This Saturday is Every Day is Tag Day, celebrated the first Saturday of April. It’s a day when the American Humane Association encourages everyone to be sure that cats are carrying ID at all times. Since a cat can’t carry a wallet, ID for cats takes the form of a microchip and tag. This is an important way to help kitties make their way home if they are lost, but only two percent of cats who end up in shelters have some form of ID.
Even indoor cats need ID. An indoor cat who escapes the house or gets out another way can end up lost or in a shelter, and their ID is a big part of helping them find their way home.
What can you do to make sure your cat is carrying ID at all times?
- If your cat will wear a collar, use a breakaway collar with daytime and evening contact information so that a found cat can be returned to you day or night. If your cat has any medical condition that a rescuer should know about, like diabetes, be sure to include that information on the tag, too, so that if your kitty is lost, he can get the appropriate care until you are reunited. If the noise of metal tags bothers you, there are lots of options available, including silent silicon tags and metal tags that slide onto the collar. We wear metal slide-on tags on our collars so that they don’t get in the way or bang into bowls.
- Get your cat microchipped. Chips are implanted in a simple procedure, and they can’t be lost as easily as a collar and tags. Reduced-cost and sometimes even free microchips are available at events in your community at various times around the year. Be sure to register your chip so that if someone finds your kitty, they can get your contact information. Your chip isn’t registered automatically!
- If you move to a new home:
- Make sure your cat’s tag includes a cell phone number or the number of someone who knows how to reach you.
- Update your contact information with the microchip registry so that if someone finds your cat, they will be able to contact you.
