UK authorities are planning to make microchipping obligatory for house cats, The Independent reported. According to the plan, the owners of the cats will be obligated to microchip their pets by the age of 20 weeks and submit their contact details on a database - otherwise, they will be fined £500 ($660 or 584 euros).
A recent government consultation said that 99% of people support compulsory microchipping for cats, as it will allow owners to find their lost pets quicker.
The new rule will be enacted once the authorities complete an ongoing review of dog microchipping.
“As a priority, we’d like proposals to streamline the microchipping database system into a single point of entry to be accelerated. There are currently around 16 separate databases, which can pose a huge barrier to the successful reunification of pets", Malcolm Morley, junior vice-president of the British Veterinary Association, said.
According to the association, cross-checking between the databases remains difficult for vets, since they have different setups and often refuse to share data.