Microchipped cat feared dead found after five years

Ms Ibbotson says she was mystified as to why she was not notified by a local vet when her missing cat was taken in for dental treatment last month

A former pet owner has been told a cat named Percy that her late mother lost in 2020 is alive after someone applied to update its microchip details.

Due to data protection, Nicola Ibbotson from March, Cambridgeshire said she was not told who the new owner was or where they lived.

Ms Ibbotson, 28, says her family assumed Percy was dead and launched an online campaign for answers.

A local vet confirmed Percy had dental work last month, which Ms Ibbotson said surprised her because the practice did not contact her. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said vets were not always required to check every pet ID chip.

Nicola Ibbotson said the family had given up on ever seeing Percy the cat again

Ms Ibbotson said her mother Silke died in 2022, and her cat had gone missing in 2020.

"Mum loved Percy, he was a lovely cat, quite cuddly, he had a comical meow and we all adored him," said the daughter.

Ms Ibbotson said her mum had purposely kept Percy inside her home in March to get him used to his surroundings, and was horrified when he escaped.

The family posted on social media and knocked on doors in a bid to locate him, but had no luck and no leads as to where he might have gone.

They feared the worst, but reported him as missing to their microchip provider Petlog.

Percy the cat vanished in 2020 was presumed dead, but has reappeared through information supplied by a microchip company and a vet

Out of the blue last month, Ms Ibbotson received notification from Petlog that someone had tried to alter details on Percy's ID chip, which meant he was alive after all.

Information then came to light via a lady in Plymouth that one of her family, living in March, had taken in a what they thought was a stray cat five years ago and that the animal had been treated by a local vet.

Ms Ibbotson's partner phoned around local surgeries asking if any had treated a cat and quoted Percy's microchip registration number.

Through finding the vet, also based in March, Ms Ibbotson has set up a meeting with Percy's new keepers next month, but says she will not insist on reclaiming him if he is happy and settled, because he would now be 14 years old and might be used to his new surroundings.

A Petlog spokesperson said: "If a pet is marked as missing on our database, there is always contact with the existing recorded keeper to ratify any changes to a pet's keepership or request for any amendments to the keepership record.

Petlog said its processes were correctly adhered to in this case.

It added that it always urged keepers to check their contact details were up to date to ensure speedy reunification.

Number of databases a 'hindrance'

The British Veterinary Association said there were more than 20 national microchipping databases which meant it "may not always be logistically possible to scan microchips and crosscheck details in all instances".

Its president Dr Rob Williams said: "We recommend vets scan and check in a range of scenarios, including when seeing a stray or when an animal is new to the practice as this helps reunify pets with their owners and identify if a dog or cat has been stolen.

"The number of separate national databases currently in existence is a hindrance to effectively reuniting lost or stray pets with owners.

"We are calling on government to streamline the system so that there is a central portal that vets, local authorities, and police can use to search microchip records rather than having to contact separate databases individually."

You can find out more from the BVA on scanning advice here.