New Vet Rules UK: What Changes for Cat Owners, and When

From 23 December 2026, vet businesses with 15 or more practices must publish price lists for basic services such as consultations, vaccinations and neutering; smaller businesses follow on 23 March 2027. Vet bills are not capped. Only the prescription fee is (£21.40 for the first medicine, from March 2027 at large businesses), and written estimates for treatment of £500 or more start in June 2027.

Last updated 28 September 2026. Rules checked 28 September 2026 against the Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026, made by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on 22 September 2026. We will update this page when the first rules you will see at the vet start on 23 December 2026.

When do the new vet rules start?

The first rules that cat owners will notice start on 23 December 2026, and only at vet businesses with 15 or more practices. The Order says businesses must comply "from the next Working Day after" each date in its table, so a 22 December deadline means the rule applies from 23 December. Here "practices" means first-opinion practices and out-of-hours centres added together, which is how the Order counts them. Smaller businesses, those with fewer than 15, get three to six months longer for most rules. The CMA found that 76% of vet businesses have only one practice, so most independents are on the later timetable.

Source: Article 3 of the Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026. The rules cover England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and businesses that offer vet services for household pets, including one-vet practices and mixed farm and pet practices. Registered charities that do not treat pets on a commercial basis are excluded, as are farm or equine vets who only see a pet now and then.

When do vets have to publish prices?

Large vet businesses must publish a price list for each practice from 23 December 2026, and small ones from 23 March 2027. The list has to be on the practice website, one click from the homepage, and available at the practice itself, with a paper copy if you ask.

It covers whichever of 36 named items the practice offers, listed in Schedule 1 of the Order. The ones a cat owner is most likely to use:

• first consultation (with its standard length in minutes) and repeat consultation
• out-of-hours consultation, and nurse consultation (with its standard length)
• vaccinations: primary course and booster, each including the consultation
• microchipping, nail clipping, and the monthly cost of any pet care plan
• prescription fee, repeat prescription fee and dispensing fee
• dental assessment (examination, scale and polish), castration, and spay (open or keyhole)
• x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, heart scan, CT and MRI, urine test and pre-anaesthetic blood test
• euthanasia, and communal and individual cremation
• insurance administration fees

Each price must be a single figure including VAT, not a range. Where a price varies by species, the cat price has to be shown separately from the dog weight bands. For dental work, castration and spaying, the list must tick off which extras are included, such as general anaesthetic, pain relief, pre-op blood tests and the post-op check. A practice can charge more for a complicated case, and the list must say so. If the practice confirms a consultation booking by email or text, that first message must give the consultation price and link to the list.

The CMA found that in 2025 over 40% of practices still showed no prices on their websites, and only 13% of those with prices listed routine dentistry. For cost guides on the common items, see how much a cat costs in the UK and the cat vaccination schedule.

When are vet bills being capped?

They are not. The CMA did not cap consultation, treatment or surgery prices, and vets still set their own. The one price the Order caps is the fee for writing a prescription, covered below. The CMA's approach is to make prices visible and comparable, so that practices compete on them. It found average prices across the sector rose 63% between 2016 and 2023, against 32% general inflation.

Do vets have to give you a prescription in the UK?

Yes, in most cases. The RCVS Code already says vets must make sure you can get medicines either from the practice or, if you want to buy them elsewhere, through a written prescription where that is appropriate. The exceptions are real ones: a vet can only prescribe a prescription-only (POM-V) medicine for an animal under their care after a clinical assessment, and a written prescription may not be appropriate if your cat is an in-patient or needs the medicine straight away.

From 23 June 2027 at large businesses (23 September 2027 at small ones) the Order adds firm deadlines. Once you ask, the practice must give you a paper prescription by the end of the consultation, or have a digital one ready by the end of the second working day after it (or after your request, if you ask outside a consultation). The digital copy must then be sent promptly to you or to the authorised online retailer you name. Controlled drugs are left out of the digital route because they need a signed paper prescription. None of this applies where the medicine has to be given by a vet or nurse, or your cat needs to start it urgently. Vets will also have to offer you a written prescription out loud when they prescribe a non-urgent medicine you can give yourself.

How much do vets charge for a prescription in the UK?

Right now it varies a lot: the CMA found fees from around £10 to over £30, with a significant number of practices above £30. The Order caps them at £21.40 including VAT for the first medicine and £12.70 for each extra medicine prescribed at the same time. Those caps start on 23 March 2027 at large vet businesses and 23 September 2027 at small ones.

If your cat is on long-term medication, four details of the cap matter.

• no extra admin charge on top of the capped fee is allowed
• the cap is the same however many tablets or months the prescription covers
• a vet cannot prescribe a shorter course on a written prescription than they would if you bought the medicine at the practice (controlled drugs are the exception)
• a purely administrative change to a prescription, or a replacement copy, should not cost a second fee

The figures stay fixed until 31 March 2028. After that the CMA adjusts them each year in line with inflation, publishing the new caps by 14 February for use from 1 April.

