Cat Views

Doofie first showed up at our house, abandoned but obviously accustomed to being an inside-outside cat. My neighbor & I decided to co-adopt her since our schedules were both fairly busy. My neighbor has extensive animal training experience, insisted on allowing Doof to continue roam, inside-out, particularly so she was afforded visiting privileges to both households; Mommy Marie & Nasty John (a whole other story!), and Aunt Nancy & Uncle John. Not a bad arrangement for a cat! 4 humans and 2 litter boxes!

It was only after a failed sitting arrangement while both families were gone, did I realize the importance of micro chipping. I thought I had found the “perfect person,” only to discover they never once came to the house during a 10-day trip! Poor Doofie! Locked inside a home with only the food I set-out for her they day we left!! To my horror, I came home, finding all of the food neatly arranged next to my feeding instructions, untouched and NO cat!

Fortunately, I had left the bedroom window slightly opened so she could enjoy the outside on her window perch. Doofie, somehow managed to push the screen out of the track, and escape for food. She’s a very proficient hunter which no doubt helped her survive the ordeal. When I realized she had been without food and breaking out of our house, I became alarmed knowing that our local shelter only keeps animals for 3 days before euthanizing them! Un-marked without a collar and without a chip, if Doofie had been “rescued,” since we had been gone for over a week my greatest fear was that she had already been put to sleep.

Instant relief came, when I heard the most pitiful cry coming out from under a bush several houses away and  a very thin, scared cat welcomed my arms. Needless to say, that sitter was never again contacted, and Doofie was micro-chipped that week. 

HomeAgain pet finder was recommended by our vet. Sadly, nearly 10-million pet are lost every year. Without an ID, 90% never return home, cited as the #1 cause of pet death. HomeAgain has successfully reunited nearly 500,000 families through their pet recovery registration network.

They’ve recently added additional services including Lost Pet Medical Insurance, 27/7 Medical care, Pet Travel Assistance, Personalized “Lost Pet” Posters, Adoption Insurance, all for a minimal annual fee. There’s an commercial about home insurance, “You only get one chance to protect yourselves from loss.” Perhaps good advice when it comes to our pets, too.

Tags: home again, homeagain, lost cat, lost cat care, lost pet, lost pet care, lost pet insurance, micro chip, microchip, pet rescue