Last week when I opened the door to my apartment a cat walked in.
He must have gotten confused and thought this was his home because he came in like he owned the place and started looking around like he was thinking "Who are you and why are you in my house?". He was obviously someone's cat. He was huge and fluffy, clean and declawed and probably lived in the neighborhood.
I put up posters and an ad on Craigslist and when I took him to an animal clinic to see if he had a microchip they couldn't find one. I was very disappointed (even though I really liked this cat) that I couldn't find his family and would just have to wait to see if someone would call.
Eventually I did find the owner but not every cat is so lucky to have found someone to take care of him until he went home.
During the time I had him I had two calls from people who also had declawed cats who were lost. Both had wandered outside when someone accidentally left the door open. Neither had microchips.
Microchips are the best way to help a lost cat (or dog) find it's way home. Even collars can be lost. If your animal is bought into Town Lake Animal Center the vet techs there will scan for a microchip. It is just that easy and your beloved pet could be home that night! Or if someone finds your pet and takes it to a vet your contact information can be immediately available.
No one expects his cat to ever go missing but it CAN happen which is why it is SO IMPORTANT to have a microchip.
Fortunately, if you adopt from Austin Pets Alive! you can rest assured that your pet will be microchipped already but if you have other pets at home please take a short amount of time out of your day to get your pets microchipped. It could save their lives!
Cats like fun loving Lucy who was lost on the street and dropped off at the shelter could have found her family if only she had a microchip. Lucy was one of the lucky ones but there are countless other lost pets at the shelter who aren't so lucky.
