This morning the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the traffic lights seem to all be on green as I make my way to Two By Two Veterinary Centre. I’m smiling to myself thinking that today is the day I can make a little girl supremely happy as her beloved cat who went missing three weeks ago is reunited with her and the family due to the presence of a microchip implant.
Yesterday morning, the young adult cat in question was dropped off to my Finchley veterinary practice, having boldly decided to take up residence in a household with multiple large dogs over the preceding couple of days. The food on offer must have been truly gourmet; either that or the cat in question was a daredevil with a knack for survival.
Veterinary practices, police, dog wardens, animal rescue centres and animal welfare charities have a means of painlessly identifying those animals carrying a microchip implant. A quick whizz-over with the handheld microchip scanner in this case, revealed a welcome ping and the cat was temporarily housed in Two By Two Veterinary Centre’s cat ward while contact with the owner was made.
It turned out that the cat had run away after a favourite hiding hedge had been trimmed and thinned out to no longer afford the protection from the elements and predators being sought. The amazing thing about this particular story is that the cat appeared to be in top-notch condition having been stray for three weeks and that he had roamed three miles in that time, successfully navigating the barrier of the North Circular Road. Hopefully he doesn’t gain a taste for life on the edge and settles back into his loving home as planned. Three weeks in summer is long enough for a hedge to re-grow.
The best way to identify stray or missing pets in order to reunite them with their owners is through microchip implantation which can be performed during routine consultation. I hope the true story above convinces you that it is a jolly good idea and the team at Two By Two Veterinary Centre are big advocates of clients undertaking this quick, low-cost, minor procedure for their loved pets.
Andrew Monchar, Director, Two By Two Veterinary Centre