Microchip clinic

Saturday mom spent 3 hours representing the rescue at a free microchip clinic. They teamed up with another local non profit PetFBI that works to help get lost pets back home.

A local vet office loaned us a vet and tech to insert the chip. We owe them a big round of applause...especially the tech who ended up getting scratched by a fractious cat.

There was a really good mix of cats and dogs. Over 90 chips were implanted and we will do the registration so we know it will get done. Participants got a back with info on the groups involved and how to keep their chip information updated.

It was a long 3 hours but so rewarding to know those pets can get home if they get lost. Only 2 animals didn't get chipped - the fractious cat and a very uncooperative dog. And we had one owner pass out when her little white dog bled a little after the chip went it.

People were very patient and cooperative which was great. Guess we need to start planning another one....

check the chip

Microchipping....we've talked about it before. It is SO important. So the AVMA has set up today as:

CHECK THE CHIP DAY

All of us are microchipped....but it is still important to take a second to get scanned and make sure it comes up. And of COURSE - make sure the chip is registered with the company and you keep your information updated!!!

In just the past 3 weeks, mom has run out for the rescue and picked up cats that have been found by good samaritans....the rescue gets called because the chip ultimately comes back as "owned" by the rescue and the person who adopted didn't register the microchip. The rescue will then go back through our records and attempt to contact the adopter. Here is what happened then:

  Cat #1 - mom got in touch with the adopter, she said she wanted him back but then stopped responding to mom about making arrangements to have him returned. he has since been adopted by a new family.

  Cat #2 - messages were left for the adopters. no response was ever received. she is now looking for a new home.

  Cat #3 - we contacted his owner. he had slipped out and his mom was SO HAPPY to have been contacted and drove right over to get him back. she was told again to be sure to register the chip

And that is just the recent ones. Sadly, sometimes even with registered chips you can't reach people - but how is anyone who rescues supposed to contact you if there is NO chip or the chip isn't registered!!!

It is pretty easy, relatively painless, and most clinics don't charge a lot. Around here, our local Petco stores have vet events once per month and those clinics will microchip as well.

FYI - mom went out to Found.Org and registered all our chips....for free!!  It was easy too.

BlogPaws has a great article as well as our friends from Cats Herd You

Check Your Chip Day

Our friend Daisy reminded us the other day that today is Check Your Chip Day. Now, like her we got all excited thinking it was about potato chips, but alas it is about microchips.

Yes mom, we know those are important....but mmmm potato chips.

Everyone here is microchipped. And we don't know of a rescue out there that doesn't microchip any more. And in a study done at our local university, the vet found that the return rate of lost animals was much higher when a chip was found and was REGISTERED!!! That is the big thing - you have to make sure your chip is registered and your information stays up to date.

Our vet scans us for our chips everything we have an appointment. Doing this the first time mom discovered that Ivy's chip actually moved. When implanted (yes, among the other weird things mom can do, she knows how to implant a microchip), it is done between the shoulder blades. However, in Ivy's case, she was chipped when she was spayed at 8 weeks old. And ummm.... she is a little....bigger now. MOL  So turns out her chip is now resting over one shoulder blade. When scanning, the vet or shelter should go side to side and front to back....just in case.

Now, the ASPCA also has an app that will store all your pet information, including microchip info. Mom downloaded it. HOWEVER you can't accurately put in the microchip information since that part of the app only allows for numbers and a lot of chips include letters (most of ours do). We have tweeted the ASPCA and sent an email to the address on the app, but haven't ever heard anything (if you know someone over there, let them know there is a bug). That being said, we think it is a great idea to have all your info in one place.  If you have suggestions for other apps for phones, leave us a comment.

The lesson here:
Microchip your pets
Make sure your vet scans for the chip everytime
Make sure your info stays up to date

And if you find a lost animal, get him scanned for a microchip - it is the fastest way to get him reunited with his family!!!

Random Fridays......

Mom found a new website: Micro Chip Lookup  It is a universal lookup site where you can enter any chip number and it will give you the company information so you can contact them for owner information. Tell your rescues about this.....
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There is an auction being schedule to help Sallie the Romance Puppy.

