In this digital ear, microchips are found everywhere, from your computer to your cellphone and even in tracking wild animals. Pets have also not been left behind; pet microchips are used for identification. If you own an indoor cat and find it missing in the morning, you end up panicking and looking for it all over the neighborhood. Pet microchips have become the saving grace to finding your indoor cat should it wander off. Collars and tags can easily get lost, but a microchip can increase the chances of a lost cat being returned to its owner.
What Is a Microchip?
A microchip, also known as a Pet ID chip, is a tiny radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag enclosed in a glass cylinder about the size of a grain of rice.
Microchips are used t to store a unique, tamper-proof identification number passively and do not require a battery, internal source power, or maintenance. They also do not actively transmit information but sit inertly where they have been inserted until a special microchip scanner reads them. Every microchip has a unique code that is uploaded to a database, and in case your cat gets lost, the microchip is scanned and matched to your contact details.
How Is A Microchip Placed Into My Cat?
The identification code is scanned before the microchip is implanted to ensure it matches the one in the package bar code label. A Veterinarian or nurse will load the microchip into a hypodermic needle or a sterile injector and then insert the microchip just beneath your cat’s skin between the shoulder blades. This quick and relatively painless procedure does not require sedation or any surgical procedure. The implant is a passive RFID device encased in a biocompatible, non-toxic material and does not cause any allergic reaction.
How It Works
Always ensure that the contact information in the microchip is currently updated with the registration agency whenever you move or change telephone numbers to ensure the system works efficiently.
The microchip ID number is unique, tamper-proof, and cannot be misread. It is registered in a national database. If your pet ever loses its way, an animal shelter or veterinary clinic will use a handheld scanner to read the coded information, including your registration number, microchip brand, address, and contact information. Microchipping is an innovative and fast way of reuniting lost pets with their owners.
When Should I Microchip My Cat?
Whenever you feel ready. During their first vaccination, at around eight weeks, and before letting them go outside for the first time, kittens should also be microchipped in case they get lost.
Pet owners may want their pets microchipped while being neutered or spayed to ensure the microchip is implanted while the cat is under general anesthetic. It is best to regularly scan your cat’s microchip to ensure it is still in good working condition and has not migrated.
When traveling abroad on a family holiday, cats are required to have a microchip for identification and to receive a pet passport.
Why You Should I Microchip My Cat
Microchipping is the safest option to track your cat because many reasons could lure it to venture outdoors and even go missing. Cats can quickly get out without you noticing. Indoor cats have little experience with the outside world, and if they venture outdoors, they might be scared and unable to adjust to unfamiliar surroundings.
The fear of strangers when you are having a party, or home repairs in your home might spook your cat and make it bolt outside through an open door or window.
Cats are curious by nature. If they see another cat, a bird, or a squirrel, they might leap outside out of curiosity. Cats can also escape during car rides because they may get scared by unfamiliar territory. Whenever you go out with your cat, secure it inside its carrier.
Microchips for pets will help you track your cat and will give you peace of mind in case this happens. It is important to note that the microchip does not contain a GPS tracker. If your cat is lost, its microchip is scanned, and your information is used to contact you.
What Should I Do If My Cat Goes Missing
Losing your cat is a horrible experience and calls for quick action. Essential things you should do include:
- Check and ask your neighbors also to check sheds, cars, garages, and other outbuildings
- Immediately send out a lost pet alert to other club members on the VIP club app.
- Inform the microchip database company where the chip is registered, then contact rescue centers and vet clinics within your local area to furnish them with your cats’ details and the chip number.
Do not worry if you have lost your cat’s microchip information because the information is stored online with the company provider.
If your cat is lost and does not have a microchip, it is handed to a vet or animal rescue facility, and if no owner has come to claim it after it is lost for a certain period, legally, the cat will be rehomed. If it was injured or killed by a car and brought to the vet, it will be scanned, and you will be informed about what happened. If your cat does not have a microchip, you might never find out what happened to it. This is why it is vital to have your indoor cat microchipped.
In the end, microchipping is an essential aspect of the safety of your indoor cat. In case it gets lost, your mind is at ease, knowing that it can be returned to you if it gets lost. Contact Guildcrest Cat Hospital for more information.