HAVE
YOU EVER LOST A PET?
Do you realize just
how much your cat means to you? I did, but it was too late. We
lost 3 cats within 2 years. They were part of our family. Afterwards,
we did all the things we were supposed to do. Calls and visits
to the animal shelters, ads in the paper, flyers to veterinarians,
LOST-CAT-REWARD posters hung everywhere. As we searched the neighborhood,
we saw a lot of wandering dogs and cats, most without collars,
just like the ones we had seen at the shelter.
THE MOST COMMON
REASONS WHY CATS NEVER RETURN HOME:
1. Lack of proper identification:
The vast majority of stray animals entering the City animal control
and Calgary Humane Society shelters lack any form of identification.
Most animals, especially cats, have no collars, or the collar
carries no information as to the name and address of the owner.
2. Injured strays: Lack of owner
identification is equally common in injured strays.
3. Trapped by neighbors
4. Accidents and acute injuries (
Hit by Car)
WHAT CAN I DO TO PROTECT
MY CAT AGAINST LOSS
Indoor cats, who are not used to being outside, are at higher
risk of getting lost if they get out, because they usually cannot
find their way back to their home. So it is as important to identify
indoor cats as to identify indoor/outdoor cats. There are three
ways to identify your cat.
1.
Put a collar on your cat and equip it with a name tag available
from pet stores or from our office.
2.
Have your cat tattooed.
3.
Microchip your cat.
HOW
DOES THE TATTOO PROGRAM WORK?
The tattoo program
is sponsored by the Calgary Academy of Veterinary Medicine. Each
veterinary clinic has its own code. For instance our tattoo code
looks like this - LY 000. The letter 'L' stands for year 2001
and the letter 'Y' stands for Killarney Cat Hospital. The number
'000' is a serial number. Each clinic keeps a record of the cats
it tattoos and a call to the relevant clinic should produce the
owner's name, address and phone number.
WHEN CAN I HAVE MY CAT TATTOOED?
We prefer to tattoo
our patients under general anesthesia since this is painless and
results in a more readable tattoo. Thus tattooing is commonly
performed when the cat is spayed or neutered but it can be one
any time your cat is anaesthetized. The actual tattoo number is
placed in the right ear. You will be given the tattoo number for
your records and it will be included in your cat's medical record
as well.
WHAT
IS A MICROCHIP?
The microchip is a
tiny computer chip that has an identification number programmed
into it and is encapsulated within a biocompatible material. The
whole device is small enough to fit inside a hypodermic needle
and can be simply injected under the skin of our pets, where it
will stay for the life of the animal. This provides a permanent,
positive identification, which can not be lost, altered or intentionally
removed.
HOW
DOES THE MICROCHIP WORK?
The computer memory
in the microchip contains a unique number. No two animals will
ever have the same number. A radio signal is used to read this
number through the skin of your cat. In addition to the number,
the microchip generates a reliability check to guarantee that
your cat's identifying number is read accurately. This all takes
place in less than 0.04 seconds.
HOW
LONG DOES THE MICROCHIP LAST?
The microchip itself
has no power supply to replace or moving parts to wear down. Therefore
it can be expected to last for decades, well beyond the lifespan
of most pets.
WHAT
IS THE YOUNGEST AGE CATS CAN BE MICRO-CHIPPED?
Pets of any age can
be injected with a microchip. Kittens can be microchipped during
their initial vaccine series
DOES
MY CAT HAVE TO BE SEDATED FOR THE INJECTION?
No. Injecting the microchip
is just like any other injection or vaccination. Anesthesia is
not recommended since there is minimal discomfort with the procedure.
COULD
MY CAT BE ALLERGIC TO A MICROCHIP?
Microchip is inert
and biocompatible. There is virtually no chance of the body developing
an allergy or trying to reject the microchip after being properly
injected.
THE
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ALL THE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS
