Compulsory Cat Micro-Chipping
Under the Act the term Cat Keeper is the "person with whom the animal normally resides".
As of 10th June 2024 all cats must be micro-chipped and registered with an approved database.
- Cats must be implanted with a microchip before they reach the age of 20 weeks.
- Non micro-chipped cats over 20 weeks are also required to be micro-chipped.
- An imported cat must be micro-chipped within 30 days of entering the UK.
- A cat need not be micro-chipped where a veterinary surgeon certifies, on a form approved by the Secretary of State, that a cat should not be micro-chipped for reasons relating to the health of the animal. The certificate must specify the duration of non-compliance.
- Cat keepers found to have a cat without a micro-chip will have 21 days to have one implanted or may face a fine of up to £5000.
- Cat keepers not using one of the DEFRA compliant databases may face a fine of up to £500
- Cat keepers must ensure that their contact details are stored and kept up to date in a DEFRA compliant (government standard) pet micro-chipping database - for a full list of DEFRA compliant databases see below.
- Where a cat is transferred to a new keeper the new keeper must ensure that the cat’s database record is updated.