Pet cats may soon require microchips, registration in Czechia

Cats may soon be required to have microchips due to a forthcoming European Union regulation, which will subsequently be adopted into Czech legislation. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Milan Daďourek announced the move at Wednesday’s Senate debate on a petition advocating changes to current cat-related laws.

The petition calls for a central registry for cats, mandatory microchipping, and compulsory castration of all wild cats except those on registered farms.

Microchipping has been mandatory for dogs since 2020. European legislation also mandates microchipping for pets traveling abroad, including dogs, cats, and ferrets. According to the Senate debate, the Czech central dog registry, managed by the state, may become operational next year after some delays.

A petition advocates highlighted issues with abandoned, sick, and needy cats. “We live in the direct reality of overabundant cats,” said Kamila Dvořáková, a pet owner signing the petition. Luboš Kristek from the KasProCats association and Eva Hulcová from the Catico association criticized municipalities for ignoring the problem and resisting cooperation. They also noted a lack of capacity among organizations caring for abandoned cats. “We no longer know how to proceed,” Kristek said.

During the debate, ministry and municipal representatives argued that responsibility should lie primarily with the animal’s breeder, not municipalities. There were also criticisms of some conservation associations’ communication with town halls. The possibility of introducing a fee for cats, similar to the one for dogs, was also discussed.

The petition, supported by over 8,200 signatories, also calls for a state subsidy program for municipal castrations, a legal obligation for municipalities to capture stray and abandoned cats, and mandatory registration for owners of at least three female cats.

Among the signatories, Jiří Pospíšil, head of Prague’s TOP 09, who wrote on Facebook: “I think that the requirements to change the legislation that the author mentions in the petition are absolutely relevant. ”

“I hear from different quarters about how overcrowded cat shelters are. Some were even forced to stop receiving cats and kittens temporarily. Nevertheless, they receive calls every day from other people who have found a cat or kitten in need outside. I believe that this is also why it is completely appropriate to talk about castration programs that are co-financed by the state,” he said.

According to the petition to change “cat laws” some shelters in the Czech Republic currently have to accept 35,000 cats every year, of which approx. 1.5 percent were originally kept in households. The rest are born from the uncontrolled breeding of cats on the street.

In early July, the parliamentary petition committee recommended that the Ministries of the Environment and Regional Development consider the petition’s arguments in their legislative work. The Senate committee is still awaiting debate on the petition topics, which may not reach the upper chamber’s plenary session.