Microchip just the cat's whiskers

A Whangarei man who thought his pet had been taken by a cat burglar is singing the praises of microchips.
Wayne Douglas found himself in the middle of an ownership dispute after his expensive ebony oriental breed cat disappeared and was found several months later at someone else's place.
Zuka the kitten - black, leggy, with conspicuous "pharaoh cat" features and one of only a handful of the breed in Northland - had gone missing four weeks after Mr Douglas bought him.
"These are not your average moggy," Mr Douglas said.
A pure-bred kitten costs several-hundred dollars to buy and, as in this case, more again to be microchipped.
When Zuka disappeared, Mr Douglas advertised widely, let the authorities know, and eventually decided the kitten must have wandered off and died.
Mr Douglas went back to the breeder in Auckland and had the first pick from another litter. Enter Zuka the Second.
Several months later Mr Douglas discovered that Zuka the First was alive and at the Whangarei home of someone known to Mr Douglas.
Although the other person denied the cat was Zuka, a quick trip back to the vet to have the microchip scanned proved different.
"It's a relief," Mr Douglas said.
"For the sake of breeders and the vets, it's good to know pet microchipping works."
Mr Douglas said that last year's debate about microchipping pets had paid scant attention to its merits. Instead it centred on exempting farm dogs or microchips' effectiveness, or otherwise, in dealing with dangerous dogs.
"I'd recommend people have their pets done. Especially in this case, with a specialist cat and an ownership dispute, it's been worth its weight in gold."
A director of Northland Veterinary Group, Jayne Greening, said the technology was a foolproof tool for identification. If a second chip was put in an animal, both would show on a scan.
It was now compulsory for dogs to be microchipped, but horses and cats were also increasingly getting tagged - "although not so many cats".
• The rice-grain-sized microchip is inserted under the skin, usually by the shoulder blades or neck, and contains an identification number. Any animal can be microchipped. In New Zealand dogs first registered after July 1, 2006 must be microchipped, as must dangerous dogs, persistent pound offenders and impounded unregistered dogs.