Microchipping

Microchipping offers cats a safe and permanent method of identification and increases the chances of a lost cat being safely reunited with his owner.

Why should cats be microchipped?

Microchipping is the most effective way of identifying a lost pet. Microchips don’t come off, or put cats at risk of collar-related injuries. They can also assist with ownership disputes – although please not that a microchip is not absolute proof of ownership, but may be presented as evidence. Each microchip has a unique 15 digit number linked to a database holding your contact details, allowing you to be quickly traced if your cat strays and is scanned for a microchip.

The Procedure

A microchip is slightly smaller than a grain of rice and is inserted under the cat’s skin between the shoulder blades with a dedicated device known as an implanter. The procedure is very simple and is no more painful than an injection. Your cat will not be aware of the microchip’s presence once it has been inserted.

How much will it cost?

You can expect to pay around £20 to £30 for the procedure.

 Are there ongoing costs associated with microchipping?

If you need to amend your details then a fee is payable to the database. Dependent on the database used, this may be a one-off fee for the lifetime of your cat to cover future updates, or a fee each time you update. Updating contact details is an owner’s responsibility – and is a vital part of the microchip’s value – enabling you to be reunited quickly with your cat should they stray or be lost. 

Who can microchip my cat?

Vets, local authorities and trained and insured members of animal welfare organisations may offer microchipping.

When should I have my cat microchipped?

There is no minimum age, but it will depend on the preference of the trained implanter. Many cats are microchipped at the time of first or second vaccination but it can also be done at any time after this. It is ideal to get your cat microchipped before letting it outside for the first time.

How will I know my cat’s details have been registered following microchipping?

You will be sent registration documents following the microchipping procedure, usually within a couple of weeks of it taking place. If you don’t receive these, double-check with the person who microchipped your cat. Keep your registration documents and cat’s microchip number safe.

How do I check my cat’s microchip?

The person implanting the chip will place a hand-held scanner over your cat to check the implantation has been successful. Upon detection of the microchip the scanner will display the microchip’s unique number. Some owners ask to have their cat’s microchip scanned and the microchip checked while having its annual check-up at the vets. While movement of chips or chip failure are extremely rare, it is peace of mind to know the microchip is still working. Microchips are not programmed with global positioning satellite technology so you cannot track your cat’s whereabouts.

What if I lose my cat?

If you do lose your cat, it is important to double-check with the database that provides the aftercare service for your cat, to ensure your contact details are correct and up to date. If your lost cat is found and taken to a vet, local authority or animal welfare organisation to be scanned, you will be contacted and advised of your cat’s whereabouts.

What if I move home or change phone numbers?

Remember that you should update your cat’s microchip details if you move home or change any of your details – this is essential to ensure you can be traced should your cat stray. This is especially important if you have brought your cat into the UK through the Pet Travel Scheme or through quarantine. If your cats strays with your details still registered overseas and his legal entry to UK cannot be ascertained your cat face a further period in quarantine or even euthanasia by the authorities if he becomes lost, you cannot be traced and his legal entry to the UK cannot be ascertained. NB Simply putting your cat through the pet travel scheme or quarantine does not automatically update your records, so it is important that you remember to do this.


In the UK, you can update your cat's registered details by contacting your exisiting UK database company, or Petlog - on 0844 4633 999 or via www.petlog.org.uk - or Anibase - on 01904 487 600 or via www.anibase.com

What if I want to rehome my cat?

Contact your microchip database as transfer of ownership documents should be completed. If your cat is relinquished to a rehoming organisation such as Cats Protection, the organisation will ask for a signed copy of your cat’s microchip registration documents authorising transfer of registered ownership details, or may ask you to complete an alternative form.

Microchip cat flaps

If your cat has been microchipped, you may want to consider installing a microchip cat flap in your home. These identify cats trying to enter your home by scanning their microchips and will only allow entry to those whose microchip number you have programmed in to the cat flap.

Cats Protection and microchipping

All cats and kittens over 12 weeks of age adopted from Cats Protection will already have a microchip as part of the charity’s Minimum Veterinary Standards. We will help you register your contact details with the microchip database at the time of adoption. (Source: Cats Protection)

Success Story - Keats

Keats was originally brought in to us last October. He lived outside all his life and was being fed by an elderly lady. As he aged and his eyesight decreased, he wanted to come inside and enjoy some home comforts. Unfortunately for Keats the lady wouldn’t allow this. During his time at the centre he was really extremely nervous and very unhappy in a pen.

