The importance of getting your cat chipped and snipped

As many of you will be aware, throughout the whole of this month we have been running a Chip & Snip campaign to encourage cat owners to get their cats micro-chipped and neutered.

Getting your cat neutered is important for a whole range of reasons and we caught up with our Branch Operations Manager, Jade Burton, to find out her thoughts on the subject.

Why is it so important for cat owners to get their cats “chipped and snipped”?
Getting cats chipped and snipped means ensuring they are micro-chipped and neutered. All animal charities are currently facing high numbers of cats and kittens needing help and we have to try to reduce this number.  At Woodside we are licensed to take in 72 adults cats at any one time although litters of kitten count as 1 adult, so this will take our total higher. At Woodside and in foster we are currently caring for over 100 cats which is why we need your help.

Ensuring your cat is micro-chipped also means we can reunite lost cats and, providing the chip is kept up to date, the chip details can also help us keep track of any medical needs listed on the microchip.

Approximately how many stray cats do Woodside receive through their doors every year?
In 2014 we received over 500 stray cats and kittens and we anticipate similar numbers this year. However, we don't just take in stray cats, we also take in cats that have been signed over from their owners who for whatever reason no longer want their cat. Sadly this number has gone up significantly over the last few years.

What will be the consequences if the public continue to leave their cats un-neutered?
The population of cats will continue to grow. That's why we also feel it's important to dispel the many myths surrounding neutering cats such as:

• Female cats need to have had a litter before they can be neutered: This is not true! Females can become pregnant at around 4 months of age regardless of whether they have had a litter or not.

• Related cats will not mate: This is not true! Siblings and related cats will mate and can and will produce offspring if given the chance.

It is also worth noting that one unneutered female cat can be responsible for 20,000 descendants in just five years!– unneutered cats are very good at finding each other and unplanned, unwanted pregnancies are all too common.

Do you have any success stories of a micro-chipped pet being reunited with it’s owner that we could share?
We recently received a timid cat that had been in someone’s garden for months.  She was there all hours of the day and night, was not initially happy about being approached by humans but eventually they gained her trust and she turned out to be microchipped and she has since been reunited with her owner, who was incredibly grateful.

Another example of this, is a lady was moving from Leicester to Somerset.  She had left instructions for the removal men not to go through a certain door however they did and her cat escaped.  She looked for her cat before she left, she put posters up and contacted the microchip company about her lost cat, but all of these avenues failed.  2 Years later, the cat came into Woodside as a stray.  We checked for a microchip, then contacted the owner who drove from Somerset that day to claim her lost pet.  The cat seemed so happy to see her even after 2 years apart.

A simple microchip, the size of a grain of rice can give cat owners a sense of security and peace of mind, that if their pet gets lost, there is every chance they will be reunited once again.

Here at Woodside Animal Centre, we are very much about responsible ownership, so all cats that are re-homed through us will be routinely neutered and micro-chipped.  If you do not seewhat you are looking for in our cattery, please speak to our front of house staff who will advise you as to whether there is something suitable for your needs coming up for adoption.