Although microchipping dogs has been mandatory in our country for years, the same was not the case with cats. Until relatively recently, microchipping cats was only mandatory in four autonomous communities: Andalusia, Cantabria, Catalonia, Galicia and Madrid. But this paradigm changed on September 29, with the entry into force of Law 7/2023 on the Protection of Animal Rights and Welfare.
This legal text has the objective of putting an end to animal abuse and abandonment, as well as establishing certain regulations for responsible pet ownership. Among its new developments, highlights include the toughening of penalties and sanctions for mistreating or abandoning an animal, the regulation of the breeding and sale of pets and the limitation on the time in which a pet can be left alone at home, among other changes.
This is a question that many kitten owners ask themselves and the answer is yes. Since the entry into force of the Animal Welfare Law, it is mandatory for cats to be identified with a microchip. It is a small device that is injected into the animal's skin and carries a number made up of 15 digits.
The Civil Guard, the Police, veterinary centers, shelters and authorized shelters can read this microchip and consult the data it reflects: name, breed and sex of the animal, as well as specifications on its coat and eye color. , or the presence of any birthmark; Contact details of the owner – name, address, telephone number and email – and the veterinarian who was in charge of placing the chip on the feline.
In this regard, it is important that we keep the information associated with the microchip up to date. If the ownership of the animal is transferred to another person, or if its owner changes address or telephone number, we must modify said data in the animal's chip.
And the purpose of the microchip is to identify the owner of the animal in order to return it to them in case it is lost or misplaced, or to identify it if the animal is abandoned. This way, cat owners can feel more confident about letting their four-legged friends go outside.
It is necessary to microchip the cat from 3 months of age at the veterinarian. If you do not do so, the owner is exposed to a financial penalty of between 10,000 and 50,000 euros.
