The Importance of Microchipping Your Cat

Susan Tarczewski

Bernard is ready for his cat nap

Earlier this year, a local woman opened her door only to find a skinny, disheveled male Persian cat on her doorstep. This kind woman made some phone calls, and the cat was brought to the Sullivan County Humane Society in Claremont. He clearly had been on the streets going hungry for some time. Shelter staff determined that he needed to see a vet very quickly because he was so underweight, and had some eye discharge. He was christened Bernard and sent to the vet for evaluation and treatment. Upon examination, the vet found that he was a very affectionate senior cat in need of medical treatment. Shelter staff initially thought he might have been abandoned because of his age and health conditions. Bernard was able to be treated right away so he could start on the path to better health and quality of life. The goal of the staff and volunteers of SCHS is to preserve, protect, and provide for stray, neglected, and abused animals. Bernard was desperately in need of that help. Luckily for him, SCHS has a microchip scanner to use on any cats brought in as strays.

A microchip is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device implanted under an animal’s skin. Unlike a collar, the microchip can’t be lost or deliberately removed. The chips, when scanned, activate an identification number in

the scanner. This number can then be used to link to the owner of the animal. An essential piece of the puzzle is the registration of the microchip. When a chip is placed, it must be registered by the owner of the animal. Importantly, the registration must be kept current! Registration with a disconnected phone number is useless when trying to reunite a lost pet with its owner. Most shelters in the United States have a scanner available to use when taking in a new lost or stray animal.

In terms of safety, microchips are very safe for animals. A microchip is encased in a non-toxic material and will not cause any issues as long as the chip is properly implanted using a sterile needle. Implantation is a little uncomfortable, rather like having blood drawn. The entire device is about the size of a grain of rice and is usually implanted between the shoulder blades, although sometimes the microchips migrate to another location in the body. This makes it important that the RFID scanner used to detect the chip be waved over the cat’s body, not just between the shoulder blades. If your pet has a chip, it may be worthwhile to ask your vet to check the location of the chip during annual exams.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that approximately 3.4 million cats enter animal shelters each year in the US. Of these, only about 100,000 cats who enter as strays are reunited with their owners, well under 5%. Sadly, about 41% of cats entering shelters nationally are euthanized.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the return rate for microchipped cats is dramatically higher, about 38%. Our friend Bernard was one of these fortunate few. When SCHS staff checked him for a microchip, they found one. It turned out that this sweet elderly gentleman was a 16-year-old beloved pet who had snuck outdoors while his mom was distracted. She was simply elated when she received the call notifying her that he had been located! They were both relieved and grateful to be reunited. While we can’t release his real name, his mom told SCHS staff that he had a new middle name: Bernard!

Bernard’s tale is one with a happy ending, but not all cats are so lucky. Sullivan County Humane Society is there to help animals in trouble. It is a no-kill shelter and provides many other services to Sullivan County, including regular low-cost spay and neuter clinics.

For more information about SCHS, please visit their website at https://sul livancountyhumanesociety.org/ or their Facebook page. Fall 2020