Microchips and cats staying indoors.
Two of my favorite “sermons” to preach.
Scrub, Jennifer Noble’s cat, was about two years old when he disappeared from his Biloxi, MS, home. After Hurricane Katrina the weather was unthinkably hot. Some areas of South Mississippi, where the hurricane made direct impact, didn’t get electricity back for a month or more.
Jennifer couldn’t bear to make the always-indoor kitty stay inside in the heat, so she and her husband, Chris, began to let him outdoors sometimes.
One day, he wandered off and just didn’t come home. Jennifer recalls how disoriented we all were with the changes in landscape and missing landmarks. The Nobles told their story to our good friend, Pam Firmin, who interviewed them for The Sun Herald newspaper.
Scrub was being fed as a stray about 15 miles from home. He had been hanging around there for some time, but when this week’s hard freeze warnings came out, his new family took him to the Humane Society of South Mississippi. They feared that he would not otherwise be able to find a warm place to sleep.
That was the beginning of this happy reunion. Harrison County Animal Control Officers all carry microchip scanners, and routinely scan animals picked up as strays. In addition, all animals entering the South Mississippi shelter are scanned. When Scrub was admitted to the shelter he was scanned, and his microchip gave up his original owner’s information.
Obviously, the Nobles were delighted to have their kitty back.
The first take-home message here is, “Get your indoor-only pet microchipped.” Forget the excuses, such as, “He never goes outside!” And, “Fifi would never leave my side!”
Under adverse circumstances you don’t know what your pet will do.
The second take-home message is, “Keep your cat inside.” Totally-indoor cats lack survival and travel skills that wild cats use every day. They will wander off, and they won’t know they are lost until it’s too late and they can’t find their way home. Worse, they may become ill or injured before you even know they are missing.
We have tips on transforming your outdoor kitty into an indoor one. We have reasons for keeping your kitty indoors.
Microchips (we encourage use of the AVID microchip) can reconnect you to a pet you never thought you’d see again.
Microchips are reasonably priced. Then again, what wouldn’t you pay for peace of mind about your pets?
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