Leeds cat owners are being offered a heavily subsidised way to ensure their pets are legally compliant while raising vital funds for charity.
A drop-in clinic is being held on Sunday, 28th June, to make it simpler and cheaper for local owners to get their cats microchipped. While microchipping became a strict legal requirement in England back in June 2024, recent figures show that roughly 22% of the UK’s 10.2 million cats are still completely unchipped—leaving owners at risk of facing fines of up to £500.
To help bridge the gap, Cats Protection Leeds Cat Centre has partnered up with Westwood Vets at East Side Retail Park in Garforth. The duo will host a day-long session running between 10am and 3pm, where owners can bring their felines to be microchipped and receive a basic health check for just £10. All money raised from the drop-in event will be directly donated to the local adoption centre in Gildersome.
Crucially, cat owners do not need to be registered with Westwood Vets to take advantage of the offer—you can simply turn up on the day as no pre-booked appointments are necessary.
Microchipping is widely recognised as the simplest and most effective way to reunite cats with their families if they are ever lost, injured, or stolen. Experts stress that even indoor-only cats should be microchipped, as it remains incredibly easy for them to sneak out of an open door or window.
The procedure itself is quick and minor, involving the implantation of a chip roughly the size of a grain of rice just under the skin between the cat’s shoulder blades. Once the chip is safely inserted, a Cats Protection representative will walk owners through registering the chip and their contact details, and explain how to keep the information updated in the future.
“Microchipping is an essential part of responsible pet ownership and offers the best chance of reuniting a cat if they should go missing,” said Laura Clews, Centre Manager. “We see so many stray cats here at Cats Protection Leeds Cat Centre that were obviously once much-loved pets, but we have no way of identifying where they came from if they are not chipped, so we have to rehome them.
“We are delighted that Westwood Vets is hosting this event, allowing cat owners to get their cats chipped, while raising money to help homeless cats that find themselves being looked after at the Leeds Cat Centre.”
