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Cats Protection makes official statement on new Prime Minister
Compulsory cat microchipping is a key matter for the charity, which has been highlighted in the new statement.

Charity urges Liz Truss to consider cats.

Following the announcement that Liz Truss will be the UK's new Prime Minister, cat welfare charity Cats Protection has made a statement calling on her new Government to introduce promised regulations.

In the December of 2021, the Government announced that cat microchipping would become compulsory, following a successful campaign from animal welfare organisations, including Cats Protection. 

This is one of the key issues that the charity is pushing for in its statement, asking the new Prime Minister to introduce the necessary legislation and demonstrate the Government's commitment to cat welfare. 

Stefan Blakiston Moore, senior advocacy and digital campaigns officer for Cats Protection, said: “As the UK’s leading cat charity, Cats Protection speaks up for the nation’s 10.8 million pet cats and their owners, and looks forward to working with Liz Truss’s new Government on issues to help cats and their owners.

“Animal welfare is an important issue for a huge number of people in the UK, who want to see it taken seriously by politicians and decision makers. 

With the announcement that Liz Truss is to become the new Prime Minister, Cats Protection is keen to ensure the UK continues to work towards becoming a world leader in this area. 

“In particular, we would like to see that new regulations to introduce compulsory microchipping of pet cats are finally introduced as previously promised. This was a Conservative Party manifesto commitment in 2019 and was due to be introduced during 2022.

“Cats Protection would also like the Government to push ahead with the Kept Animals Bill as soon as possible and amend it to ensure that cats are being given the same protections that are being proposed for dogs when it comes to pet theft and pet smuggling.”

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.