Microchips for cats in Brussels

29 Apr, 2016

Obligatory chipping and registration for all cats in the Brussels region.

All kittens in the Brussels region are to be fitted with microchips and registered in a centralised system before the age of three months, according to new laws announced by the state secretary responsible for animal wellbeing Bianca Debaets.

The measure is designed to reduce the number of cats that authorities put to sleep, currently an annual total of 900 cats, at animal shelters in the Brussels region.

Debaets says that the new centralised register will mean the fast retrieval of missing pets and will allow authorities to identify people who abandon their cats, resulting in fewer stray animals on the streets in the future.