All cats need a chip on their shoulder!

Last year we took on 3 rescue kittens from the CPL. Two of them are obviously sisters from the same litter, and are fairly small and shy. The third is male and as he has grown up, I have found myself drawing parallels with both the story of the ugly duckling and the natural progression of a cuckoo chick as it gradually takes control of the nest. “Rebel”, as he was aptly named by my eldest son, has become a big, fluffy, marauding, bruiser who seems to have no fear of anything two or four legged – as all of our dogs and his supposed litter mates can testify to!

This fearlessness and the natural curiosity of the cat was nearly his undoing recently when he took it upon himself to jump into a delivery van. He then ended up going on a short tour of the locale before he was spotted lounging behind an HP printer box like an escaped convict. Luckily, the driver retraced his steps and returned Rebel to sender. However, Rebel could well have continued in the trait of an escapee and done a runner into territories unknown. Had this been the case, he would have joined the ranks of many a stray cat – roaming until hopefully picked up, and bought into a vet or rescue centre for process and packaging.

In this eventuality, at least we would have had the comfort of knowing that Rebel is microchipped, because the first thing that we do on being presented with a stray cat at the surgery is to scan for a chip. If one is present, as long as the owner’s details are current, then it is a fairly straightforward process to reunite the errant Moggy with their relieved cat servant.

It is for reasons like this that the government is implementing legislation which will make it compulsory to have all cats microchipped from 10th June 2024. Owners found not to have microchipped their cat after this date will have 21 days to have one implanted, or may face a fine of up to £500. Similar legislation has been in place for dogs since April 2016.

One thing a microchip can’t do is act as a tracking device. Unfortunately the technology is currently too small to fit in a microchip which is the size of a grain of rice. If you happen to be some kind of techno guru and think you can make this possible now, then you could make a lot of money! It’s the kind of thing that would allow you to saunter in to the dragon’s den with a justified sense of superiority and watch as Peter Jones et al try to woo you with their business connections…


Please contact us for more information or to book your pet in.