A vet surgery in Bolton says the new law on microchipping cats will reunite stray cats with owners and encourage responsible cat ownership.
Vets4Pets regularly puts out appeals to help find owners of either dead or injured cats who are so often not microchipped.
One case happened on March 9 when a male, black and brown tabby wearing a neon yellow collar was found dead and brought to the surgery.
But due to no microchipping, the vet surgery is unable to find the owner, and the same goes for other stray cats found injured or lost, who are then forced to be rehomed.
Client care advisor at Vets4Pets Bolton, Charlotte Wilding, said: “I would say at least a few times a week we will have cats brought in to be scanned for a chip, sometimes sadly this is as the cat has been found deceased.
“When the cat is microchipped, we can easily contact the owners, this is especially important where the cat is unwell or deceased as of course we would like to reach the owners as soon as possible so we can help.
“It is not uncommon for unchipped cats, particularly unneutered male cats to not be claimed when they are brought in deceased.
“We have unfortunately not had an owner come forward yet for the male cat mentioned in the post from 09/03/2024.”
But a new law coming into effect on June 10, will make it a legal requirement to microchip all cats, so their owner’s details can be easily found if anything happens.
Charlotte said: “I think the new microchipping law is a really important step, as unfortunately some people don't understand the importance of microchipping their cats.
“I think by requiring all owners of cats to microchip their cats, it will hopefully mean that more stray cats that are found can be easily reunited with their owners and maybe encourage more responsible cat ownership across the country.”
Charlotte said that while indoor cats may seem fine to not be microchipped if they escape, they can easily get lost compared with an outdoor cat who knows the area, and if they are a pedigree cat, then they are more likely to be stolen.
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Vets4Pets also recommends neutering all cats as well, to help prevent wandering as many male cats get lost due to hormones when looking for a mate.
Charlotte said: “Sometimes this means the cats that are brought to us can have travelled from quite far, so the owners may not be local enough to see our posts to find their cat.”
Vets4Pets Bolton is part of a cats protection nationwide scheme which aids owners who are struggling with the financial burden of microchipping and neutering cats.
Find out more on the website.
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