Cat owners could be fined £500 if they break proposed new rules

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The government has announced new rules for cat owners which could see a £500 fine if ignored. New plans would mean that all cat owners must ensure their cat is microchipped before they are 20 weeks old - the cat's details must be stored and kept up-to-date in a database.

If a cat owner is found to not have microchipped their cat, they will have 21 days to sort it out or risk facing a fine of up to £500. Read more: TUI issue update to customers on latest changes to travel rules The compulsory microchipping of cats has been a 'key manifesto commitment' according to the government.

Government figures show that there are more than 10.8 million pet cats in the UK - as many as 2.8 million are not microchipped.