The importance of microchipping your pet

Hi everyone,

Many of you are probably already aware how important it is to microchip once pet but unfortunately there are still many pets out there that have not been chipped.

Without a chip it can be difficult to re-unite a cat or dog with their human companion. Additionally the chip can provide valuable information to possible rescue centers when a pet is found.

Please find below some statistics from one of the charities we work with:

78% of cats helped by Blue Cross last year were not microchipped

As the halfway mark of National Microchipping Month passes, national pet charity Blue Cross reminds cat owners to microchip their pets now or risk losing them forever if they stray.

Out of the 5,760 cats that were admitted into the charity’s rehoming centres and hospitals across the country, between May 2016 and May 2017, a staggering 78% (4,517) were not microchipped or had needed to be microchipped by Blue Cross.

The charity, dedicated to helping sick, injured and homeless pets, sees all too often how heart-breaking it can be when a beloved pet goes missing without a microchip or with an out-of-date microchip.

Many of the cats brought in to Blue Cross are believed to be stray; although sometimes in a good, healthy condition meaning they’re likely to be a family pet who has gone for a wander.

Caroline Reay, Clinical Lead, Blue Cross said: “Particularly in the summer months, with cats going out for longer and wandering further, there is a higher risk of straying and of accidents. This is why it’s so important to microchip your cat; even if the cat is an indoor cat as there is still risk of them escaping – in fact, indoor cats are more at risk of getting lost if they do escape. So please, be safe and chip your cats.”

The sad truth is that sometimes un-microchipped stray cats are pets who after a week of being kept a rehoming centre end up needing to be rehomed as there is no way of contacting the original owners.

Blue Cross has also seen happy cases of reunions after long periods of time because the cat had been microchipped; one cat managed to stray 20 miles away from his home, but thankfully his microchip details were up-to-date, so he was able to be returned to his worried family.

Microchipping and keeping the chip details up-to-date gives owners the best chance of a being reunited with their missing feline friend.

Blue Cross may be holding a free microchipping event near you, call your local rehoming centre to find out more.

For more information on microchipping, or to donate to help give back to pets in the care of Blue Cross please visit https://www.bluecross.org.uk

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21 thoughts on “The importance of microchipping your pet

  1. helentastic67 says:

    Funny story for you. A friend recently rehomed his 2 cats with another of my friends. Silvia and Pablo. Silvia disappeared for a few days and when located in Cat Jail! She apparently didn’t have a chip despite having been given one at great expense. The Cat Jail, in this case, the Lost Dogs Home in Melbourne mentioned some country vets charge to microchip but neglect to actually chip the cat. Needless to say Silvia is chipped now. Cheers,H

  2. RoseyToesSews says:

    Great post! All our cats have been microchipped, those that go outside and the indoor only cats.
    One of our kitties recently had chest x-rays, and interestingly you could see her microchip showing up really brightly on them.

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  5. meowmeowmans says:

    Terrific post, Marc! All of the cats that come through the rescue at which we volunteer get microchipped. It’s such an easy and important way to increase the chances that lost kitties will be reunited with their families.

    • Marc-André says:

      Indeed. Both of ours are chipped even though they are indoor only. Because you never know what might happen! ;(

  6. weggieboy says:

    My tweo were microchipped at the same time I took them in to be neutered. It made sense, and it doesn’t matter that they are indoor cats only. If they ever got out and wandered, they’d have a chance of being foiund. I don’t make them wear collars inside, and, though they have their “credentials” (tags for vaccinations, etc.), they can’t be mistaken for strays because of the up-to-date information on the chips. That’s the other thing, if you move or have a change of information on the chip, make sure it is updated by the veterinarian who put the chip in.

    • Marc-André says:

      Very true! There was a story of a cat that got re united years after going missing here in the UK. 🙂

  7. Butter's mom says:

    I also believe in this. The first thing I do when I get a new animal is microchip. I have a friend who reported she didn’t because microchips cause cancer. I personally have not found this to be true, have your heard about that? I feel it was possibly a more isolated case she heard of. I will continue to microchip.

    • Marc-André says:

      I’ve heard of this before and actually had a discussion with a charity and a microchip provider about this to get some qualified information on that. The microchip question came up because of studies in mice which don’t have the same biological system cats so it’s questionable if it is transferable or not.

      It’s also not clear if it was down to certain materials used or simply could have been caused by genetic reasons and coincidently surfaced near the microchip.

      Bottom line is that it’s not been proven as correct or wrong for sure. But considering there are millions of dogs and cats chipped worldwide we would hear about regular cases if there was even as much as a medium risk.

      Below some details of a US research From the American Veterinary Medical Foundation:

      “There have been reports that mice and rats developed cancer associated with implanted microchips. However, the majority of these mice and rats were being used for cancer studies when the tumors were found, and the rat and mice strains used in the studies are known to be more likely to develop cancer. Tumors associated with microchips in two dogs were reported, but in at least one of these dogs the tumor could not be directly linked to the microchip itself (and may have been caused by something else).”
      and
      “We do not recommend that you have your pet’s microchip removed, for two reasons. First, based on our review of the studies, the risk that your animal will develop cancer due to its microchip is very, very low, and is far outweighed by the improved likelihood that you will get your animal back if it becomes lost. Second, although implanting a microchip is a very simple and quick procedure, removing one is more involved and may require general anesthesia and surgery.”
      Read AVMF FAQ

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