Chipping and registering all cats before they are 12 weeks old will become obligatory in the Brussels region. This was announced by the State Secretary for Animal wellbeing, Bianca Debaets. This should help to reduce the number of cats euthanized in shelters, the press release said.
In 2014, the Brussels region ruled cats that were sold or changed owner had to be chipped, registered and sterilised. Now, all cats born after this ruling will have to be chipped and registered. They will have a mini-chip implanted.
“There are numerous advantages to a centralised system for cats. For example, an owner will be able to find their missing cat much quicker. It will also help to crack down on the number of people who abandon their cat.
Eventually, it should help control the population of stray cats. Unfortunately, right now, 36% of the cats taken in by shelters have to be euthanized. That’s a total of 900 cats, for the Brussels region alone”, said Mrs Debaets.
(Source: Belga)
