<p>We have two cats that are strictly indoor cats (and fortunately they show little interest in getting outside). But of course there is always the possibility that they could end up outside and lost - and even though we have had them almost 3 years, for some reason H really wants to microchip them now.</p>
<p>I have only the vaguest of ideas how microchipping works. So for you experts, is there a certain brand of microchip that is best? What about registering the chip? Is there a central registry?</p>
<p>Any tips about how this process works would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Our dog is chipped. It was done at the adopt a pet center before we adopted him. I believe there is a central registry and you pay an ongoing fee for monitoring. </p>
<p>Our dog belonged to someone else before she came to us, and she was chipped. I had to pay to get her chip information changed to my name and contact information, but I am glad I did. She hasn’t even gotten lost, but it gives me some peace of mind because I know I would be dismayed if she were lost and it would improve her odds of getting home to me. I don’t pay any kind of fee, I thought you just paid when the pet is chipped (and if you want to change the info).</p>
<p>Here is an article with some good information. You could probably Google for more. And your vet surely has info (and probably will put the chip in for you).</p>
<p>The microchip system I have on my dogs is a one-time only registration fee – I have pound dogs, but the SPCA puts in the microchip before they are adopted, and the forms to sign up with the service are included with the pet adoption packet. I don’t remember what the fee was – it was pretty low. </p>
<p>For your peace of mind, just do it. I can’t tell you how many furbabies we’ve reunited because of microchips. They’re a godsend. </p>
<p>I think it’s ~$50 to get a pet microchipped. I’ve never paid an ongoing fee. You just do it one time. If you move or something then you have to pay to get it changed like int said. </p>
<p>The chip is inserted under the skin of the pet. It only takes seconds. Your SPCA and most vets have a wand that they wAve over the pet that will detect a chip. It will read the chip and identify the owner by registration number.they then call you. </p>
<p>Ther are NO ongoing fees. It’s a one time charge. Look for clinics that will do it cheaply. Call your SPCA to locate one</p>
<p>So when researching this I did read some sad stories of chipped pets whose owners had not kept their info up when they moved, so even with the chip they couldn’t be re-united. I am planning a move this next year, and didn’t have this on my list of moving tasks. Going to add it now…</p>
<p>I have an outside-only cat (a stray adopted us) that we micro-chipped - we can now honestly say that particular cat has a chip on his shoulder both figuratively and literally.</p>
<p>We had an indoor-only cat micro-chipped a couple weeks ago. Toby shows little interest in venturing outside but he’s relatively young and I’d rather be safe than sorry. My vet did it at Toby’s 1-year check-up. We paid a one-time fee.</p>
<p>My daughter has two indoor-only cats. Last year her door did not shut firmly on a gusty, rainy day; the lock on the door just caught in the wrong place. She came home to find one of her fur babies on her patio, frightened, and the other gone. She called everyone she could and we searched for her cat in the rainy weather. We found it cowering under a dumpster after about an hour . Sheer luck! Anyway, she micro-chipped both her cats. </p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. Definitely going to get them microchipped - but does it really not matter where? Is there just one coordinated registry? </p>
<p>Just taking them to PetSmart would be easiest at this point (wish we had thought of this at the last vet visit, which was only a few months ago).</p>
<p>Got kitty micro chipped at vet for about 50 bucks. Registered all info on the internet. If she got lost and somebody took her to the animal shelter or any vet (they all have scanning equipment at least in our area) they would be able to retrieve our information. It’s up to owner to update file if necessary (like you move, phone number).
The chip was implanted by a small syringe put in scruff of neck (two seconds–cat didn’t even notice).</p>
<p>Our 2 indoor only cats and our dog are chipped. I just wish the chip’s had some sort of tracking device that could be activated if they got lost. </p>
<p>Our dog was chipped at the same time she was spayed. Never needed it until about 2 weeks ago when she escaped from our back yard. She’s 13 1/2, very hard of hearing and doesn’t see well. It got down to 20 degrees that night. On top of it, I had just received her new tags and had removed her collar to change them, and she didn’t have it on. I was mostly afraid she would get hit by a car or freeze, but it she did, I was reassured that we might find out what happened to her because of the chip. Turned out that a nice young lady rescued her from the middle of a busy street and kept her for the night. We made contact the next day. </p>
