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Central database for cats launches on 1 November

15:25 31/10/2017

Belgium’s new database for cats officially launches on 1 November. Called CatID, the databank puts all the registration information about your feline pet in one place.

Owners are already required to register cats and get a chip implant to make returning lost cats easier. Previously, all identity information was spread around in different databases, depending on what the veterinarian or animal shelter used.

The new database collects all the information in one place. Owners who have already registered their cats do not have to do anything; the information is automatically placed on the database. All new registrations will also be added to CatID.

Owners can check the information and enter any updates – such as a new address – by entering the ID number of the microchip.

The goal of the database, said Flemish animal welfare minister Ben Weyts, is to be able to return cats to their owners should they wind up in a rescue shelter. At present, only 4.5% of cats get back home. In the case of dogs, which have had a central database since 1998, the figure is 85%.

Written by Lisa Bradshaw