Millions of cat owners could be forced to use a pet microchip | the cats

[ad_1]

Millions of cat owners could be forced to microchip their pets, as legislation to make it a legal requirement is expected to be introduced in the “coming weeks”.

The long-awaited proposals are likely to be brought to Parliament soon as MPs consider a petition asking drivers to stop when a cat is run over, according to Transport Secretary Richard Holden.

Organizations including Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and Blue Cross have called for a law that would force drivers to report hitting a cat, but Holden claimed microchipping is the best way to reunite owners of dead pets.

“Cats tend to wander unaccompanied and are most likely to go out at night,” Holden said. Drivers may also not realize that in some cases they have run into cats, small animals very similar to rabbits or other wild animals, who can also cross roads late at night.

“There are also risks associated with stopping to check whether the animals are alive, especially if they are very young animals.

“A law that makes reporting a road collision involving a cat a condition would be difficult, especially when members across the House have suggested that might be in terms of hundreds of thousands of such accidents being brought forward a year.”

The proposed measures are part of a renewed effort to further raise animal welfare standards in the UK.

Pet ownership has boomed during lockdown, and it’s estimated that 2.6 million cats – more than a quarter of the UK’s feline population – are not microchipped. A previous call for evidence showed that 99% of participants supported the practice.

Microchipping is the painless insertion of a chip, generally about the size of a grain of rice, under the skin.

When an animal is found, scanning the chip – which contains a unique serial number – means the owner registered in a database can be identified and the pet can be quickly reunited with it.

Dog owners are likely to face the same penalties as dog owners if they break the law. If local authorities discover a dog without a microchip, owners will have to fit one dog within 21 days or be fined up to £500.

This comes after a reported increase in the number of stolen cats, with data showing the number of cases rising during the pandemic. Police data showed that cat thefts nearly tripled in the five years to April 2021.

Labor MP Tonya Antoniazi said many people consider cats “part of the family”, adding: “This, combined with their independent nature, their curiosity and aloofness have helped them to be one of our favorite pets.”

Under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, drivers are required to stop and report incidents of striking livestock or work animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs.

Changing the law would be simple, Conservative MP James Daley said, telling MPs: “You simply add a word to the legislation, which is the word ‘cat’. Then we’ll fulfill what was said.”

He added, “As much as we love goats, we should not differentiate between animals in terms of value.”

[ad_2]