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Cats left out in the cold by proposed compulsory microchipping scheme
Added: (Mon Oct 05 2009)
Last week both the Labour and Conservative parties declared their support for a new scheme that would see every dog in the UK being implanted with a microchip. But Nick Carpenter, the founder of lost pets website – www.animalfinders.co.uk thinks it doesn’t go far enough.
The scheme will make it compulsory for dog owners to have their pooches microchipped which should help to reduce the amount of stray dogs that end up in the hands of animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust. For many years now microchips have been the best way to identify an animal, the chip being injected under the pets skin usually between the shoulder blades. Every microchip has a unique code and the owners contact details are stored on a database against that code.
Nick Carpenter thinks that more could be done, “We think that compulsory chipping for dogs is a great idea, but we believe it should be extended to cats as well”, says Nick.
He continues, “The way we live with cats is very different to the way we live with dogs. Cats are generally free to come and go as they please, and as such, they are prone to getting lost and injured or killed on the roads. At Animal Finders we see far more reports for missing cats than any other type of pet”.
Since the launch of its beta test earlier this year, the Animal Finders website has received a vast number of reports of lost and found pets in the Oxfordshire area. Around 80% of these reports concern cats and many of these have not been chipped.
If a cat isn’t chipped and it’s not wearing a collar with a tag there is no way to identify it and trace its owner. In these cases, efforts have to be made to find new homes for these strays.
The local Cats Protection branches in Oxfordshire are already overrun with stray cats seeking new homes. Many of these will have owners that are missing them, but they can’t be found.
Animal Finders have seen two cases in Oxfordshire where cats have been put down because the owners were not traceable. Both of these cats were elderly and had health issues but we’re much loved companions and family pets. Sadly, the owners found out about the fate of their pets after it was too late. If they had been chipped, this would never have happened.
“Making microchipping compulsory for cats and dogs would greatly reduce the burden on many animal welfare organisations and prevent unnecessary stress and suffering for both lost pets and their owners”, says Nick. “I just hope that the politicians consult with organisations like us who are on the front line of the lost and found problem to ensure that all the problems that could be solved by this scheme are solved by this scheme.” he concluded.
Further information:
Please call Nick Carpenter on 01869 357116
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Notes for editors:
About Animal Finders
AnimalFinders.co.uk is operated by Animal Finders Ltd. It’s a website where lost, stolen and found animals can be reported for free. These reports are displayed on an interactive map.
The website uses a sophisticated notifications system to automatically notify relevant organisations in the local area. It also operates ‘Local Pet Watch’ – a network of geo-mapped volunteers who are notified by email and SMS when animals are reported missing in their vicinity.
The concept for the website was devised by Nick Carpenter after he experienced difficulties trying to find his missing cat, Cooper.
Dedicated Animal Finders websites are in place for 20 towns in Oxfordshire with a national rollout planned for the next 12-18 months.