I have today written to Lord Goldsmith, Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to confirm my support for the compulsory microchipping of cats.
This is further to conversations in July and in October last year with Cats Protection - the UK's leading cat charity - on the importance of microchipping.
In December, the Government launched a consultation on its plans to introduce compulsory cat microchipping in England and how it could be implemented in December. The consultation runs until 5pm on 17 February, and I would encourage everyone who loves cats and has a view on this to respond.
You can find more details of the consultation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cat-and-dog-microchipping-and-scanning-in-england
Research by Cats Protection shows that a staggering 2.6 million owned cats across the UK remain unchipped. Compulsory microchipping of pet cats will improve the welfare for millions of cats and I know would be welcomed by cat owners across the UK.
Sadly, this has an all too relevant local angle given the recent spate of horrific cat killings in our local area, and I continue to work with the South London Animal Investigation Network (SLAIN) and the RSPCA to look at how we can encourage the Police to formally reopen the investigation.
You can read a copy of my letter to Lord Goldsmith below, and please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance on this or any other issue.
Photo by Yerlin Matu on Unsplash.