Care for Community Cats

Care for Community Cats

By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice-chair

A pup named Bundy escaped from his home on Halloween. The family contacted authorities and searched, but Bundy was not found. The family was heart broken.

Several weeks later a pup matching his description was spotted perched on a slab at the edge of a highway. His collar with ID tag was gone, but he was microchipped and joyfully reunited with his family.

A pug named Chato was stolen from his family. As time passed, they lost hope of ever seeing him again. Eight years later a truck driver spotted a stray dog at a gas station. The dog was in distress but allowed the man to pick him up and take him to a nearby animal hospital. They found he was microchipped and contacted the family. Chato needed medical care but responded quickly when once again in the loving home of his family.

Both of these lost dog stories are miraculous and have happy endings, thanks to the dogs being microchipped.

Losing a pet is an owner’s worst nightmare, but accidents can happen to the most responsible pet owners.

A dog can escape a fenced yard, bolt out of the car on a family vacation, or take off after some wild critter while on a hike.

The family indoor/outdoor cat may wander too far on her outside adventures or quietly escape as annoying houseguests arrive.

The best behaved pet can escape, run too far and “get lost.” Sadly, pets are also stolen.

The statistics are startling. It is estimated that one in three pets will get lost in their lifetime, and in the U.S. about ten million pets go missing each year.

A collar with an ID tag provides the necessary information for pets to be returned, but sometimes collars slip off. Microchips are the key backup to help pets find their way home.

Millions of missing pets with no ID tags end up in animal shelters.  Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats without microchips are reunited with their owners.

May is “Chip Your Pet Month.” The goal  is to encourage pet owners to microchip their animals so that they can be quickly found and brought back to their owners if they go missing.

The process is easy, safe and provided by veterinarians and most animal shelters.

Microchips, tiny transponders about the size of a grain of rice, are placed beneath the pet’s skin, typically between the shoulders. This is done with a needle, and requires no anesthesia. It is similar to a pet getting a vaccination.

Each microchip contains a unique identification number that will be tied to owner information like a  phone number when registered. Veterinary offices or animal shelters use scanners to access this information for lost pets, providing them what they need to contact grateful owners.

Summer is here with more outdoor adventure and travel, and more opportunities for your beloved pets to excitedly escape and become lost. Be safe. See that their collars with proper ID (their name and your phone number) are securely attached and that they are microchipped.

If you need a new ID tag or your pet to be microchipped, you can do so for no fee, at Ark-Valley Humane Society’s first ever  “Community Microchip/Pet ID Tag Clinic,” July 21st from 12-3PM at the Buena Vista location. Maybe you would like to add to your furry family. Adoption fees will be reduced during the day of this spectacular event.

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