A chip brings your cat home
Many cats look alike and most go outdoors. A chip says without doubt who it is, even when the collar is long gone.
Why a chip helps cats most of all
A dog walks on a lead, a cat goes its own way. So cats get lost more often, and it is harder to show whose they are.
as often did a chipped cat go home in a large study of American shelters, compared with cats without a chip.
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Cats look alike
A grey tabby in Utrecht looks like a thousand others. A photo says 'maybe', the chip says 'yes, this is Pim'.
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They roam
Most cats go outdoors. They wander a garden too far, climb into a van, or get taken in by someone who thinks they have no home.
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A collar comes off
A good collar lets go when it catches. A chip sits under the skin and stays in place for life, with no battery.
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It can be read anywhere
Every vet, shelter and animal ambulance has a chip reader. Many enthusiasts have one too: they cost only a few tens of euros.
Almost every animal must already be chipped
In the Netherlands most animals must be identified and registered. The cat is the big exception, though there are about three million.
- DogsMust be chipped and registered since 2013.
- Horses and poniesChip, passport and registration required.
- Cows, sheep, goats, pigsEar tag and registration required.
- Cats, dogs and ferrets travellingAbroad only with a chip and an EU pet passport.
- CatsNo duty yet. Planned from 1 January 2028 for kittens born from then on.
The rule for cats has been put off twice already and will only cover new kittens. For a cat you have now it stays your own choice.
What a chip is, and what it is not
A number, nothing more
A chip is the size of a grain of rice and holds only a 15-digit number. Dutch chips start with 528.
No GPS
A chip sends nothing and has no battery. It does not track your cat; it only says who it is when someone reads it.
Quick to place
The vet places it in the neck with a needle, like an injection. It takes a few seconds and is done once.
Your phone cannot read it
A chip works on another frequency than the NFC in your phone. You need a chip reader.
Chipped is not yet registered
The number only helps once it is linked to you somewhere, with a phone number that works. Many cats are found with a chip that is registered nowhere, or with old details.
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Have your cat chipped
At the vet. Ask for the chip number; it is also in the pet passport.
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Register the number
At SpotKat that's free. Whoever looks the number up then sees your cat, and whether it is missing.
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Keep your details up to date
Moved or a new number? Change it, also at your chip's database. Look up on chipnummer.nl which one that is.
Who can read a chip?
Found a cat? Have the chip read and look the number up. It costs nothing and takes a minute.
The vet
Every practice has a reader and scans a found cat for free.
Shelters and animal ambulances
They read every cat that comes in, and will also pick up a found cat.
People nearby
Enthusiasts, volunteers and pet shops often have a reader too. Ask in your neighbourhood app.
Questions
Does chipping hurt?
It is an injection with a slightly thicker needle. Most cats react to it as they do to a vaccination. The vet can also do it during neutering.
What does it cost?
At the vet usually between 25 and 55 euros. Registering at SpotKat is free. Other databases often charge a few euros, once or per year.
My cat never goes outside. Does it still need one?
Indoor cats panic when they do get out and don't know the area. They are often found far from home. Then a chip is the only thing that says where they belong.
I'm moving. What should I do?
Change your address and phone number, in SpotKat and at your chip's database. Cats often walk back to their old home after a move.
Can a chip reader read every chip?
Almost all chips in Europe follow the same ISO standard and every reader reads them. A few old chips from before that standard are not read by every cheap reader; a vet can read them.
Read more
Install SpotKat on your phone
Seen a cat outside? Take a photo in the app and it goes straight to the owner. Lost your own cat? Report it, and people nearby help you look.