Why You Should Microchip Your Cat
Like most cat parents, you’ve probably learned that anything is possible when it comes to your furry friend. Although your cat may usually be content to view the outdoors from the safety of your home, an open window or door may be too tempting to ignore. Reuniting with a lost cat is much easier when that cat is microchipped.
How Does Microchipping Work?
A microchip contains a serial number that can be linked to your contact information in a pet database. Your veterinarian places the rice-sized microchip under your pet's skin with a hypodermic needle. The microchip injection feels like any other shot to your pet and doesn't require anesthesia.
The serial number on the microchip is retrieved when a lost pet is scanned at a veterinarian's office or shelter. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, harmless radio waves produced by the scanner activate the chip. As the scanner is passed over a microchipped pet's body, a code appears on a screen. Once the code is retrieved, the staff at the shelter or veterinary office consults a registry database to obtain your contact information.
Microchipping Provides Peace of Mind
Outfitting your cat with a collar and ID tag makes it easier for a veterinary office or Good Samaritan to contact you after finding your lost pet. Unfortunately, collars can break and ID tags can fall off, particularly if your pet scrambles through a hedge or squeezes through a tight spot. Microchipping offers another way to identify your pet should your cat lose its tag.
Cats don't always leave their homes voluntarily, but may find themselves outdoors due to a natural disaster, like an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane. When you're already dealing with the aftereffects of a natural disaster, worrying about your lost pet only makes things worse. If your cat loses its collar and ID tag and isn't microchipped, it will be far less likely to find its way back to you.
Microchipping Offers Better Odds for a Safe Return Home
Lost cats behave a little differently than lost dogs. Although your lost dog may run to your side when you call it, a lost cat may be more timid. Cats like to find safe, out-of-the-way places to hide and may not respond when called. Unfortunately, this behavior can make finding your cat difficult. When your cat does finally emerge, a friendly neighbor might take it to a local shelter or veterinary office if your pet has lost its ID tag.
The likelihood of finding your pet increases when you microchip it. A research study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association noted only 2% of cats without microchips in animal shelters were returned to their families. That number increased to 40% in microchipped cats.
Microchips Don't Need to Be Replaced
Unlike collars and ID tags, microchips aren't affected by wear and tear. In fact, microchips are designed to last your pet's entire life. Although microchips are a long-term option, they aren't completely low maintenance. If you move, you'll need to contact the appropriate registry to update your contact information.
Microchips Scanners Are Available Almost Anywhere
Microchips help you reunite with your missing pet no matter where you are in the U.S. Many foreign countries also microchip their pets and use universal microchip scanners that can scan any type of microchip. If your travels take you and your cat to foreign countries, your pet's microchip will still work.
Microchipping Helps Animal Shelters
Animal shelters are often non-profit organizations that rely on donations to feed and house lost and unwanted animals. Microchipping your cat reduces the time it will spend in a shelter if lost and allows the shelter to offer its services to other animals in need.
Ready to microchip your cat? Give our office a call to schedule your furry friend's appointment.
Sources:
American Veterinary Medical Association: On Check the Chip Day, A Lifesaving Reminder to Ensure Pets Are Microchipped with Current Contact Info, 8/15/2023
American Veterinary Medical Association: Microchipping FAQ
petMD: Why You Should Microchip Your Cat, 9/18/2023
https://www.petmd.com/cat/general-health/why-microchip-cats
The Humane Society of the United States: How a Microchip Can Keep You and Your Pet Together
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-microchip-can-keep-you-and-your-pet-together