Missing Tilly is reunited with her owner after 17 years, thanks to her Microchip!
Tilly disappeared following a house move, and despite Kim’s desperate efforts, she was not found. Fast forward to February 2022, some 17 years after Tilly had gone missing, when a call from the SSPCA (Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) informed Kim that Tilly had been found, and in the very same village where she went missing all those years ago! Tilly is currently safe and spending time at Kim's veterinary practice to oversee her recovery, and to address any health issues she may have.
Tilly’s story is not only a perfect example of how important microchipping is, it also highlights the important role a reliable database plays in reuniting pets with their owners. As many as 2.8 million of the 10.8 million pet cats in the UK are unchipped. In addition, 8 out of 10 stray cats that find their way into Cat’s Protection centres are not microchipped1.
Sadly, being microchipped isn’t always enough; 78% of microchipped dogs taken in by a warden were unable to be returned to their owners due to incorrect or missing information on their chip2.
National Microchipping Month takes place every year in June and is a great opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of microchipping and keeping details up to date. And with compulsory microchipping in cats due to come into effect next year, Virbac is encouraging veterinary practices to use National Microchipping Month this year as the perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of microchipping cats in particular.
Virbac is actively supporting vet practices to prepare for compulsory microchipping in cats by providing an array of materials to raise client awareness. For information on BackHome microchips, and their associated database, speak to you Virbac Territory Manager.
References:
1 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cat-microchipping-to-be-made-mandatory
2 Dogs Trust Stray Dogs Survey Report 2018-2019