- :after working in lost and found for cats for the last 5 years I believe this is an essential part of vet training, and will ensure that more cats and owners are re-united. it takes just 30 seconds to scan a cat.
- What is the point of chipping your loved animal when they are not checked regularly when they are brought in as strays this seems like madness to me, my little girl Snarf when missing in March and for all I know she could have been stolen and no-one would even check her chip :(
- If we do it for dogs-why not cats?
- I think this is important! I would hate for my pet cat or dog to be adopted out to someone else or for them to be euthanized because they weren't checked for a micro-chip!
- Please make scanning of all animals that come through vets practices and shelters mandatory!!!
- I am concerned that not every vet has the sense to scan every animal "unknown" to them for information regarding the animal's possible owner. The process of scanning every unknown animal should become second nature and included in any vet training.
- I agree with everything said so far
- I think all cats should be scanned especially ones that have been killed or are lost. Although it would seem good to make chipping a cat to be a law, i think it would be impossible to police and therefore making it a law would be pointless
- I have five cats, all are micro chipped. I'd hate to think this innovative idea wasn't being used to its full potential to keep animals safe.
- It's imperative it becomes law
- I agree with micro chipping made law will also save a lot of stray pets that owners have dumped as well
- All pets should be micro chipped - lost ones could easily be reunited with their owners and owners of neglected or abused animals could be held responsible for their actions!
- After my darling (removed) went missing I asked my vet if unknown pets were routinely scanned and he said 'no'. My cat may well have been found by now if this was the case.
- Micro chipping is rendered pointless if vets do not routinely check animals on their first visit, whatever story their owners come in with. Vets all have scanners on hand, so why not?
- it should be made law that all pets should be micro chipped, it would help all owners and rescue centers find there missing pets, it would also stop a lot being stolen or ill treated as the owners could always be found
- I agree totally with the above comments
- I believe micro-chipping should be a legal requirement and every animal should be scanned when first presented to a new vet to confirm ownership - my cat was stolen, these messages could have re-united us.
- my vet did indeed scan, my cat when I originally joined the surgery, but to my knowledge only took a note of the number, did cross reference it, that said cat is now missing and has been for 3mths. Its important ever animal is check, even possibly on every visit, are they likely to move !!! and not be located in the correct position on the cat neck.
- I think vets should scan regardless, rather than just when asked, as not everyone is aware of chips.
- My dog and four cats are all micro chipped. Would hate for any of them to stray and not be reunited due to a vet not scanning for their microchips.
- A microchip can only help if animals are routinely scanned. I'd like this to become common practice among vets and rescue centers and for more education of the public re micro chipping - e.g. a cat without a collar is not necessarily a stray.
- I would like to think that if one of my pets went missing that they would be scanned as par for the course - so I back this proposal fully.
- Vets should scan cats (and dogs)as a matter of standard practice. If vets did this, then pet stealers could be tracked more easily and pets reunited with their real owners.
- That is the whole point of chipping our pets. It really doesn’t take long to scan the cat.
- all vets should check for microchip no matter what
- I support this completely!
- I think all vets should scan all new clients and should keep an eye on any chipped animal for any movement!!, I’ve heard a lot of cases of animals not being scanned at all what’s the point in chipping if no one is going to scan I think it's a very good idea if it's done properly!! at the moment I haven't got a lot of faith it
- My cat went missing for 3 days last year, he wasn't chipped at the time, but if he had been, I would have liked him to have been scanned as a matter of course if taken to a vet or rescue center, it only takes a few seconds, otherwise why have microchips in the first place.
- Entirely agree that all vets/rescue centers etc. should scan for microchips as a matter of course, otherwise why should we bother to have our animals chipped in the first place.
- On behalf of one Cats Protection branch I would wholly endorse this campaign. Vets must scan animals who come in without an owner.
- I think all cats should be micro chipped by law it would help people find there cats when lost.
- All pets must be micro chipped and I am all in favour of it being made law. Also, Vets MUST always scan pets for microchips as it costs them nothing yet can reunite pets with their owners! Please pass the law and train the vets.
