Cat Found 5 Years, 1,800 Miles and One Microchip Later

Any pet owner still debating the merits of the microchip will be swayed by the story of Willow the Calico cat.

Willow disappeared from her home in Boulder, Colo., five years ago. Her owners thought she had been killed by coyotes and had moved on. And Willow, apparently, just moved. She turned up this week in Manhattan, 1,800 miles away from where she was last seen. A microchip implanted when she was a kitten helped track down her owners.

Jamie Squires said she and her husband, Chris, were shocked when they received a call about Willow on Wednesday from Animal Care and Control, which runs New York City’s animal rescue and shelter system. Ms. Squires said that when they saw a picture of the cat, they knew it was Willow.

“All our pets are microchipped,” Ms. Squires said. “If I could microchip my kids, I would.”

The ASPCA recently reported on the story of Roxy the Boxer, a pet that disappeared from her Staten Islan, home during a blizzard and showed up 20 miles away in Guttenberg, N.J. in March, where a policeman asked his vet to check to see if Roxy had a microchip.

Microchips, which cost about $50 to implant, are tiny transponders about the size of a grain of rice. Using a large needle, a veterinarian injects the chip under the skin, usually between the shoulder blades. Pet owners register the chip, which carries a tracking number linked with the owner’s contact information. When veterinarians or animal control officials find a stray animal, they typically will use a handheld scanner to determine if the pet is carrying a microchip. The Humane Society of the United States says that microchips should be viewed as a backup identification and that collars and tags are still the best and fastest way to retrieve a lost pet.

Read more about Willow’s incredible journey, and then please join the discussion below.