[ PET OHANA ]
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$5 ID chips available
this month
When Beverly Takemoto's cat Kanoe didn't come home for dinner, she didn't think much of it. After a few days and still no sign of Kanoe, Takemoto began to worry and started a search. She filed a report, alerted neighbors, canvassed her neighborhood and visited the Hawaiian Humane Society to look for Kanoe.
After four years, Takemoto had just about given up hope and opened her home to another cat, Madison. Then one day she received a call that a long-haired calico had been found with a microchip. The Hawaiian Humane Society's records indicated that the cat was Kanoe.
About the size of a grain of rice, a microchip is implanted between the shoulder blades. Each has a unique code of letters and numbers that can be read by a hand-held scanner. If microchips are registered with the humane society and owners keep their addresses and telephone numbers updated, pets and owners can be reunited.
Kanoe was returned to her owner in great shape. "Her hair wasn't matted, and she was even fatter than when she left," Takemoto said. Despite the cat's four-year absence, Kanoe still naps in the same spots and enjoys her new companion, Madison.
This month, the humane society is sponsoring a pet-identification initiative that allows cat and dog owners to have their pets microchipped for $5.
The procedure typically costs $20 to $30, but this month, 23 participating veterinarians will implant microchips for the cost of the chip itself: $5.
The humane society developed this program because losing a pet can be devastating for the owner and the animals hoping to find their way home. More than 5,000 reports of lost pets are filed every year.
In 2004 the humane society helped to reunite more than 4,000 pets with their owners.
When Wendy Pollitt noticed that her cat Josephine was not in her bed one afternoon, she knew something was wrong. Josephine never missed her 3 p.m. nap. The Pollitts called the humane society, local veterinarians and neighbors.
Two years later, Cindy Newburg found a friendly cat at the Pali Golf Course. On a hunch she borrowed a microchip scanner from a friend. She called the humane society with the identification number and determined it was the Pollitts' missing Josephine.
"It's much easier for people to be proactive about helping to return lost pets since the microchip was introduced," Newburg said. "People don't realize that most veterinary clinics have microchip scanners and once a pet is scanned, it's just a matter of calling in the microchip number to the humane society."
While collars and tags are important, they can also be easily removed or lost. Microchips are permanent.
Report a missing pet to the humane society as soon as possible, and if the animal is not found in 30 days, renew your report. Visit the humane society daily to look for your pet. If you find a lost animal, you can drop it off at the society 24 hours a day.
Cats and dogs with microchips are held for a minimum of nine days before being made eligible for adoption. Pets without ID are held for a minimum of 48 hours.
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The Hawaiian Humane Society, 2700 Waialae Ave., is a nonprofit
agency dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals. Call 946-2187.
www.hawaiianhumane.org
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