MY PET WORLD Q and A: INDOOR CAT ESCAPES OUTDOORS

By Steve Dale | 30 July 2009

Q: Our cat, Felix, 11, was once an indoor/outdoor cat. Then, our vet and your columns finally convinced me to keep him indoors. I think Felix even began to appreciate air conditioning. Last week, however, our little girl left the door open and Felix wandered outside. We were frantic. Four hours later, we got a call from the shelter; they'd scanned Felix, found his microchip and our phone number came up. The shelter told us the microchip might have saved Felix's life. Do you think so?


A: Absolutely! The microchip probably did save your cat's life.


Because more of us are keeping cats indoors (which I endorse), we assume they'll never get out. As your story illustrates, even indoor cats can escape. At least your cat had some outdoor savvy; many indoor cats do not.


If a cat without a microchip is picked up by animal control (remember, most cats don't wear collars with ID tags), the facility may hold the pet for only a set number of days before euthanizing. Or the cat may be swapped to another facility (a common practice nowadays to prevent euthanizing), making it more difficult for the owner to find.


If a well-meaning stranger finds a 'stray' cat, the person may have the cat scanned for a chip. However, if no chip is found, the person may simply keep the pet, leaving the original owner out in the cold.


Increasingly, people are microchipping dogs; industry estimates suggest around half or more of newly purchased or adopted dogs are now chipped. However, fewer than a quarter of all newly acquired cats -- some say as little as under 10 percent -- enjoy the same luxury. Microchipping should be the standard.


With each cat chipped and registered with HomeAgain this summer (without registration, the company has no idea who is the owner), US$1 will be donated to the Winn Feline Foundation. For over 40 years, the foundation has funded cat health research, from studies on feline leukemia and essential amino acids necessary in cat food, to recently finding defects responsible for heart disease.


Even indoor/outdoor cats should be microchipped, since they may be picked up by animal control officers. In the event of an emergency, from a natural disaster to a gas leak on your block, the chance of reunification is lower for unidentified animals. Learn more abut the summer campaign to microchip cats at www.winnfelinehealth.org.

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