Information on this page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. When in doubt you can ask your vet, local warden or the Department of Agriculture for clarifications on the laws and regulations around importing, breeding, microchipping and selling of cats and kittens.
List of applicable laws
- S.I. No. 681 of 2019 – ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE (SALE OR SUPPLY OF PET ANIMALS) REGULATIONS 2019 – http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2019/si/681/made/en/pdf
- Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 – https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2013/act/15/enacted/en/pdf
Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019
This covers such items as, cats need to be over 8 weeks of age to be sold. Also sellers of 6 or more cats in a year need to register with the Department of Agriculture as a Registered Seller of Pets.
Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013
- This is the main piece of legislation governing animal welfare in Ireland, and it applies to all animals, including cats & kittens. It sets out:
- A duty of care for anyone responsible for an animal to ensure its welfare.
- It is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal.
- Owners must provide sufficient food, water, shelter, and veterinary care.
- Prohibits animal cruelty, neglect, abandonment, and failure to treat disease or injury.
Fines for breaches can be up to €250,000 and/or 5 years in prison for serious offences.
Cat microchipping
Cats in Ireland are not legally required to be microchipped or licensed, compared to dogs. However, cat microchipping is strongly encouraged and may become mandatory at some future stage.
In England and Wales, a new law requires all pet cats to be microchipped by 10 June 2024 under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023. This law does NOT apply in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the law currently only requires dogs to be microchipped under the Dogs (Licensing and Identification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012. There’s no legal requirement for cats to be microchipped in Northern Ireland at this time.
