Cats must be microchipped under animal care plan (U.K.)

[Judi Lynn]

By Joseph Lee & Claire Marshall
BBC News

Published 20 hours ago

Microchipping pet cats will become compulsory under a wide-ranging new animal welfare plan.

Environment Secretary George Eustice told the BBC the policy would be monitored by vets and enforced in the same way as it is for dogs, which he said has led to over 90% compliance.

The plan will also formally recognise the sentience of many animals.

But Mr Eustice said this measure was aimed at pets and livestock, rather than wild animals.

The government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare also includes measures to ban exporting live animals for slaughter, the keeping of primates as pets and importing hunting trophies. There may also be changes to the ways that animals can be confined - such as the practice of keeping them in cages.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57068182

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Dogs too, I hope.

My most recent cat, adopted nearly a yeary ago from the shelter in Santa Fe, NM, was chipped, and I registered her with me. Which is how it should be. Humans who adopted furry friends need to be responsible.

I read a couple of days ago that some who adopted dogs earlier in the pandemic are now returning them to shelters, and that makes me beyond sad. At least they are returning them, rather than abandoning them somewhere. Adopting an animal is a huge responsibility. I am one who adopted a cat during the pandemic, even knowing that in normal times I travel a lot and that may not be fully compatible with having a cat in my life. But when I resume travel again I will deal with this. Meanwhile, the cat is more important than the travel.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

3. In the beginning of this pandemic I read that people were adopting animals.

I read somewhere that a few shelters ran out of animals because of adoptions. I must admit that scared me because I knew this would be ending in one way or another and that a lot of those animals would be getting returned. It is the same thing done during Christmas, birthdays, and summers.

I worked many years at animal shelters and saw this happen over and over.

I feel sad for those animals that will be abandoned because they are no longer of any use for the people who got them.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

2. I always chip my animals.

I do not understand why people don't think of chipping their cats.