A PETERSFIELD vet is urging animal lovers to have their pets microchipped after a wandering cat’s identification chip helped reunite him with his owners nine months after he went missing.
Liquorice flouted lockdown rules by straying more than 20 miles from his home in East Meon last summer – but was back in the arms of his loving family this week.
And vvet Ruth Brownlee from St Peter’s Vets in Petersfield said the black cat would still be missing if it hadn’t been for his microchip.
Liquorice disappeared in June last year, leaving his owners Emma and Owen Chewter and their 17-year-old twins Dana and Samuel devastated.
After scouring the local area for Liquorice, the Chewter’s came to the conclusion that he had hopped into a vehicle unseen and been driven away.
Emma said the last time they had seen seven-year-old Liquorice was on her husband Owen’s birthday.
She said: “We let Liquorice out in the evening, but he didn’t come back for breakfast. He’s a cat that loves being outdoors, but he always comes home in the morning for cuddles and we knew that something was wrong.
“In the following days and weeks we walked miles looking for him and put up lots of posters, but there were no sightings of him. Liquorice is quite well known around East Meon because he helps keep the local mouse and rat population down, so we were sure someone would have seen him if he was still in the area.
“We could only think that he must have stowed away in a car or a delivery van, because it’s something we had noticed him trying to do a couple of times before.”
The family didn’t give up hope of finding Liquorice because he was microchipped when he was a kitten, and Emma was over the moon when she received a call from Cats Protection last month to say her pet had been found – over 20 miles away near Godalming in Surrey!
Emma said: “I thought they were just checking in to ask if Liquorice was still missing, but when they said they had found him it was like winning the lottery!
“They think he had been living wild for a while, then he started going into a garden and was spotted by the homeowner. This person kept an eye on him for a few weeks and realised he must be a stray, so they put up posters to try and find his family. When nobody came forward, they contacted Cats Protection.”
The charity set a humane trap to capture Liquorice and took him back to their centre in Haslemere, where he was scanned to see if he was microchipped. They checked the microchip number against an online database, and this led to him being returned to Emma.
Emma said: “We were so excited to have Liquorice back, and he seemed very excited to be home, too. I was worried that after nine months he wouldn’t remember us, but he jumped into my arms for cuddles, and followed me everywhere around the house.”
Luckily, Liquorice was none-the-worse for his ordeal, although Emma reports that the cat had been so good at foraging for food, he put on 2kg and has been put on a post-holiday diet!
Emma added that she owes having Liquorice back to his microchip.
She said: “If Liquorice hadn’t been microchipped, he wouldn’t be at home with us today, and that just doesn’t bear thinking about. All my pets have been microchipped at St Peter’s Vets and it is such a sensible thing to do.
“I mentioned to Cats Protection that it must be so nice to tell people their pet has been found, but they said unfortunately it doesn’t happen that often.
“Either cats are not microchipped, the chip number hasn’t been registered on a database or the owner has moved and hasn’t updated their contact details.”
Vet Ruth Brownlee from St Peter’s Vets said that even though it isn’t a legal requirement to have cats microchipped like it is for dogs, it makes perfect pet sense to do so. She added that is also a good idea to microchip other pets that might wander away from home, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and exotic species.
Ruth said: “Microchipping is a no-brainer because it makes everyone’s life easier if a pet goes missing and it is your best chance of finding them again. It is such a quick and easy procedure for your vet to do, too.
“People might think a collar is enough, but they can easily break or slip off, plus there is an increased risk of a cat getting caught on something.
“We often have stray cats brought into the practice and it’s surprising how many are not microchipped. It is really upsetting when their story doesn’t end in the same happy way as Liquorice’s did and we can’t get them home to the people who love them.
“Having a pet microchipped is also important for animal welfare reasons.
“Sometimes pets are found injured and need medical care or surgery that we need to discuss with the owner.
“If an animal is microchipped, we can get in touch with them quickly and the pet can have the treatment it needs straightaway.”