Badger the cat was missing while his family moved to Washington, but he was found and, thanks to his microchip, he is now reunited with his family. (courtesy of the San Diego Humane Society)
Humane Society helps Badger the Cat
Earlier this month, a family of four relocated to Spokane, Washington, from San Diego with mixed emotions: They were looking forward to moving into a new home in the Pacific Northwest while at the same time they were feeling anguish over leaving behind their 3-year-old cat Badger, who had been missing since January.
After a fruitless eight months of posting “lost cat” signs in their San Diego neighborhood and social media channels, they gave up looking. They figured something horrible had happened to him. So, they said their goodbyes and mourned their loss.
That was the situation until three weeks ago when a stray cat was rescued by the county shelter. The cat’s microchip led the shelter staff to Badger’s family. When they got the news that Badger was alive and safe, the family was in tears and full of disbelief – Badger was coming home; although not soon enough.
The Billings family was waiting to move into their new home at the end of the month. They reached out to San Diego Humane Society to help care for Badger until they could be reunited with their family pet.
The moral of the story: be sure your pets have updated microchips. Thankfully, the information on Badger’s microchip was current; without it, a family reunion would not have been impossible.
There’s always the potential for pets to escape through open doors. Keep your pets safely indoors and always make sure they’re wearing current ID tags and that their microchip information is up to date, just in case. Licensing and microchipping pets helps reunite lost pets with their owners faster.
You can get your pet microchipped at the San Diego Humane Society, 5500 Gaines St., or in Escondido at 3450 E. Valley Parkway. No appointment is necessary, and it’s open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If your pet does go missing, ensuring your pet is microchipped and licensed will assist in a quick reunion. The San Diego Humane Society also utilizes a facial recognition app, Finding Rover, to quickly reunite lost dogs with their owners. It’s one more tool to get pets home faster. Be sure to register your dog’s photo on Finding Rover. It’s free. Learn more and register here: http://www.findingrover.com/. Visit sdhumane.org.