- I believe that all cats should be micro chipped and that all vets should regularly check the animals brought into them. My cat went missing last year, she wasn’t chipped but had she of been and had been taken in by someone and subsequently gone to the vets at some point in time she may have been found - however now I am left wondering if she is dead or alive! Please, please make it law to have an animal micro chipped and for vets to carry out regular scans.
- We agree that vets should scan all cats new to them.
- my cat has been missing nearly a year now and there is always a chance that someone may have taken him in and claimed him as their own but if every vet checked every new cat they got in I may have him back by now
- Like any new method it is only as good as the people who run it or own the animal. We microchip every cat we home, we microchip some feral cats that we have had neutered and returned (some of those have been retrapped and taken to a vet, scanned and found they have already been neutered therefore saving another operation)
We scan every new cat we come in contact with, but smaller charities don't carry scanners and I suspect some of their cats if they appear well and are already neutered may not even visit a vet. We had to rescue one cat ourselves that was reported found, the caller wouldn't wait for us to collect it the next day so took the cat to a rescue about 10 miles away. We then got a lost cat call which matched. The cat rescue didn't even know if the cat was male or female or neutered so we made the effort to pick it up. That cat was micro chipped which proved to us it was the correct cat and was happily reunited. I fear if we hadn't intervened it would have been rehomed miles away. We actually met up with the same cat three years later, was begging for food in a retail park. It was reunited within 30 minutes this time. One scan, one phone call to check the number, then one to the owner and delivered back home safely. Hope he has learned his lesson and stops wandering.
The more animals who are chipped will in time be better for their welfare. I know it is difficult to trace an owner if they have not informed the microchip database of change of details, may be sometimes it is intentional. As it is against the law to abandon an animal and people can hopefully get into trouble if they do not show a duty of care to their pets when the Animal Welfare Bill comes in, hopefully micro chipping will make owners care for their pets as they should do.
We get two or three cats in per year who have been previously micro chipped, but despite intensive enquiries we cannot trace them. Maybe in time we could use the police or other agencies to trace the owner. In these cases maybe it would be in the best interest of the animal if it wasn't returned but it could be a much loved pet who got lost on removal day. If no owner is found at least you have some valuable information from the microchip database. You get an approximate age, and if neutered, otherwise if it is a female would need shaving or even opening up before you could prove it had been done.
Many people disapprove of collars, or the animal won't wear one so vital the animal has some sort of identification.
Obviously we have micro chipped thousands of cats so far. We haven't had any problems with infections or allergic reactions. One or two chips track down a leg or fall out after a time. So it would be a good idea if clients when visiting a vet actually asked the vet to confirm that the chip is still present and correct. This would then get all vet staff used to scanning on a regular basis.
- We scan every cat which is brought in to us as part of our acceptance procedure. We also deal with a lot of calls regarding stray cats, where we advise the finder to either take the cat to their local vet, or bring to us to scan for a chip. We have done several publicity items recently at our center with cats being reunited with their owners up to 2 years since it went missing!
Micro chipping is a must! We have problems with our council cleansing department who collect RTA cats, who do not scan for microchip and speaking to their staff, they don't seem prepared to help us, which doesn't help the public!
- Yes we agree that all stray cats taken to a vet should be scanned for a microchip, I know that our vet does as a matter of routine. Not just vets but rescue centers as well should do the same.
- Anything to help our beloved pudy cats!!!!!!!!
- Yes of course, a vet should automatically scan an animal brought in, otherwise there is no point in micro chipping to safeguard your pet.
- I fully support this proposal and as a vet will be scanning all unknown animals that are presented to me.
- I so agree with the comments above. My vet, when my pet went missing didn't even ask for his details or chip no. My son asked why satellites couldn't track our pet. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the humans that had that capability didn't even bother.
- Both of my "wandering" cats are chipped, the third never leaves the house!! One went missing last year and I was holding out that if she was taken to a vet / rescue center that she'd be scanned and returned to me - it's a huge concern that not all vets / centers scan pets brought to them as the first job!
