Residents urged to register their cat and dog
Published on 10 November 2023
Pet owners in the City of Melton are being urged to register their cats and dogs so they can be quickly reunited with the furry members of their family if they go missing.
Melton City Council is currently sending SMS messages to residents who have a pet who is microchipped but not yet registered with Council.
Data shows that 20,520 cats and dogs in the City of Melton are microchipped but not registered.
When Council finds a lost animal, it scans for a microchip to identify the pet’s owner. Sometimes the contact details on the microchip can be out-of-date or belong to a former owner, which causes delays in reuniting the pet with its owner.
Registration means Council has a record of your pet's name and your contact details, so it can quickly return lost pets to their owners. It also helps keep the community safe.
If your dog or cat is more than three months of age, it is a legal obligation to ensure your pet is microchipped and registered with Melton City Council.
Microchipping and registration are not the same thing, and both are legal requirements in Victoria as per the Domestic Animals Act 1994.
Registering your pet is easy to do. To register your pet, you will be asked to provide proof of microchip, sterilisation certificate and concession details if applicable. All pets must be microchipped, and all cats must be sterilised.
For more details about pet registration visit melton.vic.gov.au/petrego
Quotes attributable to City of Melton Mayor Cr Kathy Majdlik
“Pet owners can heavily boost the chances of being quickly reunited with their lost furry friends if their dogs and cats are registered with Council.”
“Owning a pet brings enormous benefits but it also comes with responsibilities, including the requirement to register your dog and cat with your Council.’’
“Often lost pets end up in animal shelters because the owners haven’t had them microchipped, registered with Council or updated their contact details.
“Pets are part of the family, and we want to ensure we can reunite pet owners with their furry friends as quickly as possible, that’s why it is so important to register your pets.”