Microchips for Cats

Microchipping your cat is essential in keeping your pet safe. Microchips give cat owners peace of mind in the event that their cat goes missing. When a cat is found with no ID, scanning for a microchip is routine practice. Microchips for cats significantly impact the ability and speed of reuniting owners with their lost pets. Even if your cat is kept indoors, it is a good idea to have them microchipped in case they ever get out of the house.

What is Microchipping for Cats?

A cat microchip is a small transponder, approximately the size of a grain of rice, implanted into a cat’s skin. A veterinarian performs the injection. The purpose of microchipping cats is to identify a lost cat that has been found with no identification. A common misconception is that microchips act as GPS tracking for cats.

Benefits of Microchipping

Microchipping has several benefits. Microchips are permanent – after it is implanted, your cat will never need to have it removed or replaced. Microchips do not use any power source or connectivity, so they will always be scannable. Unlike tags and collars, microchips cannot fall out, break, or get lost. No matter what your cat does or where it goes, the microchip will stay safely implanted under its skin. Microchips are inexpensive and easy to place. The procedure is also swift and generally painless.

How Cat Microchips Work

Microchips work by storing a radio frequency that relays a unique identification number when scanned with a specific scanning tool. When scanned, the microchip number displays on the scanner. The microchip number is then used to search microchip databases, such as PetLink, to find the cat’s and the owner’s information. However, this requires that the cat owner previously registered their pet’s microchip in a database.