We managed to find a foster home for him for a few months, in his foster home had helped him relax and discover all the home comforts such as warm radiators, a soft bed and regular meals. Sadly his fosterer needed leave Exeter to go back home. We put out desperate appeals for a permanent home for Keats as he really wasn’t coping in a pen. A few weeks after he came back we finally found him a permanent home; we were delighted to her from his new owner.

“I just wanted to give you an update on Keats (although we call him Soloman, which has turned out to be quite an apt name for him as he is a little solo man).

Basically I just wanted you to know that we can now stroke him, kiss him, pick him up. He is starting to come up on our bed and lie with us. He is so full of love. He is a beautiful boy and I am so happy that he has come to live with us >^..^< He has even started to sleep next to me when I go to sleep. I love him so much (and it makes me sad to think that he hasn’t had the best of lives). Our other two cats don’t bother him, the one who I thought might be a nightmare stays clear of him, I think she’s frightened of him. And our other cat Molly, I think Soloman likes a lot. He often goes up to her and they sniff each other and Molly brushed against him lovingly for the first time yesterday.”

We are so pleased to hear Keats (now named Solomon) has settled in well and that he’s happy in his new home. We would like to thank his new owner for keeping us updated on his progress. 

The importance of Play and our Amazon wishlist

This year we have launched our Amazon wish list for our centre. This is a great way to donate items which we need for our cats and kittens, these items include puzzle enrichment toys, new beds, scratching posts and a variety of cat toys. We are hoping these new toys and puzzle feeders will help our cats and kitten reduce boredom, but also to help boost their physical fitness, mental stimulation, helps their hunting skills and aids co-ordination.

 Importance of play

Play is important for all companion cats, young and old. It is a glorious leisure activity and it has a positive impact on a cat’s emotional state. It aids in the prevention and treatment of obesity, it provides important stimulation for the bored or elderly brain and it helps to develop and maintain social bonds.

 

 

Development of play

Kittens start to play at two weeks old as they try to bat moving objects, but play behaviour prevalent at four to five weeks old.

 

-      21-23 days old – “Belly up” and “Stand up” Play postures

-      32 days old – “Side step” play posture

-      33-35 days old – pouncing, stalking and back arching  

-      38-41 days old – chasing

-      43 days old – wrestling

 

-      48 days old – “face off” posture

Here at the centre our CCAs provide our kittens a wide variety of toys, which are important for the kittens development and socialistation. As mentioned above helps their physical fitness, hunting skills and mental stimulation.  
 

Play can be broken down into separate categories which are: -  

-      Solitary play

-      Solitary Play (with objects)

-      Interactive play (with cats)

-      Interactive play (with humans)

Solitary play - often occurs during the evening or early hours of the morning at the time when cats would naturally be most active. Signs of this type of activity are often referred to as a “mad half hour” which includes sudden, staccato movements interspersed with frozen postures with crouched legs and a general look of madness with dilated eyes and flattened ears laterally.

 

Solitary play with objects – every cat will have specific favourites when it comes to selecting toys for playing alone. These are based on the texture, shape, size, smell, how they move and whether they make a noise while doing so.

 

Interactive play (with cats) – Cats are more likely to indulge in social play in the right kind of environment – full of obstacles and different levels to give camouflage, hidey holes and the chance to leap to high places for “time out”.

Two cats can differ greatly in their motivation to play and some sessions can lead to one individual becoming over-aroused and boisterous, which can change the tone of the game. This can be extremely stressful for the cat that isn’t quite so excitable. It's important to give both cats the opportunity to break the stare, for example, in social play fighting can diffuse tension and avoid arousal levels from escalating.
In your home you may need to have a look at areas within your home that might be conducive to play you may want to provide a combination of stacked cardboard boxes – with entry/exit holes – furniture at various heights, tables and cat activity centres to simulate that all important multi-level play station.

Interactive play with humans – Interactive games with your cat need to be tailored to suit the individual. If your cat is highly motivated to play you will notice that he or she will do so frequently and spontaneously at any time of day and night. You will usually be the one who gets bored first and virtually anything dangled in front of your cat will elicit a response. If this describes your cat then, congratulations, all you have to do is develop the staying power to hang on in there with the games and know that you can have time off by ensuring your cat has plenty of inanimate objects for self-play when you can take no more or are fast asleep. (Source: Cats Protection)

 

 

We are hoping these donated toys will make our cats and kittens stay more enjoyable. With a variety of toys, our cats and kittens can solve food puzzles, brush up on their hunting skills, keep themselves fit and many of our cats will interact with our volunteers or potential adopters with some of these toys. If you would like to donate a gift for our cats and kittens, please visit our Amazon wish list today! http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/2OAP2GCUQHOYK
We would like to thank everyone who has donated gifts for our cats and kittens already, they are making great use of them!

