A quarter of cat owners could be at risk of a fine from June 10th
Experts at Go.Compare pet insurance are warning cat owners in England to make sure that their feline friends are microchipped before new regulation comes into force
From June 10th 2024, all cats in England must be microchipped and registered on a database by the time they reach 20 weeks old.*
With just under two months to go, the experts at Go.Compare Pet Insurance are reminding cat owners to make sure they are ready for the new regulations to come into effect.
Data from the comparison site has revealed that 22% of cats across the UK aren’t microchipped, meaning that once new regulation begins in England, these owners could be liable for a fine of up to £500.**
The new Government regulation requires all cats over the age of 20 weeks to be microchipped by a trained professional such as a vet or local rescue and rehoming centre. Microchips store data about your pet on a database, making it easier to access essential information about your pet on routine check-ups and can help vets get in contact with you if your pet is found. Details stored include:
- Your pet's unique ID number
- Your name
- Your home address
- Your mobile number
- Your email address
Rhys Jones, pet insurance spokesperson commented, “With this new legislation approaching, we want to encourage as many cat owners as possible to get their cats booked in to be microchipped. We know that many pet owners will have already got their cats microchipped, but for those who haven’t, it will become the law as of June 10th. As well as the risk of a fine, should the worst happen and your pet becomes lost or stolen, it makes it very hard to reunite them with their owner unless they’re microchipped
“Losing a pet is a traumatic experience – whether your cat hasn’t returned home, or your dog has run-off and you can’t find them. But if someone does find your pet, and then takes them to a vet, they can find your details with a quick scan of its microchip. Since 2016, puppies have to be microchipped by eight weeks of age and registered with the breeder as the first keeper. The microchip number and details of the dog must be registered on a Government-compliant database.
So with just two months left until the new regulation begins for cats in England, it’s the perfect time to book your pet in to get microchipped. It’s an inexpensive procedure, and is fairly simple and quick to do.”
For more information, visit here: https://www.gocompare.com/pet-insurance/
Contact Information
Rubie Barker
Notes to editors
**Based on all quotes for cat insurance in 2023 through Go.Compare.
For further information please contact:
Lynsey Walden on lynsey.walden@Gocompare.com, or Kath Chadwick on Kathryn.chadwick@Gocompare.com.
Keep up-to-date with Go.Compare on Twitter; @Go.Compare
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.Go.Compare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.