CATS in England must be microchipped by law from June 10, a Hampshire veterinary practice has warned. 

By this date, owners must chip cats before they reach 20-weeks-old, with their contact details stored in a pet database.

Those who ignore the law risk a £500 fine after a 21-day grace period. A PDSA report found just 54 per cent of cat owners know the new law. Approximately, 2.4 million cats in England remain unchipped.

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Vet James Poff of Cedar Vets, which has a practice in Alton, said: "Every week we see cats that are lost or have been involved in accidents, and when they have a microchip, it makes it much easier to reunite them with their owners.

"Without a microchip, all too often cats end up in rehoming centres, which are often flooded with lost cats. Many of these were once beloved pets, but if they haven’t got a microchip, it can be difficult to find their owners, who are left wondering what happened to them.

"Each chip has a unique serial number and whenever a lost pet is brought into us, we can scan it and cross-reference it against a pet database to obtain the owner’s details. However, this also means it’s vital that owners remember to update their details if they move house or change their phone number."