If Sassy had a microchip, Homeward Bound would be much shorter.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to link you to your pet forever? Well, now there is—the simple act of microchipping.

What is Microchipping?
Microchips are an advanced pet identification and retrieval system. A microchip with a unique identification code is implanted between the shoulder blades of the pet. The pet is enrolled in the Found Animals Microchip Registry, which maintains a national database and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

When a lost pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or the clinic of a participating veterinarian. The vet will then call the registry and get the owner’s information.

These statistics show the importance of the microchip service:

• Thirty to 60 percent of lost pets in traditional shelters are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified and returned to their owner.
• Only about four percent of cats who end up in traditional shelters are returned to their rightful owners.
• About two million pets reported missing each year may be the victims of theft.
• Collars and tags are a great way to identify lost pets and reunite them with their owners, but they can easily come off or be removed.
• Microchipping is permanent, completely unalterable and does not change or harm the appearance of the cat in any way. It is about the size of a grain of rice. You cannot see the microchip after it is implanted in the cat.

Sources: American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA); 2001–2002 National Pet Owners Survey.

All cats adopted from SAFE Haven are already microchipped.

Microchips can be purchased and implanted at our spay/neuter clinic at the time of surgery for only $25. This includes lifetime registration.

SAFE Haven holds two low cost microchip (and rabies) clinics per year where individuals can pay $15 to have their cat and/or dog microchipped. This includes lifetime registration.