Success story for our feral cats

You may remember our previous blogs about our new feral garden and some of the feral cats we managed to help. We have been very lucky to rehome all of our feral cats and our feral garden is currently unoccupied and ready for any future cats we need to help.

Their new owner has set up a fantastic facebook group giving followers regular updates about some of our feral cats she has adopted from us. She has just installed night vision cameras in the sheds to closely monitor how they are doing and which cats are about when she is not around. Many she never sees come in feed during the night.

 In their new home there sheds and pens especially built for the cats with plenty of hides, shelves and beds to sleep in. There’s plenty of countryside for them to explore once they are let out and freshly cooked meat along with their regular cat food at meal times some of the food is kindly donated by members of the public. We are pleased to see Llama and Peewee growing in confidence each day, at the centre we often saw these two out and about in our feral garden. We are all so pleased they have settled in and doing so well. On Sunday she has adopted four more homeless feral cats from us which are Gunner, Mercedes, Elsie and Molly; we are looking forward to hearing how these four settle in over the next few weeks. We would like to thank their new owner for giving our feral cats a wonderful new home in the countryside. We thought we’d share some of photos of some of the cats settled in to their new home…..



Peewee and Llama



Hello Kitty

 

Minnow

Do you have a vacancy for an out-of-work mouser? CP always has feral cats, and they can't be rehomed in a domestic situation. True feral cats are the offspring of stray or abandoned domestic cats. They live where they can survive and may have little or no contact with humans. As a result, they are often scared of people and will avoid them. Farmers, stable owners and smallholders often value them as working mousers. A healthy feral colony is far more likely to keep vermin levels to a minimum. All they ask is for somewhere warm to sleep and shelter, such as an outbuilding, barn or stable, and to be fed regularly.

If you would like more information or wish to visit the centre, please call us on 01395 232377. If you prefer, you can send us an email on exeteraxhayes@cats.org.uk, or visit our website www.axhayes.cats.org.uk

Duke-a cat of fine breeding down on his luck

 

 

Meet Duke, our loveable 5 year old ginger and white Persian boy  who is looking for a new home where he will be spoilt rotten.   Duke the day he arrived at the centre       He has a new funky hair cut as his fur was so matted and dirty when he came to us; the vet had no choice but to shave it off.  After his trip to the furdressers!   In a couple of months his fur will grow back and he will look fluffy and handsome once again. He’s very friendly, playful and loves attention; he would really like a home with someone who will be around all of time to keep him company. He hasn't been with us very long but the staff have all found him very sweet natured and wanting affection. He will need extra portions of food to build him up to a healthy weight and regular grooming to keep his existing fur looking good and for the new growth of fur to be kept tangle free. Did you know... It is thought that Persian cats came from Asia and didn’t arrive in Europe until the 16th century. Their long coat needs grooming every day or it gets tangled. There are lots of Persian breeds; including the White Persian, Black Persian, Peke-faced Persian, Cameo Persian and Smoke Persian. They are now amongst the most popular breed of cats and are well known for their gentle and sweet personalities that fit into most types of home as they are such good companions and get along with everyone including children. They enjoy laying around being admired and don't like to jump and climb as much as other types of cat.   How can you resist those pleading eyes!      If you are looking for a fabulous companion and have experience with keeping Persian cats, then Duke is the cat for you!  You could be his 'Duchess' and after the ordeal he has been through, he really deserves to be treated like royalty.

Cats and Babies

Most cats will get on famously with a new arrival in the household but a baby does bring a whole change of routine and lifestyle for your cat. The character of your cat – whether shy or confident – will affect how he reacts to this new experience. It’s important to remember that even though you have a new baby and all the sleepless nights to contend with, you still have responsibility to keep your cat healthy and happy. Your cat will have been used to having your undivided attention before the birth and the sudden change in priorities can be unsettling for him.

A growing family

It’s always best to be prepared, once you know you are pregnant: -

-       Make sure your cat is in good health by taking him for a check-up at the vet

-       If your cat is not neutered, get this done without delay

-       Introduce your cat to any baby items you buy, such as nursery furniture or prams – let your cat investigate but don’t let him climb on them and then keep them shut away. It is important to ensure the items are off limits because some will be very tempting places for your cat to sleep.

-       Begin getting your cat used to the sounds of the baby. Record a friend or relative’s baby or buy a CD that you can play on a very low volume to being with and gradually increase the noise. Crying can be worrying for a cat that hasn’t heard it before.

