microchip rfid scanner

Microchips For Pets Explained

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.

Microchipped dog

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.

Pet microchip_rfid_rice

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.

If you have a question about this post then leave me a comment below.

13 thoughts on “Microchips For Pets Explained”

  1. Thanks for talking about such an important issue. Always shocked at how irresponsible some people can be – no collar, or collar but no tag, and no microchipping. Hopefully this will get people thinking!!

  2. It is very interesting how far technology has come along, we can now find our pets when they go missing, it is incredible. Have you heard that they are now inventing microchips for human beings as well? We will soon have the power to rid ourselves of car keys and use microchips implanted into our skin to unlock the car door and start the car, we literally will be leaps ahead in terms of theft protection as well as so many other things, but it’s scary at the same time.

    Could you imagine, that while we are granted these powers, I think that someone will know where I am at all times in a sense as well, so privacy will in a sense, not be allowed? Who knows, though, maybe there will be microchips that have some type of sensory blocker attached to them that will allow us to still roam freely and privately while having microchips put into us, I just can’t believe how far we are going in terms of technology, it’s almost sci-fi level.

    1. Hi Jacob, thanks for your comment 🙂 yeah I have heard about the idea of chips in humans! I wonder if (when?) it will happen? Seems pretty scary right now, but like you say, that is the progress of technology. One day, it might seem normal to not need car keys or just every day to pay for your latte with a chip in your wrist, as opposed to a phone, a plastic card or, heaven forbid, actual cash! Thanks Sean

  3. It never ceases to amaze me how there are still people who don’t microchip their cats or dogs when there is so much awareness out there! It is so important! We got our dog microchiped as soon as possible and he has a collar with our phone number just in case. I’d love to get a microchip cat flap because it is always a worry that other cats might come in and eat their food! Our cat once got into the neighbors house through the cat flap and then couldn’t get out because it was locked from the inside!!! It was so funny because the neighbors came home to find our cat in their house 😀

    1. Hi Emma, I think a lot of people are aware of microchips for pets, but not full aware of how important it is to actually get pets chipped. I watched a documentary on Netflix, called ‘The Lion in Your Living Room’, about cats, and it said that some cats have multiple owners! So maybe we need tracking devices as well as chips now! Here is a review I did for a microchip cat flap for cats and small dogs, http://topcatflaps.co.uk/sureflap-microchip-pet-door/. Hope that helps, Sean

    1. Hi Colin, thanks for getting in touch! Yeah the microchip scanning technology is great and microchip cat flaps can keep your pets safe and they don’t need to wear a collar! Thanks Sean

  4. I think that the microchip cat flap is a great idea. Our cat wears a collar with a magnetic tag on it that allows him to enter through the cat flap. It is something that works but I would really like to have a microchip flap installed as I am not too keen on cats wearing collars.
    It is important that our cat can get in when he chooses, are these microchip flaps dependable?

    1. Hi Elizabeth, thanks for getting in touch! Yeah I don’t think collars for cats are great if they can be avoided and these microchip cat flaps are dependable and reliable, thanks Sean

  5. Great article, I love the idea of microchip cat flaps and doggy doors! Definitely helps keep out other animals. I do love the videos of raccoons stealing dog and cat food, but I wouldn’t like it too much if it were in my house! Haha! Honestly, I think microchips are really only great for things like the cat flaps you mentioned. You’re completely correct that the flaps need to be efficient in reading all sorts of microchip numbers.

    But I don’t agree that a microchip makes it so your pet doesn’t need a collar with an I.D. tag. All pets should have a collar with I.D. tags, even cats. There are collars that release if there is an amount of pull put on it, and yes that can make the collar with I.D. tag pointless by then, but it’s a higher chance of an I.D. tag returning a pet home than a microchip.
    A microchip does not provide proof of ownership. Microchips can be expelled from the body because they’re implanted incorrectly, or even because the animal’s body just pushes it out over time. Older microchips also migrate throughout the body – I’ve scanned some dogs and the microchip was in the abdominal area, somewhere a shelter would never think to scan seeing as how microchips are implanted between the shoulder blades.

    Microchips are a wonderful thing and have helped some pets be reunited, but they are nowhere near as full proof and efficient as the companies like people to believe. In my years as a veterinary technician, I’ve seen hundreds of pets be reunited because of I.D. tags, but only one pet be reunited with the use of a microchip. 99% of the time, they are scanned and have a chip, but the owner did not update their info or even provide anything in the first place, so I really like that you mentioned how important that is!

    1. Hi Liz, thanks for your comment! I do take your point about ID tags, but I personally feel that my cats don’t enjoy wearing collars and I want them to feel comfortable when they are out and about. Thanks Sean

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