Written question WQ100159
- Asked by
- Vikki HowellsLabour
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What consideration has the Welsh Government given to a single, searchable microchip database for cat microchipping?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability (Llyr Gruffydd)
By law, all dogs in Wales must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database by eight weeks of age. While microchipping cats is not mandatory in Wales, it remains good practice and an important part of responsible pet ownership. We encourage all cat owners in Wales to have their cats microchipped, and for dog and cat owners to keep their details up to date. Microchipping improves traceability when animals are lost, stolen, or involved in road traffic incidents, and provides the best chance of being reunited with their owner.
Cross-government efforts to improve the operation of microchip databases and assess the feasibility of establishing a single search portal are ongoing.