If anyone has anything, they can email a picture of the item, a short description and a suggested started bid to Marg. margaretmsan@gmail.com
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We have good adoption news......Judy went home on Monday with her new moms. They have two dogs (ages 12 and 6) and are going to give her all the time to adjust. And Nurdle went home on Wednesday night with a very nice young couple.

Judy's new mom called our mom on Wednesday night. Judy's new name is Smudge and she is doing very well. She has had one meeting with the dogs - not so bad - she gave them the halloween cat routine but the dogs were on leashes so she was fine. They are going to work with everyone more over the weekend but are committed to making it work. YEAH - we love those kind of adopters. :)

 Judy and Nurdle.....just awwwww

Gin and Maxine at Petco - Max is still looking for her home

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Mom gets emails from Tucker (former known as Whiskey) about how he is doing. And she had asked mom a few times about Gin. Mom emailed her earlier in the week to let her know that Gin had been adopted.....and she sent us this picture of Tucker (apparently that bed used to belong to his big brother):

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Allie the momma cat (before her release)

Mom here: I have a story to share from the other morning. Let me start out by saying this - I love my Dad. He doesn't always "get" what I am doing with rescue, but I love him.

He and my mom are trying to buy a piece of property and I am faxing the documents back and forth for them. Dad called Wednesday night and said he had one more thing and he would bring it over Thursday morning. He called when he was close and since I was ready to leave for work, I headed down to the garage. My normal routine is to open the door into the garage, yell good morning to Allie (our feral momma cat to the alcohol kittens) and then open the garage door (then feed her and leave). When the door went up, she was sitting in the middle of the driveway - which is pretty typical. I tied my shoes and told her she needed to move since Dad was coming.

She back up to the sidewalk when he pulled his truck around. We spoke for a couple of minutes and then I stuck my head around the front of the truck to be sure where Allie was before he drove off. I told him it was ok to go cause the feral I care for was sitting on the sidewalk. Dad looked out the window of the truck at her, looked back and me and said "I thought it was a cat."

ummmmmm, yeah. Without laughing (though I couldn't get the grin off my face), I explained that cat is her species and feral is her temperment and that across the drive was as close as we got but that I care for her. And then of course there was the obligatory "dad lecture" about making sure not to leave the garage door open too far.
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Mom - you should really know better by now...

So, Friday night when she was at the shelter checking on George and Gigi, someone dropped off a big black cat. The cat lead person brought him into the front adoption room and mom noticed the collar and shelter tag. She asked what happened and the lead said someone had walked in, shoved the cat at a volunteer and left. Mom asked who the cat is and they said Smudge. Mom left after the kitts were adopted feeling a little heartbroken that her boy had shown back up with no explanation. She called her friend Miss DeLynn and emailed the cat caregiver as well.

Now, in mom's defense, she didn't check anything, she just took this persons word for the id of the cat. Though she told us later that her first instinct was that Garth the office cat had escaped his office.

Mom was back at the shelter Saturday evening to check on the black kitty boy. Miss DeLynn grabbed her as she came in the door.

Turns out the cat wasn't Smudge. But, Miss DeLynn called Smudge's house to check (he was adopted the Friday before Christmas and he is a bit dorky so we worry about him). Turns out his new mom thinks he is awesome, he was sitting in the middle of their living room and they LOVE him.  YEAH!!

OK - but then who is that other black cat??? They finally did what mom presumed the people did on Friday and, in hind sight, she should have done herself. They checked his tag number and microchip. It was in fact Falcon that was adopted this fall. So Miss DeLynn called his family and discovered that he had escaped Friday night when they opened the door to walk their dog. His mom came in to pick him up and our mom talked to her for a few minutes. They love Falcon but she is a little frustrated with the door jumping so mom suggested maybe an outdoor enclosure and harness/leash training him so he can actually go on walks WITH the dog. His mom loved the idea and said she would look into it.

So, Falcon was returned home, mom was reminded not to trust information without checking it first, and Smudge is doing great in his new home. We wanted to re-share the video mom took of him - we sure home Santa Paws brought him a fountain for Catmas.

This is how we spent our weekend - we hope you had a great one.

BTW - mom said that there is weirdness going on at work - which is where she reads lots of your blogs. She is going to try to keep up on our blogging and reading everyone, but her commenting may fall a little behind until things smooth over a little....never fear - we will still be here!!