Lost Pets

Please see Lost and Found Pets for advice on finding a lost pet.

Cats

Identification

There is no legal obligation for an owner to identify his or her cat with an identification tag or microchip.

Some cat experts recommend that you do not put a collar on your cat. If you are worried about losing your pet, then you should seek advice from your vet.

Cats Fouling Gardens

Cats are classed as free roaming animals and so are not covered by legislation in this respect.

You should first confirm that it is actually a cat causing the problem. They will usually bury their faeces whereas foxes, dogs and hedgehogs will leave them above ground.

The first action should always be to talk to the cat's owner. They can create a toilet area in their own garden and encourage the cat to use it by sprinkling some used cat litter over it.

If you do not know where the cats are coming from, you can at least keep the problem confined to a small, easily manageable area. Choose a small sheltered spot and keep it dug over by raking over occasionally, but fence it off to keep small children out of it.

The Cats Protection League may be able to offer further advice (see Useful Contacts and Links).