Can I get a prescription from my vet and buy online?

Yes. Ask for a written prescription, pay the practice's fee, and send it to an online retailer registered with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). The CMA found that commonly prescribed medicines were typically 50% to 60% cheaper at online pharmacies, and that many owners could save around £200 to £300 a year even after prescription fees. The CMA singled out owners of pets on ongoing medication as the ones most likely to benefit, yet only 26% of them bought it online.

Two checks before you order. First, the retailer should appear on the VMD Register of Online Retailers; the RCVS recommends retailers in the VMD's Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme. Second, add up the full cost: prescription fee, online price and postage, against what the practice charges. The saving depends on the medicine, the dose and how long your cat needs it.

Your vet cannot charge you more for anything else because you buy medicines elsewhere. That has been the law since the Supply of Relevant Veterinary Medicinal Products Order 2005, and the RCVS Code repeats it.

Who owns my vet practice?

Ask the practice, or look for a group name on its website and paperwork. From 23 March 2027, any practice that belongs to a group must say so on its signs, website, social media and letters, and the group name must be at least as prominent as the practice's own name. The CMA found that six large groups own over 60% of UK practices, and that fewer than half of their clients (47%) knew their practice was part of one.

Written estimates and itemised bills

From 23 June 2027 (large businesses) and 23 September 2027 (small), a practice must give you a written estimate when the tests and treatment a vet recommends are reasonably likely to cost £500 or more including VAT, and more than £100 of that is still to be spent. The estimate must reach you in time to think it over or get a second opinion, and no later than the end of the next working day after the recommendation. A consent form handed over just before the procedure may be too late.

• It covers what the vet judges reasonably likely over the next 12 months, plus related costs from the previous 3 months.
• It can be a single figure or a range, with the main parts broken down.
• If the likely total rises by 20% on the original, or by £500 if that is less, you must get an updated estimate, unless you have since chosen to go to a referral centre.
• In an emergency, treatment comes first. Once it is over, the estimate must follow if more than £100 of further costs is likely.
• You can say you do not want one.

The £500 threshold goes up in £50 steps as inflation builds up, from April 2028 at the earliest. Bills will also have to be itemised, normally with each medicine priced separately, so you can check them against the estimate and the price list. Fixed-price packages can be shown as a total with their main parts named.

Complaints: free mediation from March 2027

From 23 March 2027 every first-opinion practice and out-of-hours centre must have a written complaints process. A complaint must be made within 12 months of the problem (or of you becoming aware of it). If the practice cannot settle it within 10 working days, it becomes an "actionable complaint": it must be logged, and you get a named contact. You can then ask for mediation if you are unhappy with the practice's final response, or if you have had no final response 8 weeks after the complaint became actionable. Ask within 12 months of the final response (or 12 months and 8 weeks after it became actionable, if none came). Mediation must be free to you, through the provider the practice has chosen, and the practice has to take part in good faith. It can decline if the mediator judges the complaint frivolous or vexatious, or if it is already in court. The RCVS is contracting a mediation provider that practices can use, paid for by a levy on vet businesses under a separate CMA funding order made on 20 August 2026.

What you can do now, before 23 December

Existing RCVS guidance already backs you asking about prescriptions, prices and estimates, so none of this has to wait for the new rules.

• Ask for a written prescription for any medicine your cat takes long term, and ask the fee before you agree.
• Price the same medicine at a VMD-registered online retailer and compare the total with the practice price.
• Ask for an estimate before any non-emergency treatment. RCVS guidance says vets should offer a realistic estimate that includes VAT, before treatment starts.
• Ask for prices before you book. The RCVS Code already requires vets to give clients information on fees, including medicine costs and the estimated cost of common procedures and tests.
• Read the plan terms on a practice health plan: what it includes, how often, and what cancelling costs. Detailed plan information is one of the first things the new rules require.
• Check your insurance: excess, annual limit and whether the vet claims directly. Our guide to whether cat insurance is worth it covers the trade-offs, and best cat insurance UK compares policy types.

What to ask your vet

1. How much is a standard consultation, and how long is it?
2. What is your prescription fee, and does it change for a repeat prescription or a second medicine?
3. Can I have a written prescription for this so I can compare prices?
4. Is this an own-brand medicine? What is the branded equivalent called?
5. Can I have a written estimate, and what could push the cost up?
6. Are you independent or part of a group? Which one?
7. What does your health plan cost per year, and what would I pay for the same things without it?
8. Do you charge a fee for handling insurance claims?

Sources

• CMA case page: veterinary services market for pets (final report 24 March 2026, Order made 22 September 2026)
• The Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 (Articles 3, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14 to 18, 21 to 23, Schedule 1)
• CMA explanatory note to the Order
• CMA summary of the final report (price rises, prescription fees, online savings, ownership awareness)
• RCVS Code supporting guidance: consumer rights and freedom of choice and practice information and fees
• RCVS advice for owners: prescription medication