Cat chip: New legislation means Falkirk's feline pets will soon have to be microchipped by law

Large fines could also be dished out to the thousands of dog owners who have not microchipped their pets – despite it already being a legal requirement to do so.

Experts from online insurance expert Quotezone.co.uk are now urging pet owners, if they have not already done so, to microchip their dogs and register them on a national database in order to make it easier to track down lost or stolen pups.

The microchipping law for canines was put in place in April 2016 for dogs and by June 2024 will be mandatory for cats as well.

Owners are legally required to make sure their pooch is fitted with a microchip by the time they are eight-weeks-old, unless they have health conditions that prevent them from the procedure.

Owners are also responsible for updating their contact details and the dog’s microchip information on the database, as failing to do so could land them another £500 fine.

Under the UK Government’s flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the microchipping law will soon be extended to cats as well.

The number of stray cats is a rising issue, as recent research reveals that 80 per cent of cats coming into Cats Protection’s centres are not microchipped, making it very difficult to reunite them with their owners.

Under the new law, cats need to be chipped by the time they are 20 weeks old. The fines for cat owners who are caught not having microchipped their kittens will be the same as it is for unchipped dogs.

Quotezone.co.uk founder and CEO Greg Wilson said: “Microchipping increases the chance of missing pets being reunited with their owners, providing benefits for

animal welfare as well as lowering costs for animal shelters.

“Inserting a microchip only takes a moment and you can also find centres that do it for free all over the nation, so there’s really no excuse for why you shouldn’t offer your four-legged friend all the protection you can.