A stray Calico cat was brought in to the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (or ASAP) in Santa Barbara County, California last month. As part of their normal procedure, she was scanned and sure enough, she had a microchip implanted. It was registered to Josie Gower who was one of the victims of the massive mud slide three years ago that devastated the area and killed 23 people. But thanks to that microchip they were able to contact her family, and reunite “Patches” with Josie’s partner, Norm.
It is estimated that one out of every three pets will get lost during their lifetime. Experts say “only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters as strays are reunited with their owners.” A collar with a tag is still a good idea, although collars can come off. What brought Patches home was that microchip, a high-tech device that is no larger than a grain of rice. It contains a unique code that can be read by a microchip scanner. It identifies