Millions of cat owners face £500 fine if they don't microchip their pets as from today UK

hollydolly

hollydolly

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Millions of cat owners face paying a hefty £500 fine if their pet is not microchipped under new laws in force from today.

More than two million cats in England are not microchipped, according to an animal charity, just two days before a new law makes it compulsory.

The legislation makes it compulsory for every pet cat in England to be chipped before the age of 20 weeks.

Ministers hope the scheme will help reunite thousands of lost pets with their owners and deter pet theft.

But of the estimated 9million pet cats in England, up to 2.2million are still not chipped, according to data from the animal charity Cats Protection. Owners found not to have microchipped their pet will have 21 days to have one implanted or face a fine of up to £500.

Millions of cat owners face £500 fine if they don't microchip pets
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Yep no doubt there will be a lot of people who will ignore this new law and then deny a cat that's been found is theirs.. all for the sake of £20...
 

Since my cats 🐈‍⬛ 🐈 come from a shelter, they were chipped. All my cats have been strictly indoor cats though. Most pet cats around here are. Down the street is a house with cat doors on their garage, and their cats wander. Are U.K. cats more likely to go outdoors? If so, sure, they need chips, but I would never let my cats outdoors. They are not allowed!

Owning a pet costs a fortune these days.
 
hollydolly said:
Yep no doubt there will be a lot of people who will ignore this new law and then deny a cat that's been found is theirs.. all for the sake of £20...
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Unfortunately yes. But there are also cat owners who prefer to invest their money in alcoholics and cigarettes instead of their cats.
15 years ago the cat of our neighbors (to clarify this, they didn't belong to the mentioned alcohol and cigarette people) moved into our house. The first we did was bringing her to a vet for a general examination and getting her chipped.
 
George1959 said:
Unfortunately yes. But there are also cat owners who prefer to invest their money in alcoholics and cigarettes instead of their cats.
15 years ago the cat of our neighbors (to clarify this, they didn't belong to the mentioned alcohol and cigarette people) moved into our house. The first we did was bringing her to a vet for a general examination and getting her chipped.
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there's also a lot of people who are just too mean to pay for whatever reason.. sadly...

I wonder also about those people.. usually not always elderly folks whose homes are over-run by cats... well meaning but usually quite neglected..
 
hollydolly said:
there's also a lot of people who are just too mean to pay for whatever reason.. sadly...

I wonder also about those people.. usually not always elderly folks whose homes are over-run by cats... well meaning but usually quite neglected..
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Sad but true.
 
Forgive my naïveté, but please explain the rationale behind the legal obligation to microchip cats in Britain. It's obviously taken extremely seriously.

In my part of the world, haven't heard about the eco/social/economic utility of chipping cats. I live in the countryside, and if people don't care for their cats and keep them well, then predators trim the small-feline population.
 
This is a little off-topic, but the French writer Charles Baudelaire published his collection of poems "Les Fleurs du Mal" (Flowers of Evil) in 1857 (1st edition). It contains the poem "Le Chat" (The Cat). He must have been a great cat lover.

Le Chat

Viens, mon beau chat, sur mon coeur amoureux;
Retiens les griffes de ta patte,
Et laisse-moi plonger dans tes beaux yeux,
Mêlés de métal et d'agate.

Lorsque mes doigts caressent à loisir
Ta tête et ton dos élastique,
Et que ma main s'enivre du plaisir
De palper ton corps électrique,

Je vois ma femme en esprit. Son regard,
Comme le tien, aimable bête
Profond et froid, coupe et fend comme un dard,

Et, des pieds jusques à la tête,
Un air subtil, un dangereux parfum
Nagent autour de son corps brun.

The following is not the literal translation but an adaptation:

The Cat

Snuggle on my chest, my pretty beast,
Hold in your claws, allow my eyes
On yours, metallically green, their feast
Of wonderment and calm surprise.

My fingers, gently, leisurely, now swerve
Along your back, relaxed in fur;
Electric now the thrill of your sleek curve,
And peace resounding in your purr.

I see my woman here, my lovely pet,
Within that gaze, seductive, cold,
Ambiguous, and yet so subtly bold,
I think her softness hides some threat,
As, brown as earth, her flesh exudes a doom,
A sweet but dangerous perfume.

— Edward Eriksson

This version and other translations here:

Le Chat (The Cat) by Charles Baudelaire
 
hollydolly said:
there's also a lot of people who are just too mean to pay for whatever reason.. sadly...

I wonder also about those people.. usually not always elderly folks whose homes are over-run by cats... well meaning but usually quite neglected..
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The people I have met who let their cats be outdoors/indoors cats usually don't mean them any harm. They see cats as survivors, having 9 lives, able to get themselves out of any trouble.

Then there are a bunch of stray cats in our area. You have to be a real hero to get one of those accustomed to living indoors. Most of them do not adjust easily.

What many people have done, if they can afford it, is build Catios - structures attached to a door or window opening where their cats can freely go in or out but never get into the street. Catio — Cats Safe at Home. These are large, but there are also ready-made small ones.
 
JBR said:
Forgive my naïveté, but please explain the rationale behind the legal obligation to microchip cats in Britain. It's obviously taken extremely seriously.

In my part of the world, haven't heard about the eco/social/economic utility of chipping cats. I live in the countryside, and if people don't care for their cats and keep them well, then predators trim the small-feline population.
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I posted a link with the OP ....(y)
 
Perhaps they should offer free in home chipping if the demand it then. This seems extreme.

My last 2 were not chipped. Strictly indoors. These two are chipped, also strictly indoors.
 
hollydolly said:
I can.. what use are they TBH.... I know people love their cats.. but really.. what actual use are they ?
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I think you must be a dog person, HollyDolly. But cats have many health benefits to seniors as well. The cats we have had, some actually could be mistaken for dogs. We call our cats (without food in hand) and they come to us. They are cuddly. They can sense when you are not happy. Many a time, when I had a bad day at work, my kitty would come and snuggle with me without me calling her/him. Same with hubby. We have played catch with our cats. Throw a ball and they would bat the ball to us and we would continue this game for awhile! :)
 
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