A chip in a cat safe or does it really work.?

Question

I just got a job, and I'm going to get my cat fixed and put a chip in him, but does it really work, and will thier be some risk of him haveing that in him?? His name is JJ , and he's my baby and I want the best for him, will he know it's in thier, and If he does get lost , how will they know , there is a chip in him , and who he belongs to??

Answer 1

Hi i am gathering you mean a Micro chip?

In 8 years of Vet practice the only problem i ever saw with the insertion of a microchip is they CAN sometimes migrate. Which means they can travel around the body but only through the skin layers. It will cause no harm to your pet whatsoever, it just can be harder to find when scanning, for this reasin the whole body will be scanned. The chip is made of silicone and will not have a reaction it unless a bacteria was introduced with the chip when it was inserted, which i have also never seen.

In Australia we tattoo the ears whilst the animal is under a GA with an "M" symbol in the right ear, this indicates the cat or dog has been microchipped.

Your cat can go in water as it is generally inserted under the skin at the back of the neckand the hole will heal over in a few days, you wont even see it. It will cause your cat no pain or harm and he wont even know that it has been done when woken



A specially designed scanner is used to identify the chip which has a long number on it in which are then linked to your details. Only Vets and municipals have the authority to get your details upon scanning.

It is not a tracking device in which alot of people think it is, it is only best when people take the cat into the vet ect to have the animal scanned should they find you. IF someone decides to keep your cat unfotunatley there is no way of finding him if they dont do the right thing and have him scanned.



The beauty about the tattoo is if your cat goes missing and so does his ID collar then the cat is still easily identified as having a micro chip.

It is the most efficient safest way to identify your pet



GO for it!! You will not regret it.

Answer 2

Ok Microchips are inserted just under the skin (can be done awake or anaesthetised) by a large needle.

Microchips can not migrate into body cavities eg abdomen/chest or organs eg heart lungs kidney liver ect.

They may migrate in a horizontal direction along the underside of skin in a 2 inch direction, this causes no problems. There is no documented reactions to microchips.

Cats react more to the pain of a vaccine than the implantation of a chip.

It is really extremely safe!!!

The skin grows back over the hole within days so bathing and rain is no problem at all, you maybe aboe to feel the chip and soemtimes you can not.

How it works is if your cat is lost and taken to a vet or any other source that has a scanner they scan the chip and get an ID number they then ring the registration place and give the ID number the regsitration place has all your details that you have provided on a data base and they will provide your details ONLY to an authorised scanning place.

All found cats should be scanned to check for a chip.

Answer 3

A microchip is perfectly safe. It is a rice sized chip that is injected under the skin in the sub-q area in the neck. It is a universal injection site, so when they need to be scanned, everyone knows where to do the scan to see if there is a chip.



Once it is in, it's in. Water will not disturb it. My potbellied pig has had a chip in him for 15 years and it can still be read. All three of my cats have a chip.



As with anything, there is always a risk, but with the chip, I haven't heard of any reactions or infections.



If you cat is lost and picked up by a shelter or animal control, they automatically scan to see if there is a chip. Then they contact the chip company to get the owner information so you can be contacted. They scan regardless if the animal has a tag on them or not.



The animals do not feel the chip once it is injected. They feel a minimal prick when the needle goes in, just as with any injection.



The important thing is to keep the chip information in a safe place. If you move or any information changes, you need to contact the chip company to update that information, so if your cat is lost, they can still get in touch with you.



Hope this helps!

Answer 4

The chip will not hurt the cat, the cat will not even notice the chip. If the cat gets lost and is taken to a shelter or veterinary hospital, someone would scan the cat on the back of the neck (where chips are inserted on all animals) with a scanning device. The device will give a reading with either your phone number or the number of the chip comany (Avid, Homeagain, etc) and the person can call the company to get your phone number to let you know they have your cat. This is the best and safest way to identify your cat. A collar with tags can get caught on something outside if he escapes and either lose the id tags or injure himself.

Answer 5

There is no danger of the chip causing harm to your cat but there can be some general problems with having your cat chipped. Chips can come out of the cat if they are somewhere the cat can scratch - and as the chip will move around a bit, that does happen. My cat's chip came out and because the vet couldn't scan it when I took her to the vets for her next vaccination, I had to pay for her to be x-rayed to make sure that it hadn't got lost in her body. They couldn't find it so I also had to pay even more to have the chip replaced!



Getting your cat chipped, however, is a great idea. I know a lot of people whose cats have ended up in a rescue centre and been returned to them. My friend's dog was returned to him once before he even realised the dog had escaped!



The moral of the story is that as well as getting your cat chipped, you should get it insured so that if it needs an x-ray to find it's chip, it won't cost a fortune. Also, if your cat's chip comes out and he goes missing, the insurance usually covers the price of advertising to find him in your area.

