Why does my pet need microchipping?
For your pet to use these microchip pet flaps, they must be microchipped. Microchipping is compulsory in Wales and Northern Ireland for dogs, and will be mandatory in England from April 2016, click here for more information. Having your pet microchipped will allow them to be identified if they have been lost, which is great because pets going missing is a big worry for many of us pet owners. Having your pet microchipped removes many of the benefits of having a collar. Neck collars on your pets can be uncomfortable for them and can get caught on bushes and other things when they are roaming around.
The microchipping procedure
The microchip is inserted between the shoulders of your cat or dog by a vets, trained members of animal welfare groups and local authorities. The insertion of a microchip in your cat or dog is just like an injection and the microchip will not bother your pet after it has been injected. The microchip injected is the size of a grain of rice. If your pet has not already had the microchipping procedure, I would recommend that you have it done. It is entirely safe and cheap, the procedure costs between £20-30 in UK.
Tracking lost pets by their microchips
Once the microchip is inserted in your cat or dog, then you supply your address so it can be input on to a database of all pet microchips and addresses. Each microchip has a number, which is read by scanners and it is the number that will be input into the database. If you and your pet changes address, make sure this is updated on the database.
The microchip will also be used to identify your pet as it attempts to pass through the microchip cat flap. This is great as it means you can have a cat flap that selectively allows your pet to pass through your cat flap selectively, without having to wear a collar.
Microchips and microchip cat flaps
Different microchip cat flaps will allow you to store different numbers of microchips, so check if you would like to allow access to a large number of pets. Be aware that not all microchip types might be compatible with each microchip cat flap, so be sure to check the product information before making a purchase. Sureflap and Cat Mate microchip cat flaps are compatible with 9, 10 and 15 digit microchips and PetSafe with the most common type, the 15 digit microchips. Some chips may not be read as well as others and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag on a collar may be used if the microchip cannot be read for whatever reason.
Take a look at the best microchip cat flaps, broken down by brand names.
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