Posted: June 24, 2009, 3 a.m. EDT
The Winn Feline Foundation and Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health’s HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service have partnered to help lost cats reunite with owners. For every new cat microchipped and enrolled in HomeAgain from now until August, the company will donate $1 toward feline health research.
Less than 5 percent of lost cats are reunited with their owners once they are taken into a shelter, largely because there’s no way to determine to whom they belong, according to the American Association of Feline Practitioners.
“No question, microchipping saves lives, ensuring far more lost cats are reunited with their families,” said Susan Little, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, president of the Winn Feline Foundation. “Most cats don’t wear collars, and even for those who do, collars and ID tags may fall off or be removed. Microchipping and enrollment into a national database is the only permanent form of identification.”
This is the second consecutive year the foundation and HomeAgain have partnered. Last year, 51,984 cats were microchipped.
“I’m absolutely convinced many lives were saved as a result of being microchipped, not to mention the cats that benefited from HomeAgain’s generous donation to the Winn Feline Foundation,” Little said.