Sector news
Myth busting Cat Microchipping
In England it became compulsory to microchip owned cats on 10June this year. A small microchip, the size of a grain of rice, is implanted under the skin between the cat’s shoulder blades and when a scanner is passed over the cat, a unique code appears which is linked to the cat and owner details on a data base. Should the cat goes missing and be handed into a vet practice or animal welfare organisation, a quick scan will enable cat and owner to be reunited promptly.
Here are some key points that summarise the legislation and the reasoning behind it:
- Only owned cats must be microchipped. Feral and free-roaming unowned cats do not have to be chipped. Try getting a scanner anywhere near a feral cat! Where possible, feral cats should be managed by being trapped, neutered and returned to their original site and should be ear-tipped (ie a 1cm section of their left ear tip should be removed surgically by a vet while under anaesthesia) to give a clear visual indication that they have been neutered.
- Cats must be chipped by 20 weeks of age. This age was selected for several reasons:
- Young kittens may be too small to chip safely.
- Cats shed their deciduous or baby teeth and their adult dentition start to erupt by around 5 months of age, so it is an easy age to identify and use for the reinforcement of this legislation.
- Most cats should be neutered before they reach puberty at 5-6 months so this will be an incentive to get cats microchipped and neutered promptly at the same time while under anaesthesia.
- The cat’s and the owner’s detail must be put on the relevant database and these details must be kept up to date. This is essential for the reunification of lost cats with their owners.
- Microchips can only be implanted by people who are sufficiently trained – vets, vet nurses and those that have undertaken a Defra-approved course.
- Local authorities have the powers of enforcement and if they discover an unchipped owned cat, the owners will be given three weeks to get the cat chipped and if they do not comply after this, they will be fined up to £500.
Myths – sorting fact from fiction
Microchipping is not proof of legal ownership, but it is classed as evidence of ownership.
- All owned cats, whether living indoors, outdoors or both must be microchipped. Indoor cats do sometimes escape and are more prone to getting disorientated and lost if they do.
- All owned cats, whether living indoors, outdoors or both must be microchipped. Indoor cats do sometimes escape and are more prone to getting disorientated and lost if they do.
- Implantation of a chip in a conscious cat is usually a quick and easy procedure in the hands of someone properly trained. It cannot be said that it is completely painless – they feel it at the time of implantation as with a vaccination, but it does not cause lasting pain and they are soon oblivious of what has happened.
- It uses technology similar to scanning barcodes, so the chip does not need a battery or power source to work. The scanner does need power.
- Many people mistakenly think that the chip can locate the cat like a GPS device. This is not true as GPS devices need a source of power to work; those available for cats must be attached to collars.
- It is not expensive to get a cat chipped. On average it’s around £25-30 which is less than one month’s pet insurance. There is help available with the cost from some animal charities for those who genuinely can’t afford this.
- The reasons for introducing compulsory microchipping in cats are somewhat different to those for dogs. The main driver with dogs was being able to identify the owners of dogs that cause a public nuisance eg are out of control, cause a road accident or are aggressive etc. The chip does mean that they can be reunited with their owner if lost but this is a secondary benefit. With cats, the predominant reason for chipping is reunification. They often get lost through being trapped in sheds, jumping in cars, becoming disoriented after being chased etc. When I worked in vet practice, we had an average of 4-5 stray cats a week brought in having been hit by cars. If we couldn’t locate the owner, it was difficult to know what to do with those cats after giving them initial treatment, if all the rescue centres were full, which was common.
- Chips last the lifetime of the cat. I know this from personal experience. The first cat I chipped in the late 80s was Oscar, my own rescued stray. Some ten years later he went missing. I tried everything to find him but to no avail. It was very distressing and I gave up hope of ever seeing him again. Three years later I got a call from one of my colleagues saying that a lady had come in asking what the lump was on her cat’s neck. It was his chip that I had implant 13 years before. She had found Oscar straying round a care home she was visiting and had taken him in. I visited him at her house but he was so happy on his cushion on his chair and was much loved so I decided it was in his best interests to remain there. It was such a relief to know that he was ok.
According to the latest Cats Protection CATS report, currently only 73% of owned cats are chipped. There doesn’t appear to have been adequate publicity about the change in the law. For those working in animal welfare here are my tips for increasing the uptake:
- Tell every owner you can at every opportunity and remind them to keep their details up to date on the database. Write articles about it, mention it in podcast, vet checks etc.
- Stress to owners that the most important reason to get it done is for the benefit of the cat and to avoid the misery of not knowing what has happened to their beloved pet, should they go missing. It’s not about government power or control.
- It’s safe, very low cost and may save their cat’s life. It’s a no brainer!