Microchipping
If you have ever lost a pet you will know the anguish that it causes not knowing if you will ever see him or her again.
And not to mention all the effort of contacting Police, vets, animal shelters etc. whilst trying to trace the pet.
Although having a name tag on a collar can be a help, these can become dislodged and may be potentially hazardous in cats. Microchipping is a way of ensuring that, should your pet unfortunately get lost, any organisation or vet with a microchip reader will be able to quickly scan your pet if he or she is found, and, by contacting a central databank organisation with a record of the chip number, ensure that you and your wandering pet are quickly reunited.
Microchipping is a routine procedure which is often done at the time of vaccination. It involves injecting a tiny chip (about the size of a grain of rice) under the skin, usually at the back of the neck. The chip contains a unique bar code number which can be read using a small scanner. The microchip number, together with the details of the owner and pet are then registered on a national database. The procedure itself is quickly performed and only causes the feeling of a small scratch, just like having an injection.
Microchip readers are commonplace these days, and for the relatively small fee involved, having your pet microchipped gives you the peace of mind knowing that, more or less wherever your pet ends up, a microchip reader will be used to identify your pet and, consequently, obtain your contact details from the database.