Cut-price cat microchipping event in Barnstaple open to all
A cat microchipping event in Barnstaple could save owners money and the risk of a £500 fine while also ensuring they can be reunited with their beloved pet if they go missing.
Cats Protection Barnstaple and Brannam Vets at Onyx Business Park on Enterprise Road in Barnstaple are joining forces on Saturday 12 September to provide cat owners with the opportunity to stay within the law and have their cats microchipped for just £10 rather than the average UK price of £20-30.
The event at the vet practice is open to all cat owners and anyone wishing to take up the offer should book by emailing admissions@barnstaple.cats.org.uk or calling 0345 371 4203.
Kim Campbell who volunteers for the charity says: “We want to ensure as many owned cats and kittens as possible from the local area are microchipped. Since the law changed in 2024 it has been a legal requirement for all cats over 20 weeks to be microchipped otherwise owners can face a £500 fine and yet we still find cats who are not chipped.”
In the Cats Protection Cats and Their Stats Report 2025 it was revealed that only 74% of cats in England are microchipped with top reasons for not chipping cited as cats not going outside (22%) or not straying or going far (20%).
Kim explains: “It is just as important to microchip cats who do not go outside or who usually stay close to home as they will have little awareness of the outside world and no scent trails to guide them home if they do slip outside or get into a car or delivery van by accident.
“Not only does a microchip help a cat be reunited if they become lost but if the worst happens and a cat is involved in a road traffic accident or killed they can be identified and the owner contacted. We hear so many stories of owners never knowing what happened to their lost cat, or cats come into care who we know have had loving owners by their condition and demeanour but with no microchip and no other indication such as listings in lost and found groups, posters or vets telling us about the missing cat, we have no way to find their owner and ultimately they have to be rehomed with somebody new.”
The charity is also reminding owners whose cats are already chipped to ensure their details are up to date. It is possible to check directly on the database linked with your cat’s chip number or a vet or rescue organisation can assist.
Microchipping involves inserting a small chip under your cat’s skin which gives the cat a unique code. The code is linked to your contact details and held securely on a microchip database. If a cat is found away from home, the chip can be scanned by a vet or rescue organisation and the details can be used to contact you. The insertion of a chip hurts no more than an injection, there is no ‘recovery’ time and the cat is unlikely to know it is there.
To find out more about Cats Protection Barnstaple or to find out more about the event go to www.cats.org.uk/barnstaple or call 0345 371 4203
