Cat owners will be made to microchip cats under new rules announced by the UK Government in which pet owners could be fined up to £500 if they don't comply.
People will be required to microchip cats by the time their pets reach 20 weeks old.
The new rule will be enacted once an ongoing government review about dog microchipping is completed.
Any changes to dog microchipping rules will be enforced at the same time as the new microchipping rules for cats.
Cat owners' contact details will be stored and kept up to date in a pet microchipping database.
Those who don't adhere with the new rules will have 21 days to have one implanted in their cat or get hit by a fine up to £500.
Microchipping has been made mandatory as lost or stray cats will be more likely to be reunited and returned safely.
A government consultation found 99 per cent of people supported microchipping cats.
The procedure for microchipping involves inserting a small chip with a unique serial number under a cat’s skin.
Should your beloved pet get lost, the microchip number can be read by a scanner and checked against a microchip database to help reunite lost pets quicker with their registered owner, saving heartache.
The UK Government had pledged to introduce mandatory microchipping under its flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
There are over 10.8 million pet cats in the UK with as many as 2.8 million of those unchipped.
Eight out of 10 cats in Cat Protection centres are not microchipped.
Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said: "Cats are much-loved parts of our families and making sure that they're microchipped is the best possible way of making sure that you are reunited with them if they are ever lost or stolen.
"These new rules will help protect millions of cats across the country and will be brought in alongside a range of other protections we are introducing under our Action Plan for Animal Welfare."
Jacqui Cuff, Cats Protection's Head of Advocacy & Government Relations, said: "As the UK's leading cat charity, we have been at the forefront of the campaign for compulsory microchipping of pet cats.
"Every day, we see how important microchipping is for cats and for the people who love them – whether it's reuniting a lost cat with their owner, identifying an injured cat, or helping to ensure an owner can be informed in the sad event that their cat has been hit and killed by a car.
"Microchipping is by far the most effective and quickest way of identifying lost cats and can help ease the pressure on rescue charities like Cats Protection.
"Without a microchip, a lost cat will most likely end up being rehomed to a new home as there is often no trace of their original owner."
