Sterilising and Microchipping your Cat

 

 

For help with subsidised sterilisations you can contact the Ruby Benjamin Foundation. Tel:  08 9291 7773 Email: mpmonty@bigpond.com

Cat Haven occasionally often offers discounted sterilisation prices - please contact our vet clinic if you have any queries. 

Contact our Vet Clinic on (08) 9442 3600 to make an appointment to sterilise or microchip your cat, or for other low-cost veterinary clinics in WA that may be closer to you, please contact the National Desexing Network.

*Please note this service is not always available during peak periods such as Kitten Season (summer).

The most obvious reason for sterilising cats is that it eliminates unwanted pregnancies. Cat Haven receives thousands of homeless kittens every year simply because owners have not sterilised their cats.

A female can come on heat as early as four months of age, so it is imperative that you get your cat sterilised as early as possible.

Additonally, from 1 November 2013 sterilisation of cats six months and older is compulsory. Your cat also needs to be microchipped.

Unsterilised females have a much greater risk of life-threatening uterine infections as well as uterine, ovarian and mammary cancer.

Unsterilised males can become aggressive towards their owners and will get into fights with other males as they search for females. The frequent fights expose them to serious infectious diseases and abscesses, which will ultimately result in higher vet bills and a shorter lifespan.

Both unsterilised male and female cats have a tendency to spray, wander off your property and are more likely to get lost or hit by a car.

Microchipping your cat means that if your cat gets lost or picked up by a council ranger, your cat can be quickly and easily identified and returned safely to you asap. Cat Haven received over 6500 unwanted or lost cats last year with over a third having to be euthanized and only 116 lost cats being reclaimed by their owners. If your cat isn't microchipped, there is a strong possibility that it will be rehomed if it cannot be identified and this is a devastating outcome for you.

Microchipping also reduces the amount of time your cat may have to spend in a pound or shelter if it is lost as they can contact you very quickly.

Microchipping is a simple, painless procedure where a small electronic chip is placed under your cat's skin in the shoulder area. The microchip is registered and it holds all your contact information, which can be accessed easily by a vet using a special scanner.

Cat Haven has a small group of dedicated volunteers who pick up cats for us when required. The demand for pick-ups is, however, far greater than the number our volunteers can actually carry out. Therefore, Cat Haven is only able to assist a limited number of pick-up requests.

 

If you need to get a cat in to Cat Haven but don’t have your own transport, please contact friends, family or neighbours for assistance before requesting a pick-up by us.

Check with your own local council to see if they are also offering discounts or subsidies.

We are aware of an emerging issue regarding the HomeSafeID microchip registry.

From 2011 cats adopted from Cat Haven had their microchip registered with HomeSafeID.

If your pet is microchipped, ensuring your contact details are up-to-date with the microchip registry is crucial. If your pet ever goes missing, a microchip significantly increases the chances of being reunited - but only if your details are correct! With the HomeSafe ID microchip registry shutting down, now is the time to act and transfer your pet’s details to another microchip registry.

If your pet is registered with HomeSafeID, you will need to change your microchip registration to another company.

What you need to do:

  1. Find your cat’s microchip number. This will be located on your adoption paperwork from Cat Haven. If you need to get your cat’s microchip number from Cat Haven please fill in the form below.

*Please note if you adopted before 2013 we will not be able to find your cats microchip number, Please contact your vet as they will also have their number on file.

  1. Once you have your cats microchip number, visit Pet Address by clicking here and login, once logged in you can check where your cat’s microchip is registered. If it happens to be HomeSafeID you will need to re-register their microchip with another service.
  2. Using one of the services below please apply to have your cat registered
  3. We also recommend that your pet wears a visible ID tag at all times. This means If they are found the finder will be able to contact you and return your cat to you directly
AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL REGISTRY visit their website here
  • Australian Animal Registry’s charge for registration is $15.00
CENTRAL ANIMAL RECORDS visit their website here
  • Central Animal Records is offering a discounted rate of $11.99
GLOBAL MICRO ANIMAL REGISTRY visit their website here
  • Global are accepting re-registrations from HomeSafeID clients in Australia and are reducing fees
PETSAFE visit their website here  
  • Petsafe has a $10 admin fee.
FAQ
What is my pet’s microchip number?
If you don’t know your pets microchip number or have lost their paperwork with their registration details, you can click here to fill our form and we will check our database and send you your cats microchip number. Alternatively you can contact your vet as they will have your cat’s microchip on file too.
Why do I need to change to another microchip registry?
HomeSafeID has closed down and is no longer working, if your cat goes missing and is brought to a vet clinic or shelter, when they are scanned your details won’t come up, which makes it very difficult to find and contact you when we receive your cat.
How do I change my details on my cat’s microchip?
If you don’t have a HomeSafeID microchip but need to update your details you can still use Pet Address here and check where your cat is microchipped, then log into the subsequent company cant update your phone, email or address.
What does it cost to change to another microchip registry?
Changing to a new microchip registry can cost $10 and over. Its usually a small fee, but if your cat goes missing and their microchip isn’t registered, it can be very hard to reunite them with you.