Microchipping dramatically improves the probability of reuniting lost pets with their owners and prevents unnecessary suffering and euthanasia of unidentified animals in shelter systems.
Microchipping is a welfare intervention with one of the highest benefit-to-cost ratios available to pet owners. The procedure itself is brief and causes minimal discomfort. The welfare benefit for the animal that becomes lost - avoiding extended shelter stays, euthanasia, or life as a stray - is enormous. Unidentified animals in shelter systems are euthanized at dramatically higher rates than microchipped animals. For cats, which are rarely retrieved from shelters without identification, microchipping can literally mean the difference between return home and euthanasia. Making microchipping universal and keeping registration details current is one of the simplest and most impactful welfare actions available to any pet owner.