Cats hate collars, like to escape and are notoriously good at hiding. So microchips matter when you realize, likely in a panic, that your furry friend is missing.
All through July, the crowded Denver Animal Shelter is offering free cat-chipping so that people can track down their lost kitties.
To get free chipping, all you have to do is put your cat in a carrier and bring it to the Denver Animal Shelter at 1241 W. Bayaud Ave. by the end of July. The shelter offers the service year round for $20.
For cat owners, the stakes are high.
One in three pets get lost in their lifetime.
Only 2 percent of lost cats that end up in shelters without microchips wind up back with their families, according to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
When cats do have chips, shelter staff can contact owners immediately.
How does microchipping a cat work?
The shelter will use a hypodermic needle to inject a microchip, roughly the size of a grain of rice, under your pet's skin.
Vets offices and shelters have scanners that can read the microchips, which include owners' contact information. When a pet is stolen, the microchip also serves as proof of ownership.
The free microchip offer isn't the only deal at the Denver Animal Shelter this month.
Want to adopt a pet? The Hot Dogs, Cool Cats special allows you to do so for just $50 for any dog or cat more than one year old.
German shepards, pitpulls, labs and more are waiting for dog lovers.
And a medley of domestic short, long and medium hairs and one Russian blue are looking for a cat owner, too.
For more information, go to the Denver Animal Shelter website.
