|
Frequently we hear
that one of our patients is lost. They slip out the door when no one
is watching or just never come home for dinner. Clients also find lost
cats that have been neutered but have no identification. In an effort
to reunite cats with their owners, The Cat Clinic of Stillwater
strongly recommends that all pets be identified with a
microchip. This tiny, injectable computer chip has a unique
identification number programmed into it. The chip is so small it
fits through a hypodermic needle, just a little larger than those used
for vaccinations. Once the microchip has been placed under the skin,
neither you nor your cat can feel it, and your cat's identification cannot
be lost, altered or intentionally removed.
A special scanner
is used to send a signal through the cat’s skin to read the
microchip. Cats that are brought to a veterinary hospital or to Animal
Control are scanned to see if there is a microchip present.
Your cat feels
nothing as the scanner is passed over him, and the chip’s number
quickly appears in the scanner’s viewing window. With a phone call,
the registered chip can be traced back to you.
The cat’s owner
registers the chip with PETrac, a 24-hour recovery network. The cat is
enrolled, for a fee, under the owner’s name with complete detailed
information about both cat and owner. This way, if your cat is lost
or picked up by animal control, you can be contacted directly. If the
cat is not registered, he will be traced to the veterinarian or the
breeder who injected the microchip.
Your cat can
receive his/her microchip any time. It is safe, permanent and takes
only seconds to administer.
|
