
We know that all cats need identification on them whether they are indoor or outdoor cats. Collar tags are great however they can be easily lost or compromised. Microchipping is one of the most responsible actions you can take as a cat parent.
It ensures that they can be properly and quickly identified by a veterinarian or animal shelter if they were ever to lose their way home. Every year, millions of cats end up in shelters, never to be returned home because of lack of identification. Sadly, millions meet untimely deaths at the hands of kill shelters due to this reason.
Microchipping your cat should be one of the first things on your to-do list. This procedure is safe, the chip is painlessly implanted and affordable. If your cat ever gets lost and ends up at the animal shelter, the microchip will help the shelter reunite you with your pet. Staff members use scanners to check for a chip and it goes without saying that this tiny chip could save your cat’s life.
Table of Contents
What Is A Microchip And How Does It Work?
A microchip is a small, electronic chip. It is no larger than a piece of rice. The microchip has a unique code which can be read by a scanner. The chip is implanted using a hypodermic needle that injects it underneath the skin. The injection itself causes very little pain although the needle is larger than a standard-sized syringe.
As the procedure only takes a few seconds, cats don’t require sedation. The most common place to have a microchip implanted is between the cat’s shoulder blades. The chip is meant to last for the entire lifetime of your cat.
Although cat microchipping is considered to be very safe, as with any medical procedure, there is a risk of side effects. One of the side effects is the potential movement of the chip to another location on the body. But it is important to know that side effects are extremely rare compared to the millions of cats who have been microchipped. The rewards greatly outweigh the cons. If you have any concerns, always talk to your vet!
Why It Is Important To Microchip Your Cat
The most common reason to microchip your cat is to make it easier to bring them back home if they were ever to become lost. Say your beloved kitty gets lost and you go to every vet clinic and shelter to see if she has been found. Luckily, you find your pet in a local veterinary clinic. However, another cat owner who is looking for their pet claims that the cat is theirs. How can you prove ownership?
Microchipping can make the process of proving ownership much easier. If you have your cat microchipped, it won’t be mistaken for another cat. The shelter that finds your cat can scan the microchip and validate your claim of ownership, allowing your furry bundle of joy to return home with you.
Registering Your Microchip
Registration is crucial once you microchip your cat. A microchip contains a unique ID number which is registered in a central database system. The RFID chip is useless if your registration is not submitted or kept current. If a lost cat is taken to a vet clinic or shelter, one of the first things they do is to scan for a chip.
If the cat is chipped, the unique ID can be traced back to the owner. Some people are worried that this could compromise their personal privacy. When a scanner picks up the chip, it only provides an identification number that is connected to the chip’s manufacturer.
Once that number is provided to the pet recovery service, they will contact the owner using the most current information they have on file to let them know that the pet has been found. This is why it is essential to keep your contact information updated to make sure it is accurate.
Will The Microchip Tell You The Location Of Your Cat?
A microchip is not a GPS device. It will not be able to pinpoint where your cat is nor does it have real-time tracking capabilities. A cat microchip is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device which requires no power. It gets activated when a shelter or veterinarian waves an RFID scanner across a cat’s body where the microchip is implanted. From there, the shelter is able to contact the company to find the cat’s owner.
It is always a great idea to make sure that your cat is microchipped and is wearing a collar ID at all times. Regardless of whether your cat is an outdoor explorer or an indoor wanderer, the collar is the first thing people would see if they find your cat out and about. Keep in mind to use a breakaway collar for the safety of your cat in case it gets caught on something.
If a neighbor was to come across your kitty, chances are that they won’t have a scanner to check for a chip but will rely on the collar to find your information. However, microchipping means that your pet’s information will never be lost or stolen.
So to make sure your kitty has the best chance of finding the way back home, take time to keep all your information updated at all times. Check collar tags regularly and let the chip company know if you end up moving or changing your contact information. Your cat’s life depends on it!
Leave a Reply