Dear LPG Readers, 

It may have been a coincidence, but I recently read an article on your pages which caught my eye at just the right time (►►►).  IG shared what she had learned and how she felt about letting her new cat out in their new back garden for that first adventure.  

It caught my eye at a time when I found myself in the same position, having recently lost a cat and adopted another.  We have had them for so long that we forget the initial anxiety of letting them out into the big bad world and hoping that they decide to return to us, especially the first time.   I think that, even if you choose to be out there with them, and no matter how physically close you think you can stay by their side, if your cat decides to dart off, few humans will have the foresight to realise what is happening until it is too late. I defy a young, sprightly person to grab hold of time, let alone someone my age.  

We all know that cats must be chipped by law now, which is a comfort, but before I opened the back door, I had to check the significance of the chip. The people I got the cat from gave me the telephone number, and I phoned the agency that holds the details of my cat’s chip to ask what would happen if she did not return at my call.  

I thought they would be able to know exactly where your cat is, but chips are not the same as trackers that work with your mobile phone and have been advertised on television quite a bit lately. The advisor I talked to put me straight.   

Nothing can be done until your pet is found and scanned. At this point, it will be easier for you to become reunited as long as your name and address are recorded by the company that holds the details of your pet’s chip.  However, if your unchipped pet is found and you are lucky enough to be reunited officially, you will likely be in debt.  The government website has much to say about the criminal record and a possible £500 fine that might be incurred if they reunite you with a pet that is not chipped.  

I was also told that if the worst were to happen, you would have many more options than pinning your picture to the local streetlamp posts.  You would need to contact the people holding your chipped pet’s details and let them know; for that, you will need to know their telephone number and who they are. 

I used the phrase, ‘Which agency is your cat registered with?’ because many companies record this information. Therefore, I suggest that you keep a record of your pet’s chip number, a portrait picture of your furry friend, and the company's telephone number that holds their details.

I went to the internet and just put my cat’s chip number in Google’s search bar, but please don’t do that.   When I mentioned that I did this to the organisation that my cat is registered with, they told me that more than two or three unofficial websites would offer the service and get you starting a search before charging a fee to find your cat. They can make many promises they cannot keep because scammers have worked out how upsetting it is to lose a cat. It is so much easier to scam a person who is already preoccupied and as upset as losing a cat can make you.  

As I said, I have two cats. In all the time I have had the other one, I have never made sure that I recorded all this information accurately for her, even though she was also chipped when I first got her years ago.

I know that I am thinking of the worst-case scenario. I hope that IG, myself, and all other new cat owners who are going through this process of letting their cats outside for the first time never have problems getting them to return. Still, they don’t have to be new pets not to come back sometimes, and with that in mind, I hope that I prompt all pet owners who read what I have written to make sure that they know where to find the all-important chip number and the telephone number of the organisation who their pet is registered with.  Finally, it is essential to know where to find the information when you first get your pet and that those details remain current if you move house or take on a new pet.  Knowing where to find the information quickly is also worth mentioning. 

FT, Greenwich

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