Cat owners face £500 fine if pet is not microchipped

Cat owners who have not had their pet microchipped face fines of up to £500 from Monday June 10.

Rules have come into effect in England requiring all cats aged 20 weeks and older to be microchipped. The electronic chips are inserted under the skin and contain details about the cat and its owner. They can be used to identify a pet that has been lost or stolen. Dogs are already required to be microchipped from eight weeks.

Many cat owners do not know about the new rule. A poll of 1,135 by the insurer Direct Line found that 18 per cent of owners were unaware, and 56 per cent did not know about the potential fine. Those owners who had not had their cat