Micro-chips....Can someone give me some information?

[Denise29]

Hi all,

I am very happy to have found this website. The posts have been very informative!

I have a female blue-cream point Himalayan cat and will be getting a male seal-point Himalayan next Saturday.

Even though my girl is an indoor cat and my male will be as well, I would like to get both of them micro-chipped. I have been a member of many cat websites and am embarrassed to admit I only recently found out about micro-chips! I am surprised that my vet never mentioned them to me. He is wonderful and my cat has always been up to date with her *beep*, exams, etc.

Anyway, I do have a few questions:

1) How is the chip implanted?
2) Is this a simple procedure?
3) Is anesthesia used?
4) Are there any risks involved? I know that there are risks associated with any surgeries, but are there special risks associated with the micro-chip specifically?
5) If my cat had the chip and was lost, how would someone know she had the chip and how would they retrieve the information from the chip?
6) What are the costs associated with the chip?

Thanks in advance!

Denise

[Cleo]

Hi Denise,

Welcome to the board!

How Microchips Work:
Microchips are tiny transponders, about the size of a grain of rice. They consist of a miniaturized coil and a memory circuit encased in biocompatible glass, and are small enough to fit in a hypodermic syringe. Your veterinarian or other technician implants the microchip just under the skin between the shoulder blades, and the whole procedure takes only a minute or so. The chip's memory circuit contains a unique number registered to your cat, which can be read by special scanners found in many veterinary offices and shelters.

Pros and Cons:
- Permanent. The chip cannot be dislodged, once implanted, and has a
lifetime of 75 years.
- Quick--takes less than a minute.
- Does not require an anesthetic.
- The cat is not bothered by it once implanted.
- May deter theft, or at least make theft easy to prove if the culprit is
caught "with the goods."
- Implanted chips are tamper-proof.
- Does not disfigure like a tattoo.
- More expensive than tattooing or tags.
- Many people would not know to take a found cat to a veterinarian or
shelter for scanning.
- Although chips are becoming standardized, there are still a couple of
registries.

The author of this article also wrote:
While each owner must decide for himself or herself which method might be best, after researching for this article, I am personally inclined to take a "shotgun approach" with a combination of microchipping and collar with tags. The microchip would be the source of a permanent record and the tags would give the owner's name, phone number, and the fact that the animal is chipped.

http://cats.about.com/library/weekly/aa050500c.htm

In speaking with my own vet about microchipping, it is my understanding that it is useless unless registered and the registration is updated. Both my cats are indoor and I considered getting this done as a precaution in case something unfortunate ever happened; I haven't acted on it though.

Good luck,
Cleo

[Mona]

My kitten was microchipped when spayed at 8 weeks of age. I did register her with the paperwork, but it is true if a new owner had her and was not registered it would be invalid. My vet also has the microchip number for tracing as well as the County where I live, and of course the microchip people.

I guess if she was to get out now, it would be great and easy to trace her, and she is a little devil, but we watch carefully!!

Mona, Honeybun and Little Chloe

[Denise29]

Thank you for your replies! They were very helpful.

I have no idea why one of my words got censored with a "beep" but the word I used there was sho-ts, as in immunizations. LOL....I have no idea why that would be censored. I only mention this because I don't want you all to think I cursed in my post!

Anyway, thanks again for your replies! I look forward to coming to this site daily to get information.

Denise

[NicoleK]

Hi Denise,

All four of my cats were microchipped at about 3 months old. The procedure was so quick - its just a quick shot and its over. They didn't cry or have any kind of reaction during or after the procedure. I think its a good idea because if they were to ever get out and their collar with tags gets lost, the microchip is just another way for them to hopefully get home. As far as cost - our vet charges about $35 for the office visit, $42 for the injection, and its about $15 to register the microchip. I think that local shelters may charge less, so you might want to check with them as well. I checked with most of the shelters in my area and my vets office and they all have the guns to scan them if necessary so I think it was well worth the money to get it done.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps...

[jason]

I have no idea why one of my words got censored with a "beep" but the word I used there was sho-ts, as in immunizations. LOL....I have no idea why that would be censored. I only mention this because I don't want you all to think I cursed in my post!

i checked the source of your post, you mispelled shots...the "o" was an "i". heh.

[Guest]

I have no idea why one of my words got censored with a "beep" but the word I used there was sho-ts, as in immunizations. LOL....I have no idea why that would be censored. I only mention this because I don't want you all to think I cursed in my post!

i checked the source of your post, you mispelled shots...the "o" was an "i". heh.

LOL!!! WHOOPS!

Thanks for clarifying, Jason! LOL

[Denise29]

I forgot to add my username. That was me that posted the above reply.

Enough procrastinating....off to officially register!