and is included in Cats Protection’s 2022 Agenda for Cats, which urges politicians from all parties to support measures to protect cats from abandonment, harm and neglect if they are elected in the coming General Election.
“We know from our research that less than a third of pet cats are microchipped and one in four have no identification at all,” explained Cat Jarvis from Cats Protection.
“If all cats were microchipped the chances of reuniting missing cats with their owners would be greatly increased, leading to many more happy reunions.
“Legislation relating to the compulsory microchipping of dogs came into force last year so we are asking the Government to now turn its attention to cats.”
As part of its campaign, Cats Protection is urging cat owners to ‘chip their pets and keep their records up to date so they are able to reunite more missing moggies with their owners.
The charity’s latest video promoting the benefits of microchipping is available to view here. To find out more about the benefits of microchipping or Cats Protection’s 2022 Agenda for Cats please visit www.cats.org.uk.
