Cat owners in Essex face new microchipping laws from today
It comes eight years after the legislation was introduced for dogs
Cats in Essex must be microchipped from today as a new law comes into force.
The new rules mean that cats must be microchipped before they reach the age of 20 weeks with only unowned cats, like feral and community cats, being exempt.
Their contact details must also be stored and kept up to date in a Government approved pet microchipping database.
While the legislation is to be enforced from today, Cats Protection estimates up to 200,000 cats in the East of England are yet to be microchipped.
Annabel Birdy from Cats Protection said: "If those cats had been microchipped when they came into our care or into a vet, someone would have been able to scan them and reunite them with their owner by calling the owner and telling them they had their cat. Instead it's often very very difficult if not impossible to reunite that cat."
"The microchip is around the size of a grain of rice, it sits just under the cats skin, causes absolutely no pain or discomfort, and quick to do and minimal cost usually around £10-£30."
Hayley Heley, Operations Manager at Cats Protection in the East of England, said: What microchipping will do is it will allow us to encourage responsible cat ownership and to encourage people to be responsible for cats in their care and to make sure that all of their welfare needs are met."
"We know that cats wander and are obviously free roaming a lot more than dogs, so therefore it's really important that we do see that happen."
"With any legislation, these things do take time to ensure that that we can make something that's going to work and be right for for cats and their owners, and to give people enough time to be able to microchip their cats as well."
Chloe Mackintosh is a vet from Essex, working at Romford PDSA as Head Vet Nurse. She said: "Last year alone there'd only really been a 3% increase in the population of cats now currently microchipped. The report even found just over half of cat owners were not aware that cats had to be microchipped by this deadline."
"There's been lots of stories in the news of even delivery drivers finding cats in their vans, and its really very common for unneutered cats to go wandering as well, and the dangers of that is running into not so friendly people, other animals, road traffic accidents."
If owners have missed the 10th June deadline, there is a 21 day grace period to make sure pets are microchipped, or they risk a fine of up to £500.
Currently the law is only in England. Cats Protection are continuing to campaign for the laws in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.