Pet Chips / Pet Id Chip.

Far from lavish but probably one of the greatest gifts you could give your pet, the microchip offers a permanent method of identification and should last for life, says Angela Lowe.

For around £25, the humble microchip, no bigger than a grain of rice, could potentially reunite us with our much-loved pets should they become lost. All it takes is a visit to a vet or authorized organization who will insert the microchip under your cat's skin, between his shoulder blades. This relatively painless procedure means that your cat will carry a unique identification number on his microchip that is linked to a database - such as Petlog, Anibase and Pettrac containing your details.

Should he then become lost, a scanner can be used to detect the microchip and a simple phone call to the relevant database holder can ascertain your details and your pet can be returned home to you.

At home
Each year charities and vets campaign to encourage cat owners to realize the benefits of microchipping their pet and the figures speak for themselves with thousands of 'chipped' pets a year being reunited with their owners.

Unlike the traditional collar, experts say the microchip cannot be lost, altered or intentionally removed. There are many microchips on the market and the type of chip your pet will be given and I the database you are registered with depends on which vet j organization you visit. However, there is a specific standard of microchip recognized by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) laid down by the International Standards Organization. The ISO-standard microchips are those generally used and for which vets in Europe are most likely to have compatible scanners.

Abroad
If you want to take your cat abroad and bring him back into the UK he must, by law, be microchipped. If the microchip does not meet ISO Standards you must provide your own microchip reader (at your own expense) so the microchip number can be read successfully when your pet enters the UK or needs to be checked in another country. To ensure the microchip works it should be read before and after it has been fitted. Get your vet to read the microchip every time you visit and remember to keep your details up-to-date with the registering organization.

If the microchip cannot be read your pet will not be allowed to travel under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). You will then have to either make arrangements to put your pet into quarantine when you arrive in the UK, or travel without your pet. For more information on what to do in the case of failed microchips, contact the PETS Helpline on 0870 241 1710.

_{source Your Cat Mag.}