Owners of non-microchipped pet cats to be fined from 2026

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Owners of pet cats in Taiwan could face a fine of up to NT$15,000 (US$461.54) from Jan. 1, 2026 if they fail to register the animals and have them microchipped, a Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) official said on Tuesday.

Under a revised rule that will come into force on Jan. 1, 2025, both domesticated cats and dogs must be registered and microchipped with the local authorities to prevent them from going missing instead of just dogs as previously required, Chen Chung-hsing (陳中興), deputy director-general of the MOA's Department of Animal Welfare, told CNA over the phone.

The requirement to register domesticated dogs and have them chipped was enacted in August 1999.

Following a one-year grace period, pet cat owers who fail to do so will face a fine of NT$3,000-NT$15,000 starting in 2026 in accordance with the Animal Protection Act, Chen said, adding that they will be repeatedly fined until their pet is chipped.

The change was made in the wake of a major increase in cat ownership and more cat owners having their cats registered than those with pet dogs, Chen said, explaining that it might be because more domesticated cats go missing than dogs.

Citing MOA statistics, Chen said over the past three years, about 130,000-140,000 cats have been newly registered annually, compared with 80,000-100,000 dogs.

A biannual survey conducted in 2023 indicated there were 1.48 million domesticated dogs and 1.31 million domesticated cats in Taiwan, up by 19 percent and 50 percent, respectively, from two years earlier, according to Chen.