A small petition

[bunn]

This petition was sent to me by the lost and found officer of our local Cats Protection League. She says:

" Currently there is no legislation in force regarding councils scanning dead cats found on the streets for microchips. They don't even have to check collars for phone numbers or addresses. The distressing thing is they are authorized to dispose of the bodies without even attempting to inform the owners of their cats sad demise. Some councils do have scanners and attempt to do the right thing but most don't. "

I think this is something that would not cost a great deal, but would make a great difference to the owners of many cats. It's grim to find out that your cat has died, but it does mean that you can celebrate his life and move on. It seems like something we should try to do.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Microchips/

Comments

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Charities do pay, whenever they can do so. Unfortunately there are far more homeless dogs than there are charity spaces. About 8,000 a year are put to sleep because there is nowhere to put them.

It's a legal requirement that councils hold dogs for 7 days before moving them on or selling them, to give the owners a chance to get them back. Councils usually do choose the cheapest possible option for doing this, with results that can be counterproductive (for example, dogs are often sold on unneutered to any buyer that wants them after 7 days. This leads to problems with bites due to inappropriate homing, and the swift production of a new generation of unwanted dogs.) Dogs not sold quickly are often euthanised.

OK, I retract my 'cost practically nothing'. I still think they cost society negligible amounts when compared with most other activities or property I can think of. Personally, I'd be happy to see this initiative funded by a pet owner licence, whether that was run by a council at a local level, or nationally.

Yes, there would be a cost to scanning and contacting, but at the moment, council phone numbers are tied up with people calling in to ask if their cat has been found - sometimes calling weekly for months on end - so I'm not convinced that would be a huge extra bill.