A coalition of animal charities is calling on the Scottish Government to introduce compulsory microchipping for cats.
Currently around 69% of owned cats in Scotland are microchipped, and the charities believe the most effective way of achieving a significant increase is by making microchipping compulsory.
The coalition, which includes Cats Protection, Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association, Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home, Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, has written to the newly-re-elected Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands, Jim Fairlie, asking him to commit to bringing in compulsory microchipping.
Compulsory microchipping for pet cats was introduced in England in 2024, putting them on a par with dogs.
Cats are naturally curious and can easily become lost, injured or inadvertently trapped in vehicles. Even cats that are kept exclusively indoors can slip outside unnoticed. A microchip significantly increases the chances of a lost or injured cat being safely reunited with its owner.
Cats Protection Scotland Cat Centre recently took in a pregnant stray whose friendly personality showed she had clearly once been a much-loved pet. Striking Ragdoll Mattel was not microchipped so, despite extensive efforts, an owner could not be traced, and she was eventually rehomed to a new family.
Alice Palombo, Advocacy and Government Relations Manager for Cats Protection said: “Around 260,000 cats in Scotland remain un-microchipped.
“Every year, animal welfare organisations take in friendly stray cats that are clearly someone’s pet, but without a microchip identifying their owner can be extremely difficult.
“This places avoidable pressure on rehoming services, occupies valuable pen space that could be used for cats in genuine need, and can ultimately result in cats being rehomed unnecessarily while their owners are left never knowing what happened to them.”
The coalition welcomed the recommendation by the Scottish Welfare Commission that microchipping and registration of owned cats is made compulsory and has offered support to the Scottish Government to enable this.
Microchipping also supports trap, neuter, vaccinate and return (TNVR) programmes by enabling owned cats to be identified quickly, allowing efforts to focus on genuinely unowned populations. This contributes to effective feral cat management and supports the conservation of the Scottish wildcat by reducing opportunities for hybridisation and disease transmission.
Alice Palombo, Advocacy and Government Relations Manager for Cats Protection added: “There’s clear public appetite for compulsory microchipping, with 76% of people in Scotland supporting its introduction.
“As well as helping reunite more cats with their owners, mandatory microchipping would bring benefits for veterinary professionals and animal welfare organisations too. We urge the Scottish Government to place this legislation high on its agenda during the current parliamentary session.”