Cat microchipping is largely mandatory in Australia

There are six states and two territories in the Commonwealth of Australia. I will call these non-federal legislatures. Of these eight legislatures, six have mandatory micro-chipping of domestic cats. The two that don't are the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Photo: Pixabay.

Tasmania has mandatory micro-chipping of dogs but not yet for cats. Although cat owners are encouraged to have their cat microchip and sterilised if they are over six months of age. There are plans to phase in obligatory micro-chipping by amending the Cat Management Act 2009. The introduction of the law is planned to be at the end of 2021.

As for the Northern Territory, although micro-chipping is not compulsory, it is compulsory if a citizen lives within the city of Darwin as part of the council's animal management by-laws.

As I understand it, in each case where micro-chipping of cats is mandatory in Australia the law is triggered when a cat or dog is sold or transferred before the age of 12 weeks. 

You can read more if you wish on this topic by clicking on this link which opens a new window and take you to the main website.

Comment: governments, both federal and local of various types throught the developed workd are gradually coming around to the idea that compulsory micro-chipping should be obligatory within their jurisdiction. This applies to the UK where there are advanced plans to make micro-chipping obligatory for domestic cats. It is already obligatory for dogs. The reason? To better control cat ownership, to enforce better responsibility in cat caretaking, and to reunite owners with their loss cats and finally to reunite owners with deceased cats who have been killed on the roads. There are other indirect benefits for compulsory micro-chipping which don't come to mind immediately but will no doubt surface once the law is in force.