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By Laurie Rich

Although your kitty is never allowed outside, in light of the recent hurricane disasters in our country, it's important to consider how you would locate your cat if the two of you were ever separated by events beyond your control.

Microchipping your cat is a safe, reliable, and effective way of providing permanent identification.

The Microchip

A microchip is a tiny computer chip and antenna enclosed in glass; it's about the size of a grain of rice. The chip stores a unique identification number which can be read with the proper equipment. Typically, the number contains 10 characters, meaning 275 billion different ID numbers are available. Additionally, manufacturers add their own product codes to their chips. With all the possible combinations of product codes and ID numbers, there are more than enough numbers to make sure every pet has a completely unique number.

It's fast and easy to microchip your cat. The microchip is loaded into a special syringe; the needle is inserted just under your cat's skin between the shoulder blades. The entire procedure takes less than 10 seconds and is only as painful as a vaccination. After injection, a thin layer of protein surrounds the microchip and forms a casing, helping to keep the microchip in place.

The microchip has no power supply to replace, or moving parts to wear down. It can be expected to last for decades -- well beyond the lifespan of most companion animals.

The Microchip Scanner

A chip's ID number is transmitted via radio waves to a microchip scanner. The frequency of the radio waves is set by a microchip manufacturer to one of two standards: FDX-A, which is compatible with all currently used scanners, and FDX-B (ISO), which is not compatible with FDX-A scanners.

For this reason, not all scanners can read all brands of microchips. Most facilities scanning for microchips use multiple scanners to check for all chip types.

Scanners are used by animal control workers, humane shelters, and other rescue organizations; many veterinarians also purchase scanners for use in their practices.

The Microchip Database

Even if your cat is microchipped and is properly scanned, without information about how to contact you, the ID number wouldn't help return your kitty to you.

Every microchip sold is registered to the veterinary hospital or shelter that purchased it. The vet or shelter records each animal's unique microchip ID number in their records and then notifies the appropriate microchip database with their own contact information. When contacted with the ID number for a pet, database personnel can then retrieve that animal's contact information, if it is still available. Veterinarians have been known to delete records after 10 years. This is one reason it is very important for a pet's owner to register the ID with their own contact information.

In the United States, there are a number of active suppliers of microchips. Each supplier has unique codes and maintains different databases. Each database is readily accessible when a vet or rescue worker needs to obtain an animal's contact information.

How Microchipping Helps Find Lost Pets

If your cat somehow escapes your house and is found by an animal control officer or rescue worker, your cat typically would be scanned in hopes of finding a microchip ID number. If a code is found and displayed on the scanner, the rescuer can determine which database should be notified to determine that animal's contact information.

If you did not register your own name and telephone number with the database, the veterinary clinic, rescue group, or shelter that originally purchased the microchip is listed as the contact. In turn, that clinic, group, or shelter must look through its records to determine how to contact you, leading to possible delays in returning your cat to you.

However, if you registered your own name, address, and telephone number with the database, your telephone number would be supplied to the rescuer. The rescuer could then contact you directly, resulting in a more speedy reunion for you and your kitty.

How to Make Sure Microchipping Will Work for You

It's a good idea to have all of your pets -- both cats and dogs -- microchipped. No matter how careful you are, even your indoor-only pets could escape one day.

Don't forget to contact the appropriate microchip database to list your name and telephone number along with the microchip code. This will allow a rescuing group to contact you directly should your pet be found. (If you adopted your cat from Folsom Feline Rescue within the last two years, your kitty has already been microchipped and is registered with the contact information you provided on the completed adoption paperwork.)

Consider having your vet test the microchip on an annual basis to make sure the chip is still transmitting data.

Annually confirm your pet's information with the microchip database -- and don't forget to change your contact information if you move!

Popular Microchip Suppliers and Registry Numbers

Chip Maker	Database Registry
Avid	PETTRAC 1-800-336-2843
Home Again	Home Again 1-866-738-4324
......	AKC 1-800-252-7894 Any type of chip can be registered. HomeAgain chips registered prior to 2005. www.akccar.org
24PetWatch	1-866-597-2424 Any type of chip can be registered www.24petwatch.com

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