In the UK there is no legal obligation to include an ID tag on your cat’s collar, like there is for a dog, which we have written about here. However, we recommend personalised cat ID tags for both indoor and outdoor cats so we are going to outline some of the benefits and what details you should and can include. If you are wondering why we recommend cat ID tags for indoor cats, please read our previous blog about whether indoor cats should wear collars and ID tags here.
Noggins in his engraved Luxury Brass Engraved Cat ID Tag
Phone Number
If we were to choose one thing to include on a cat ID tag it would be a phone number as this will be the most useful bit of information to help reunite you with your furry friend if they were to get lost or go missing. Even better would be two numbers and make sure that whatever numbers you do include are easily reached, so a mobile number would be better than a landline in most cases. We included two mobile numbers on Noggins & Binkles’ ID tags, one for each human!
Address
Your address is important too as it can also help to reunite you with your furry friend. If you let your cat outdoors (or an indoor cat manages to get outside) and they have an accident nearby, including your address could be the fastest way to get them back to you. It will also help neighbours to identify your cat so they know they have a home nearby. A cat collar and ID tag is also a good way of letting people know your cat isn’t a stray. You could either include just the street address and postcode or your full address, an example would be:
1 High Street
DR18 9JY
Or
1 High Street
Bristol
DR18 9JY
Name
We love seeing cats names on our engraved ID tags, just because we love finding out their names, but if your cat responds to their name, you may choose not to include their name, especially if they go outdoors. This is because of cat theft and the thief may use their name to get their trust or to help sell them. The insurance company, Direct Line, revealed that 261 cats were reported stolen to the police in 2016, however, additional research in 2017 suggested that 361,000 cats had been stolen in a 12 month period, which is obviously much higher than the police figure. Whatever the actual figure is, including an ID tag on your cat’s collar should hopefully be a deterrent and there is additional information you can include to help discourage cat thieves.
If you choose not to include your cat’s name, you could include your family surname or even the full name of the owner, as this could be useful information if they are found and need to be reunited. For dog ID tags it is a legal requirement to include the name of the owner on the tag, however, there are currently no laws regarding cat ID tags in the UK.
Our luxury Engraved Cat ID Tag in Polished Brass
I’m Microchipped
Including ‘I’m Microchipped’ or 'Chipped' if you are running out of space, could also be a good deterrent for cat thieves. If your cat is still wearing their ID tag with your correct and up to date phone number on, it’s probably not going to help much to reunite you with your furry friend, as the person will just call the number, but if for any reason the contact details on the ID tag aren’t correct or if the collar or tag has fallen off, the microchip could then be scanned if your cat is taken to a vet or animal rescue centre. The vet or animal rescue centre can then contact your microchip database, who should then be able to contact you. Most microchip databases will require you to submit the contact details of the owner plus an emergency and holiday contact, so even if your details aren’t right, there is still a good chance of them contacting you through your emergency or holiday contact. Both Noggins and Binkles have a microchip, which was a requirement for when we moved back to the UK with them, you can read about our long journey here, but we updated the contact details for their microchips as soon as we got back to the UK. As important as an ID tag is, your cat’s microchip is their backup ticket home if they get lost, provided they are taken to a vet or animal rescue centre for it to be scanned. It’s not currently a legal requirement for cats to be microchipped in the UK, although it is for dogs, but at the time of writing Cats Protection currently have a petition calling for compulsory microchipping of owned cats, which we think is a great idea.
I’m Neutered
If you own a breed cat, including ‘I’m neutered’ could be a good deterrent for cat thieves who are looking to breed cats to sell on.
Don’t Feed Me
If you have a friendly outdoor cat who likes to visit neighbours, including ‘don’t feed me’ could be a good thing to make sure they aren’t having extra dinner! Noggins and Binkles are both indoor London cats now, but we are pretty sure if they went outside, Binkles would definitely be making friends with the local neighbourhood ‘chefs’. Also if your cat has any allergies you could also include this to make sure they aren’t fed anything that could cause them problems.
Health Issues
If your cat requires regular medication you could also include this just in case they go missing and are found by someone else, this could encourage them to contact you immediately or take them to a vet. Also if your cat has any health issues that aren’t immediately obvious, such as being deaf, this could also be useful to include.
Indoor Cat, If I’m Out I’m Lost
If your cat is an indoor cat it might be worth including either just ‘Indoor Cat’ so people can come to the conclusion they shouldn’t be out, or if you have space on the tag you could also include ‘if I’m out I’m lost’ or ‘should not be outside, please contact my owner’ just to make it clear.
What Else Can I Add To A Cat ID Tag?
Why just stop at providing useful information on your furry friend's name tag? There are lots of other beautiful and fun designs that you can include on your custom cat ID tag to make it really stand out from the crowd. At Noggins & Binkles we have a range of beautiful designs including our heart, star and moon and star designs, all of which can also be customised with your cat's name, family surname, initial or other information. We are always adding to our range of customisable cat ID tags so keep an eye on our website!
Conclusion
As we’ve already said, the phone number, or two is even better, is the most important information you can include on your cat’s ID tag. Noggins and Binkles are both indoor cats so we opted to have their names on the front of their tags and two mobile numbers on the back, but it’s really up to you to decide what information is best to include on your cat’s ID tag. Our small luxury cat ID tags can have up to four lines on each side so there is plenty of space for details and of course don’t forget to get your cat microchipped, as it’s such an important backup if your cat loses their ID tag!