- All pet cats and dogs should be neutered and chipped as routine. A standard charge countrywide should be introduced for this service.
- Micro chipping is vital. I had a cat go missing for 11 months, and got him back because Petsearch scanned him when he was brought to them. I always assumed that vets scanned found animals routinely, and am amazed that they do not do so. I also think it should be compulsory for all councils to scan dead pets found on roadsides.
- This is an issue I feel very strongly about as I think micro-chipping for all cats and dogs should be made law they do it in other countries (e.g. Spain) why not here? Cat safety collars can come off and normal collars aren't safe, leaving cats with no identification.
After my cat went missing I started volunteering for the cats protection and our branch recently reunited a cat that was chipped and had been missing for 3 years – the owner was ecstatic! Unfortunately this isn’t that common as so few cats that come into us are actually chipped. It would ensure that the cats we re-home are genuine strays and not missing cats that haven’t been reported as lost.
If all cats had to be micro-chipped it would increase the chances of me being reunited with my own missing cat as people would be more aware of chipping and are more likely to get them scanned before adopting them themselves assuming they have just been abandoned.
Hopefully it would also stop the irresponsible owners who unfortunately do just abandon their cat or kitten! We have had cases of cats being driven into villages and dumped or owners moving house and leaving the cat behind. Hopefully it would make owners take more consideration about taking on a pet and more responsible about finding alternative homes if they no longer wanted their cat.
- all my cats are microchipped, and they also have ID discs on. i think if your pet is chipped they have a better chance of being returned home should they get lost or injured
- It is a must do when it comes to scanning unknown
animals.Some may be taken in out of kindness and others can be enticed
deliberatly into a new home!
It is vital that pets are reunited with their owners, most pets are like
children to pet owners and a missing animal can cause a person as much
distress as losing a child!
The effort has to be made to make vets etc aware that scanning for
microchips is as vital as the animals treatment!
- I agree with the above - although I did not know that vets did not regularly scan found animals. I thought it was standard procedure
- I am very surprised that each animal that is found is not
scanned. What is the point otherwise, how do they decided which one to
scan or not to scan. What a very odd system.
My cat is not chipped, but then his daily walk consists of a walk around
the garden, he does not wander because he is a bit scared of his own
shadow. If chipping was law, I would have him done, no problem.
If you now buy an animal from a Rescue Charity does it automatically
become chipped?
- As you know our cat Heidi went missing for one week and did return to us after one week, thank goodness and when she did return we made an appointment at our vet, which I have to say is a bit of a journey for us, as we live in Poulton and the vet is Jones Vets on St Annes Road Blackpool. Anyway when I took her into the vet surgery and opened up the cat box, she ran out and hid behind a cupboard which I have to say looked rather suspect, the vet asked what the problem was and I told him that she had been missing, he then asked if she was micro chipped, I said that she was and he said that he would check to see if the details were as on her card which they held luckily they were the same and he checked her over and gave us some medicines for her and that was that.
Had the vet not done that microchip check and It had been someone who had been fortunate enough to find her and keep her she would not be with me now, so although all vets do not do this check I would be shopping around for one that did, because that could have meant quite a different outcome and someone else could now be her owner, instead of having Heidi home with me.
Also many thanks to Sue who had me to put up with for 1 week, it could have turned out to be many months and I dread the thought. All vets should scan for a pet microchip and all owners need to have their cat micro chipped and also harass your local vet to take up this same procedure, or say that you will change to one that does these very important checks.
- think it would be a good idea if vets automatically scanned animals & there it would become a habit instead of the hit & miss situation that goes on at the moment
- As the above says a quick scan can save so much heart ache.
But in addition vets make a lot of money from selling the benefits of microchipping and it's potential to reunite lost cats with their owners. How can it then be justified on the other hand to then go against this selling point and not scan!
- I cannot believe that some vets are not scanning animals. The anquish that losing our dear little cat has caused has been awful - our one hope of finding him - his microchip. Please make scanning animals part of all vets training. I'm pleased to say that my vet always checks that our dog's microchip is still in place at her annual check up.
- It should indeed be a primary part of the process
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