FKSPCA: RESCUE TAILS / “GANGSTER, THE MICRO-CHIPPED CAT”

FKSPCA:  RESCUE TAILS / “GANGSTER, THE MICRO-CHIPPED CAT”

BY TAMMY FOX-ROYER
Executive Director Florida Keys SPCA

When a stray animal comes into the custody of the Florida Keys SPCA, we do our best to re-unite the missing animal with its owner. The first step is to scan any new animal for a microchip.

Recently, a pretty tabby cat was surrendered to our Marathon Campus, found as a stray on Sombrero Beach Boulevard. The older tabby cat looked as though she had been on the streets for a while, but when scanned her, we found that she was chipped! We contacted the microchip company which gave us the owner’s information.

When we called, her owner immediately broke down crying. “Gangster” the cat had been missing for FOUR YEARS! As it turns out, “Gangster” had snuck into their truck and went for a ride to Marathon far away from her home in Sugarloaf Key. Her mom reported her missing but as the years passed the flyers came down and hope was lost. “Gangster” was reunited with her family last week all thanks to her microchip!

The American Humane Association estimates over 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year. One in three pets will become lost at some point during their lives. In addition to spaying and neutering your animal to eliminate the urge to roam, having your pets microchipped is a permanent means of identification. The small implant is generally placed just below the skin between the shoulder blades. The size of a grain of rice, the microchip holds a unique number for your pet. Any animal shelter or Veterinarian can then contact the company and if the chip is registered, find out the owner’s name, number, secondary contact and address.

The Florida Keys SPCA hosts public clinics which include low cost and free spay and neutering as well as vaccinations and microchipping. This critical public program is entirely donor funded. For more information, visit our website at FKSPCA.org, call us at 305-294-4857 or contact me at [email protected]. Your pets will thank you!

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