Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to introduce compulsory microchipping of owned cats.

The Government encourages owners to microchip their cats. However, we do not consider that it is necessary to introduce compulsory microchipping of cats because the risks associated with stray cats are not as high as those associated with stray or displaced dogs.