Answer 6

putting a Microchip in your cat or dog is agood idea. It's even better if your getting him castrated because he'll be under anesthesia, so he won't feel a thing. A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice. If he were to get out any humaine society or pet hospital would have thae device to read it, and then contact you. There are no side affects with bathing, rain or anything else. Just a little pain with the injection of it, but if you do it when he gets fixed he wont feel it.

Answer 7

We got a chip put in our cat. Yeah, it looks pretty horrific. If the cat is your baby, it looks like the chip is huge and it'll hurt them too much, but it was over very quickly and he didn't make too much fuss. He's been fine ever since.



Every time a cat gets found and taken to an organisation, they will scan it to see if it has a chip. If he has one, they can get him back to you quickly and safely. The chip is embedded with a code which, when scanned will show up all your details. A bit like barcoding your cat. You can get collars that say "scan me, I'm chipped!" so they definitely know to get him scanned, though they will scan most strays they pick up I would have thought.

Answer 8

The chip is encapsulated in a particle about the size of a large grain of rice. It goes under the skin and just stays there without creating risk to your pet. The chip is actually very limited in the amount of information that can be encoded on it. Basically all you ever get on the chip is a long registration number. When your pet is found and the chip gets scanned everything depends on the company that holds your registration number. They must be able to match it up to your actual name and contact information in their files.

Answer 9

My cats were microchipped almost 10 years ago and have never had a problem - and I bathe them occasionally, so water isn't a problem either.



When he gets his microchip, the vet will give you a tag that goes on his collar that says he has a microchip (make sure if you put a collar on him that it has a safety breakaway catch). Even without his collar, if he ends up in a shelter, the shelter will scan him. Most vets will usually scan a pet if it's brought in as a stray.



I really like Pinktoni's advice about the tattoo - the fact that there is no visible marker on my cats that identifies them as having a microchip has always bothered me. I've wondered about tattooing as a solution, and it's great to read that the people in Australia have solved that problem! I hope it catches on in the US too.

Answer 10

All my cats are chipped and have no problems whatsoever!. I hate collars on cats so its a good way of locating them should they go missing. the information from the chip is held on a nationwide database and d the company will assist in many ways to finding his/her home should they get lost. Go for it!

water is no problem and the initial injection is like the 'moggy. having his/her yearly booster. All 3 of mine didn't really flinch at all. was done in seconds!

Answer 11

He won't even notice the chip - it will be nothing to him.

Most rescue centres and vets will scan found animals for chips as a matter of course.

When the vet inserts the chip you fill in a form with contact details - its up to you to make sure they stay correct - like if you change your phone number or address you have to contact the company and tell them so they can update your records.

Answer 12

The answer to your questions is that it IS safe. The chip doesn't carry any power or electricity of its own. It only reacts when someone scans it, and then weakly broadcasts a unique number. There's no way of the cat even knowing it's there once it's been implanted.

Answer 13

We have a rag doll cat thats chipped,it doesent hurt or mess her up,but it's only ok if the cats found and scanned with a reader.Our cats been out since 3 0'clock,I'm getting worried.

Answer 14

The chip is be safe. If your cat is lost and found by a shelter, they should be able to find the information on the chip to the cat back to you.

Answer 15

I'm the same i have a Persian and he keeps wandering off now and again when the gate is left open and they do work and they don't hurt them, u can feel it under their skin and the skin grows back over the chip so rain n things wont affect it. i hope i have been some kind of help xx

Answer 16

If JJ gets lost and someone takes him to a vet's office, the vet will scan for a chip. If he gets a chip and if it's registered to you, they will know JJ's yours and contact you about him. It may hurt going in, though, as it's inserted with a needle.

Answer 17

I believe it is a small incision they use to put a chip in an animal. It's like a computer chip...it can hold data i.e. addresses phone numbers and stuff and is scanned if your pet gets lost. If you are really unsure about it...you should call up your local pet hospital, they might even have brochures about the chip and you can ask him questions.

Answer 18

It's a modern identity collar. A quick scan with a chip reader over a flattened cat in the road will tell if it was your one.

Answer 19

a chip as in microchipped i'm assuming. it won't hurt him any, it is implanted under the skin, so if he gets wet it won't shock him or anything. it will however help them find you if he gets lost! the chip is read by a scanner and it will bring up your information and tell them how to contact you.

Answer 20

my cats didn't make a noise when they got chipped. didn't seem to bother them at all. if it would have hurt they would have made noise.

they can't loose them and it's the best thing to have just in case your cat goes missing and someone finds it.

Answer 21

Both my cats are chipped, yes they do work your vet will show you, good luck with the job.

Answer 22

shorty, you luuuuurve that cat.



Congratulations on the job!



Cats are savvy, chips are fine. Worry not.

Answer 23

A chip in a cat safe or does it really work.?



I`M SURE HE`D PREFER THE FISH.........LOL



WITHOUT SALT AND VINEGAR !

Answer 24

don't waste your time and money on it. cats will generaly always come home and if they dont and someone finds them unless they are really nice then they wont give the cat back anyways.