The Microchip Myth

How does having your pet microchipped help if your cat or dog should ever go missing? There is an article in The Guardian which discusses a potential change in the law that would make microchipping mandatory for cats, as it is already for dogs.

The article tells us that Casper the cat was reunited with his thankful owners 3 years after having gone missing. How did this come about? Someone finally decided it would be a good idea to scan him in case he had a microchip. And this is the point. The microchip is an outstandingly reliable means of identifying a pet provided that you, or someone else, is minded to read it and has access to a scanner.

A pet with a microchip that goes missing will very often be returned to its owner…..eventually. However dependable a system it is, it is not immediate and often involves considerable delay as well as stress for the pet and its owner.

9 times out of 10, good visible identification such as the Pet 24 service will result in the pet coming home much sooner, and a lot less stress all round.