Cat Tagging
Most owners who lose a cat will spend hours, days and even weeks looking for their lost pets. Sadly, very few cats that are lost are ever reunited with their owners. Animal shelters throughout the country take in a huge number of lost cats each year and around 99% have no identification.
Tagging is a good precaution to take in case your cat goes missing. Tags are available in several sizes and at a low cost from pet shops and veterinary surgeries. A tag with your name, address and phone number can be put into a collar. You may want to tag your cat even if you never let it go outside because there is always the possibility that the cat could slip through an open door or window and become lost.
- Choose a lightweight tag and a comfortable fitting collar with a release buckle.
- Fit the collar properly. The collar should be tight enough not to come off but loose enough not to strangle the cat. One finger should be able to fit between your cat's neck and its collar.
- Always keep the collar and tag on, even when the cat is indoors, in case it slips out of the house.
Micro-Chips
An alternative to a collar tag is micro chipping. A micro chip is as small as a grain of rice and is injected just under the scruff of the neck of your pet and to provide permanent identification of your dog or cat in case of loss or theft. Each micro chip has its own unique identifying number and this is then stored in a database. If your cat goes missing an animal rescue centre or vet will always scan a lost cat to discover if there is a microchip in the cat and then check where it lives.