Technology has heavily impacted pet ownership over the last few years, mostly for the better. Everything from meticulously researched food to anti-aging pills have given us pet owners more ability to improve the quality of life for our beasties.
While it might not be top of mind, one of the most important pieces of tech to change pet parenting is the microchip. You probably don’t even think about this tiny device until you really need it, and then you’ll be grateful for the piece of equipment. Before microchipping cats, you can certainly discuss it with your vet or breeder, but we recommend all dogs and cats get one.
What is a microchip?
Your pet’s chip is really their ID card. You may already have a tag on their collar or a piece of paper from your city or state with their info, but the microchip will go with them everywhere, no matter what. This little device is only the size of a single grain of rice and is actually a radio frequency identification tag. That means it isn’t constantly sending out its location like an AirTag, but instead, it only provides the data when read by a special scanner. Since it doesn’t do anything but hang out waiting to be scanned, there’s no battery attached.
How is the microchip put into my cat?
Most likely, your cat doctor or another professional will insert the chip — and many pets come with them. Whoever is taking on the procedure will scan it on its own first to make sure everything works. The needle used for insertion looks a little scary, but it doesn’t hurt any more than a blood draw and less than some vaccines.
Most cats get the implant between their shoulders (it’s best to have consistency here so every animal pro knows where to look for it). Your vet will pull the scruff up a bit and inject the chip in. After it takes hold, you’ll want to check to make sure it’s reading properly. Assuming everything went well, kitty is set on that for life.
Does my cat need a microchip?
It’s tempting to think that an indoor cat should not need any additional identification. After all, where are they gonna go? But we highly encourage you to get them this relatively simple and inexpensive ID. Cats can escape from your home, a vet’s office, or a boarding facility. The same holds true even if they wear a collar at all times. An indoor cat that gets out will act scared and confused. They could easily lose their collar or tags running around looking for you. The microchip can’t ever get lost, and animal control will always check for it once they pick them up.
Once my cat has been microchipped, is there anything else I need to do?
The most important part of the process actually comes after microchipping cats. You must tie your information to their number. Otherwise, there’s no way to know who they belong to. Don’t stress over this, as the vet will have all the paperwork ready to go when you get them the tag.
Make sure to fill this out right away and pay any fee. Forgetting to take this step will make the microchip fairly pointless, as there won’t be any info attached when someone scans it. Any time you move, you want to update this with the new address and phone number if you ever change that as well.
How will the microchip help my cat get home?
Just about any cat expert who picks up a mouser on the street will know to scan the chip first. Animal control, a humane society, or a shelter will try to get in touch with you once they figure out that they are your pet. Cats found with microchips are 20 times more likely to go home to their families, and those without have a very small chance of getting returned to the right person. A microchip doesn’t replace a collar, though, since someone in your neighborhood might spot her and will be unable to read the internal tag but can easily call the number on the cat ID.
All in all, there aren’t a lot of downsides to microchipping cats, and it brings some very real benefits — plus a sense of security. On top of these reasons, some countries require traveling cats to have a chip, so you’ll want to get that done before you take your pet on an international trip. It’s usually best to get it out of the way when you first adopt them, since you’ll be filling out quite a bit of paperwork at that time already. Many rescue organizations and breeders will do the actual chipping part for you and can help update the record with your information. This way, even if they sneak out, you’ll be reunited in no time.
