The animal-protection law of 27 June 2018 asks two things of almost every cat household in Luxembourg. Cats must be identified electronically, meaning microchipped, and registered. And cats with access to the outdoors must be neutered or sterilised, with farm cats excepted.
Neither duty needs a special occasion. Both are usually dealt with during an ordinary consultation, and both are far easier to sort out in advance than in the middle of a problem, when the cat has gone missing or the litter is already there.
What the chip can do, and what it cannot
A microchip is a small passive transponder that a vet places under the skin, usually along the side of the neck. It has no battery and no GPS, so it will not tell you where your cat is right now. It holds exactly one thing, a number, and passing a scanner over it makes that number appear.
The number is the link between your cat and you. On its own it means nothing; its whole value sits in the registration entry behind it. A chip that was implanted but never registered, or registered with a mobile number you gave up three years ago, will not bring a cat home. So update your details after a move, when your number changes, and when a cat changes household. Your practice can tell you how your cat’s registration is recorded and how it is updated, and if anything about your situation remains unclear, check with your commune.
Keep the chip number itself within reach too, a photo of the passport page on your phone is enough. The EU pet passport, issued by a vet, records the chip number anyway. And since a Saturday in Trier, Arlon or Thionville is nothing unusual here, it is worth knowing that the chip can be read on the German, Belgian and French side of the border as well. Ask your practice in good time before a trip what your cat’s passport needs to contain, not the evening before.
When a cat does not come home
Cats disappear for very ordinary reasons. A shed door swings shut, a van drives off, a neighbour has been feeding them for a week. The first hours are mostly a question of calm and method: search close to home at quiet times, early morning or late evening, call in your normal voice, and ask the neighbours to open garages, cellars, garden houses and cars. A cat shut in somewhere is one of the most common endings to this story.
Then let the veterinary practices, animal shelters and your commune in the area know, with the chip number and a clear photo. When someone brings a found cat to a practice or a shelter, the first thing that happens is a scan. If the number leads to a current entry, the call home often comes the same day. If it leads to a disconnected line, the cat stays an unidentified stray, chip or no chip.
Neutering when the cat goes outside
The 2018 law requires cats with outdoor access to be neutered or sterilised; farm cats are excepted. The reason shows up every spring, in the number of litters nobody planned for.
Beyond the kitten count, neutering often changes how a cat uses its territory. Unneutered males tend to roam further and fight more, picking up injuries and infections through bite wounds, while unneutered females come into season repeatedly through the warmer months. Neutered cats tend to stay closer to home, which can also mean fewer roads crossed.
When to do it, and which procedure suits a particular animal, is a question for your vet, who can weigh age, weight, state of health and living situation. And if your cat only ever sits on a secured balcony and you are not sure whether that counts as outdoor access, ask at your practice or check with your commune rather than guessing.
Chip, registration, number, passport
- Chip implanted, and the registration entry actually checked
- Current phone number and address on that entry
- Chip number saved on your phone
- Pet passport somewhere you can find it in two minutes
- Neutering discussed with your vet if the cat goes outdoors
Frequently asked questions
Does an indoor-only cat need a microchip?
The identification and registration duty applies to cats under the 2018 law; the duty that is tied to outdoor access is neutering. Indoor cats also slip out through open doors, and then the chip is what helps. If your situation is unusual, check with your commune.
My cat is already chipped, but we have moved. Is that a problem?
It can be. The chip number does not change, but the contact details behind it have to be corrected, otherwise a scan leads nowhere. Ask your practice how your cat's registration entry is updated.
Does the neutering duty apply to every cat?
Under the 2018 law it applies to cats that have access to the outdoors; cats on farms are excepted. If you are unsure whether your cat's access counts, ask at your practice or check with your commune.
I have found a cat that is not mine. What now?
A veterinary practice or an animal shelter can scan for a chip; the number is what identifies the owner. If the cat seems hurt, phone a practice before you set off.
Who can I reach at night or at the weekend?
The on-call practices run a 24-hour service that starts at 08:00 and ends at 08:00 the next morning. To reach the vet on duty you can call 112 or Post Infotel on 26 77 12 34, and the on-call list is published by the Collège Vétérinaire and on amvl.lu under GARDES. Our own emergency page lists the ones on duty right now with their numbers. Call before you set off: the vet on duty may not be at the practice and has to get there too.