I acquired 2 cats a few years ago. They are a mother and daughter. I had an acquaintance who was looking to find a new home for them. They had belonged to his ex-girlfriend and he was moving and I guess the time had come for the cats to go.
I took the cats. I had had another cat, but after she had to be euthanized, I decided to take my friend's cats. Some people like to wait before getting a new creature, however I found it great to have these 2 new guys. They needed me, I needed them.
So fast-forward another few years. I decided to have them microchipped. I took them to the vet. Before they put in microchips, apparently they scan for existing chips.
Surprise! Bella had a secret. She was already microchipped. I was taken aback.
When we left the vet, we had microchip paperwork and tags for one cat, and for the other, a post-it note with a number handwritten on it, and a 1-800 number. I was told to call the microchip company and have the info changed.
When I called, they would not change the info. Surprise again! They had me download a form, and on the form was space for the previous owner's signature.
I talked to the person I got the 2 cats from. He didn't know Bella had a microchip, so it wasn't registered to his name. The person whose signature they wanted, his long-gone ex-girlfriend, was not around to sign a form for me, handing over her ownership to me. He said she had gotten Bella from the Toronto Humane Society.
I called the Toronto Humane Society. The short version of the story dealing with them, is that when I provided Bella's microchip number, they were able to tell me her file number.
Now this is in 2011, they told me she had been microchipped in 2004. I was surprised they kept records that long, but I suppose when you are in the business of saving animals' lives, it helps to keep data on all the ones out there in case they are returned to the shelter.
They told me that if I brought in the person who gave the cats to me (not the person they had on file as Bella's owner) that they would vouch for my ownership, and write a letter to the microchip company.
That letter was good enough for the microchip company, and several weeks later they sent a letter with Bella's updated owner info and address.
When talking to the microchip company, they would not give out information pertaining to the original owner. I understand that this is for privacy reasons. But if you are trying to track someone down for a signature, it might be kind of hard if no one remembers who that person is.
In fairness, the microchip company, in lieu of a signature, accepts a letter from an animal shelter or a vet office, as proof of change of ownership.
However, aren't you making the veterinarian into the police? What if someone has a stolen dog and tries to take advantage of the vet clinic, in order to claim ownership of the dog? That is why I pursued the animal shelter route, also the previous owner knew a lot about the person registered with the microchip company, and also probably helped to bring Bella home from the shelter, so we both felt confident that the lady at THS would buy our story.
Bella's story has a happy ending, she enjoys a pampered life as an indoor cat, and I am happy in the knowledge that if she were to get out, I would be the person they call to come and get her.
However we got another cat last year, and I recently had her scanned to see if she had a microchip and... she does! Who is it registered to? Who knows? The person we got her from... only knows the previous owner's first name. So this time I may go to the vet clinic instead to get a letter of ownership.
I wonder how many cats out there have outdated microchip database information. There's probably quite a few. Betsy is one of them.
I would strongly encourage every cat owner out there, if you do not know if your cat is microchipped or not, to have him/her scanned, then go about getting the info updated. The lady at THS said that I was the first person to ask her for a letter asking for verification of ownership. So I am assuming there are lots of cats out there with useless microchips!
So many cats make it into shelters, shelters that cannot afford to keep every cat, or do not have the space, and though microchipping can help these cats end up back at home on their comfy couch, it is awful to think of how many other cats have invalid info associated with their microchips, and so might be euthanized if they are considered un-adoptable.
Our Bella is a cranky lady, she is prone to biting if not handled carefully. My big fear was that if she were to end up in a shelter, unidentified, she would probably be euthanized fairly quickly. That put some urgency into having her microchip information updated. Also she is a dark tortoiseshell, and appears almost entirely black, and black creatures have low adoption rates and high euthanization rates in shelters.
Cats change hands so easily. They are passed between roommates, boyfriends and girlfriends, family members, and so often taken in as strays. They are often more attached to where they live, rather than the people who care for them. So have your cat scanned to see if he/she is hiding any secrets from you!
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