Micro-chipping

Ready for homing

At Cats Protection all our cats are micro-chipped before re-homing. Last week we micro-chipped Mia's and Queenie's kittens when they turned 8 weeks old. We micro-chip at this age because the kittens are large enough. It also makes if easier for our vet to vaccinate them at 9 weeks of age, the kittens can be scanned for a micro-chip number.

All of the Cat Carers have been trained to micro-chip by representatives of Indentichip. The photos show Cat Carer Dave micro-chipping Queenie's Kittens. Do not be alarmed Dave isn't hurting them!

Micro-chipping is a quick and easy procedure. A micro-chip the size of a grain of rice is implanted under the cats skin. The correct site of implantation is the subcutaneous mid line of the scruff of the neck, between the shoulder blades. Every micro-chip has a different number assigned to it, once the chip is implanted we scan can the cat and a number will appear on the scanner screen.

The implanter is a plastic, pistol grip handle in which the needle is located. The micro-chip comes in its own sterile needle assembly. The slide on the top of the implanter is drawn back to allow this assembly to be located in the handle and the slide pushed back over the needle to secure. At the time of insertion the micro-chip is ejected from the needle by pushing the thumb button forward in one continuous movement.

All in all it is a very quick and painless procedure, to be honest I think it can be more stressful for us at times! It can be very nerve racking and it does take a lot of practice and confidence.