Martin Lewis issues one month warning to millions of cat owners in the UK

Martin Lewis has warned cat owners across the UK that there will a be new law in place that will pertain to you and your feline friend.

Cats on the whole are cheaper to take care of compared to dogs, and tend to require less attention from humans.

But if you don't comply to the new legal requirement, you could be slapped with a hefty fine.

What is the new law?

Lewis shared a warning to cat owners in his most recent weekly Money Saving Expert newsletter, as 10 June marks a change in requirements.

The financial expert explained: "From Monday June 10, by law, in England (doesn’t apply to rest of UK) all cats aged 20+ weeks must be microchipped and registered on a database (it became law for dogs in 2016). Yet over 20 percent aren’t yet."

According to a report from the PSDA, a whopping 24 percent of adults in the UK own a cat, which works out at over two million un-chipped cats in England, leaving all of these owners at risk of a fine.

All cats need to be microchipped by 10 June. (Getty Stock Image)

What if you can't get it done by the deadline?

Despite the law coming into play on 10 June, the government is allowing 21 days of leeway for owners to get their pet microchipped, meaning that the real deadline is 1 July.

Cats Protection states that getting your cat microchipped costs anywhere between £20 and £30, depending on type of microchip and the vet you use.

But if you miss the deadline, you could be paying over 20 times that with a £500 fine or, even worse, you could be stripped of your ability to make a claim on your pet insurance.

Could my cat already be chipped?

There is a chance that the cost may be covered in your adoption fee if your cat is a rescue, but it is highly unlikely if it isn't.

Some vets also include a microchip within their health plans, while microchip companies offer free insurance, making the purchase worthwhile.

If you can't afford to pay the full fee, you might be able to get your cat microchipped for a cut-price or for free from your local council, cat charity or rescue centre.

Still unsure? Speak to your vet, Blue Cross, the RSPCA or a cat charity for further details and advice on what to do.

Martin Lewis has urged cat owners to get their pets chipped. (ITV)

What does getting microchipped mean?

According to Petplan, a microchip is an electronic chip, around the size of a grain of rice, that is planted under your pet's skin and has a unique number that can be read by a scanner.

Essentially, if your pet goes missing, it will be easier to find them as they can be scanned and returned home quickly, as your information will be on the microchip.

It is a quick procedure, which hurts as much as an injection, and is placed between the animal's shoulder blades.

The only thing owners will have to worry about is keeping information on the chip up to date so you can be reachable if your pet goes missing.

If you re-home your cat, you'll need to contact your microchip database to change the details on there to be the new owner's, passing on permissions to edit information on the chip to them.

Following the legislation being passed last year, Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss stated: "Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost pets.

"As we’ve seen with dog microchipping, those who are microchipped are more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner."

Topics: Cats, Martin Lewis, Money, Animals, UK News

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

@joshnair10