Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about cat microchipping.
To their owners, cats and other pets are cherished members of the family and I understand that their disappearance and deaths can cause a lot of distress.
I am pleased that microchipping for dogs became compulsory for animals over eight weeks of age across Scotland, England and Wales in 2016. One year after the Government introduced this policy, the Dogs Trust reported a reduction of 18 per cent in the total stray dog population. In 2016, UK local authorities collected 81,000 strays, while in 2018 this fell to 56,000.
I am also pleased that the UK Government is committed to improving the welfare of cats and has a manifesto commitment to introduce compulsory microchipping. Last year, Defra published a call for evidence on compulsory microchipping for cats, which attracted over 3,000 responses. I am aware that the responses are now being assessed, with a view to publishing the summary of these in due course. In the meantime, I would encourage all cat owners to make the sensible choice to microchip their felines, ensuring relevant records are kept up to date.
Here in Scotland this is a devolved issue, however, so it would be for the Scottish Government to come forward with its own proposals if microchipping were to be made compulsory for cats here.
I agree with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) that it is good practice for vets to scan pets presented to them in order to check details of their owner. With approximately 90 per cent of dogs estimated to be microchipped, it is second nature for many vets to perform a scan, particularly for a first time visit. This is widely practised throughout the UK. In its response to a recent petition on this issue to the UK Parliament, the UK Government said that it is considering proposals for the compulsory scanning of dogs before euthanasia by vets; this is, however, once again a devolved matter in Scotland.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Kind regards, Alister