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Cat owners are urged to microchip their pets
Cat
Microchipping ensures that owners can be located if the cat is found far from its home.
Animal charities urge owners to take action for National Microchipping Month

Yorkshire Cat Rescue warns that cats involved in road traffic accidents are in danger of being put to sleep if their owners cannot be located.
 
Although vets will make an injured cat as comfortable as possible, they are often unable to provide comprehensive treatment if there are no owners to pick up the bill, and animal shelters often cannot make room for new arrivals, the charity says.
 
June is National Microchipping Month, when charities and pet companies come together to educate pet owners about this precaution, and about the importance of keeping contact details up to date. Despite it being a quick and affordable procedure, many cats in Britain have still not been microchipped. 
 
Sara Atkinson, founder of Yorkshire Cat Rescue said: “People often fail to make the mind-leap that their cat could have been picked up by a kind stranger outside of their immediate neighbourhood and taken to a vet or animal rescue some distance away.
 
"Many simply assume that a lost cat will find its way home sooner or later but this is far from always the case. Adverts in local newspapers are no good if they are distributed in the wrong town or city.”
 
Sara urges all cat owners to make sure their cats have been microchipped and that those details are kept up to date at all times. 
 
“If all cats were microchipped the owners would be notified immediately should their cat get injured and end up at the vet. Should the saddest thing happen and the cat doesn’t survive, at least the owners would know what happened and not be left searching in vain.”

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.