-       Consult your doctor or health visitor about any other steps that you need to take.

A safe pregnancy

Sadly, some mums-to-be consider giving up their cats over fears of toxoplasmosis, a micro-organism that can affect the foetus if a pregnant woman is infected. However, a major study in the British Medical Journal concluded that contact with cats was not a risk factor for toxoplasma infection, despite many believing this to be so. Although cats are a link in the transmission of toxoplasmosis, the main sources of infection to people are through contact with contaminated soil – from gardening without gloves or eating unwashed fruit or vegetables – or by eating undercooked meat.

It is best to wear gloves and an apron when dealing with your cat’s litter tray – better still, it’s the perfect excuse to get someone else to do it! If you are worried about owning a cat while pregnant, seek advice from your doctor and see Cat’s Protection Veterinary Guide: Cats and pregnant women – Toxoplasmosis.

 

New routines

Cats are creatures of habit and thrive on routine. Introducing a new routine gradually for your cat before the baby arrives will help ease the situation when the big day comes. Begin by:

-       Putting the nursery room strictly out of bounds – this is particularly important if your cat has previously had free rein in the house

-       Reducing the amount of “lap time” your cat gets – you won’t have time to give your cat as much attention once the baby arrives

-       If you need to move your cat’s feeding or toileting place, do it gradually so it will not upset your cat’s routine too much.

Once baby arrives

It’s never too early for children to learn the respect, love and understand animals and it’s important they feel confident around them. It’s the basis of true companionship. Your baby will be around three months old before he or she first notices that there is something not human in the house. Your cat will have noticed the baby from day one and may be curious about the new arrival, so don’t panic if your cat sniffs the baby’s feet or hangs around the pram like a guard-cat. Not all cats are baby lovers, many will just ignore the new infant and keep a wide berth.

Do:

-       Use a safe cot or pram net to keep the cat at bay – pull it taut to deter your cat from using it as a bed

-       Keep the nursery inaccessible to your cat while the baby is asleep and make sure any open windows are cat proof

-       Keep all of the baby’s feeding utensils out of the cat’s reach

-       Keep the baby and cat food separately, you don’t want to get them mixed up in a sleep-deprived moment!

-       Try and set aside a part of the day to make a fuss of your cat as it’s important that his normal routines are maintained – it will give you a chance to grab a quiet moment and relax

-       Remember your cat should be regularly treated for fleas and worms and his litter tray kept clean

And Don’t:

-       Leave a baby and a cat together unsupervised, even if you trust your cat 100%

-       Leave any children’s sandboxes uncovered in case a cat is tempted to use it as a litter tray.

If you have concerns about your cat’s behaviour once the baby has arrived, please seek advice from a qualified cat behaviourist who may easily be able to pinpoint a trigger factor and help you to get back to harmony you previously enjoyed.  (Courtsey of Cats Protection)

Please help our Open Day/Easter Eggstravaganza 2014

Calling all Cat Lovers – Yes you, we need you !!!!!!!

 

It’s that time of year again and we are asking all of you fantastic people who have adopted from us, supported us or just even liked our pages for help.

We have decided to combine our two major events into one making for a very big, high profile fun day for all. Our Easter Eggstravaganza and Annual Open Day will be held on Friday 18^th April 11am-4pm here at the Adoption Centre.  The main aims of this day still remain the same to re-home as many cats as possible, increase awareness of the centre and raise vital funds for the cats in our care.

The event will begin at 11am till approx 4pm and there will be plenty of fun for all to be had including Easter Egg hunt, magician, bird of prey display, dog  fun dog agility show, cream teas, ice cream, BBQ, raffles, tombola’s, many many stalls and much more. This year our need for help is greater than ever. Are you able to spare us a few hours to run a stall, sell draw tickets, help with car parking?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are unable to give your time, then perhaps you could help in other ways. Maybe you could bake a cake or two. If you are a keen gardener with cuttings and seedlings you would like to put to good use, then we can sell these. We will also need plenty of items that can be used for various stalls, games, tombola’s, competition, such as chocolate (including easter eggs) toiletries, wine, toys, Bric a brac etc anything however large or small.
 

If you can help in any way please could I ask that you call Louise Bradbury or Phil Punnett as soon as possible on 01395 232377 or drop us an email on exeteraxhayes@cats.org.uk .  Without a large amount of help from the general cat loving public to make this a successful day, many cats will miss out on the chance of a home.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope to see you on the day. Please share this with family and friends