Cat Owners in the United Kingdom Could be Required to Microchip Pets Due to New Legislation

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10 Downing Street, in London, on October 25, 2022

A recent report said that new legislation could require cat owners in the United Kingdom (UK) to put a microchip on their pets.

Cats are one of the most loved pets in a home in the UK. Million cat owners treat them as family members and friends.

According to research published by Washington State University, cats have helped reduce stress for students. In addition, many researchers support that petting cats and dogs are efficient in dealing with stress in life.

Having pets, like cats and dogs, could offer a stress-relieving feeling and share with physiological benefits. The contribution of cats to family members is important.

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Cats having microchips

In the United Kingdom, The Guardian's recent report noted that cats could be required to have a microchip, making it a legal requirement for pet owners.

The Guardian explained that the cases of cats stolen and missing revealed increased, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report noted cats being stolen increased threefold in the last five years.

The microchip could help cat owners locate missing cats and avoid selling on the black market. In addition, microchipping could help improve the country's animal welfare as cat theft cases soared.

During the pandemic with lockdowns, pet ownership rose, and cats without microchips reached a whopping 2.6 million.

The report added that microchipping would be the best resort instead of requiring drivers to report if they hit a cat.

According to Richard Holden, transport minister, drivers, especially at night, might not notice if they collide or run over a cat.

Holden explained that stopping in to check on animals would be dangerous.

Microchipping of pets has been important to locate if they become missing, stolen or roam around. People could easily identify them, and owners could find them.

The report said that the process of microchipping is considered harmless and painless, which is the rice grain size. In addition, the microchip will have a unique serial number, which the owners can easily discover.

In the United Kingdom, owners of dogs could be penalized if dogs have no microchips.

Helping pet owners

The new legislation could address the problem of missing pets because cats like to roam around, and some suffer from road accidents or are being taken away.

The report also noted that it would be hard to enforce the law requiring drivers who hit cats to stop and help cats.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that MPs supported making drivers accountable for reporting cats being struck on the roads.

BBC added that Cats Matter said that about 230,000 cats a year suffer from road collisions in the country, noting the importance of saving them as some accidents could become fatal.

In the United Kingdom, the report said that drivers must report if they collide with working animals, including pigs, cows, horses or dogs.

However, the law does not apply to cats, which groups are urging to have the same rule.