KEY POINTS:
Wayne Douglas found himself in the middle of an ownership dispute after his expensive ebony oriental cat disappeared and was found several months later at someone else's place.
Zuka the kitten - black, leggy, with conspicuous "pharaoh cat" features and one of only a handful in Northland - went missing four weeks after Mr Douglas bought him.
"These are not your average moggies," Mr Douglas said.
Zuka cost several hundred dollars to buy and more again to be microchipped.
When Zuka disappeared, Mr Douglas advertised widely, let the authorities know, and eventually decided the kitten must have wandered off and died.
Mr Douglas went back to the breeder in Auckland and got another kitten. Enter Zuka the Second.
Several months later Mr Douglas discovered that Zuka the First was living at the Whangarei home of someone he knew.
Although the other person denied the cat was Zuka, a quick trip to the vet to have the microchip scanned proved otherwise.
"It's a relief," Mr Douglas said. "It's good to know pet microchipping works."
Mr Douglas said that last year's debate about microchipping pets had paid scant attention to its merits. Instead it centred on exempting farm dogs or its effectiveness, or otherwise, in dealing with dangerous dogs.
"I'd recommend people have their pets done. Especially in this case, with a specialist cat and an ownership dispute, it's been worth its weight in gold."
A director of Northland Veterinary Group, Jayne Greening, said the technology was a foolproof identification tool. If a second chip was put in an animal, both would show on a scan.
It is now compulsory for dogs to be microchipped, but horses and cats are also increasingly getting tagged.
The rice-grain-sized microchip is inserted under the skin, usually by the shoulder blades or neck, and contains an identification number. Any animal can be microchipped.
In New Zealand dogs first registered after July 1, last year must be microchipped, as must dangerous dogs, persistent pound offenders and impounded unregistered dogs.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)
