So I’m here to remind you… that in one month’s time, you will be legally obliged to have your domestic pet cat fitted with a microchip. No doubt there will be a softer touch at first, but eventually you may be liable to a fine if your cat is found straying and does not have a microchip. I have no doubt that everyone reading this has already had their cat chipped.
Next stage – people are finding strayed cats right now in Braintree and Sible Hedingham and Sudbury and probably all over the country. Some have no microchip and are taken in to rescue centres that are already overstretched; others have a microchip but the contact details are out of date. Please – if your cat has a chip, check the chip databases and make sure that they have your current contact details. It might just bring your cat home.
I’ve included that photo of a ginger tomcat because the owner offered us the chance to tell its story. That cat was Jaffa, a typical ginger tom – feisty and adventurous all his life. At eight years old, he set off to see the world (Bocking, Gosfield, Sible Hedingham… as far as his paws would take him). He was gone for six months initially, before his owner’s persistence and a stroke of luck brought him home. She took him to the vet and asked for him to have a microchip. And yes, he set off again, but his chip always brought him home.
Check the databases – Petlog and Identibase are the main ones – make sure they have your details. Make sure your cat gets his chance to come home.
