Marbles the cat. Credit Jade Webb, Petlog
Missing Warrington Cat Reunited With Owner After Two Years Thanks To Microchip
9 months ago 
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As UK’s largest lost and found pet database urges all cat owners to make sure their pets are microchipped and details up-to-date ahead of new legislation
Marbles, a cat from Warrington who went missing from her home more than two years ago, has been reunited with her owner thanks to her microchip.
Marbles went missing in 2021, two weeks after moving to a new home and town with her owner, Jade Webb, from Warrington. Marbles wasn't familiar with the area and as she jumped into a neighbour’s garden, she was scared by a dog, and bolted into a wooded area. Jade and her partner searched for days and nights on end, published missing posters and spoke to neighbours, but they never had a sighting of Marbles.
“After a year of searching, myself and my partner started to give up hope, thinking the worst could have happened to her,” commented Jade. “I still continued to share posts on local missing pet sites but never heard anything. We missed Marbles every day.”
Then, this summer, Jade and her partner got a phone call from the vets – they had Marbles! She had been taken in by someone in the local area who thought Marbles was a stray. They had gained her trust over six months by feeding her, which enabled them to get Marbles into a carrier and to the vets.
The vets scanned Marbles and checked for a microchip. Luckily, the day Marbles went missing Jade had updated her details on Petlog, the database Marbles is microchipped with, with her new address, and reported her as missing. This meant the vets could contact Jade so they could be reunited, after two long years of searching for her beloved pet.
“When I got to the vets to collect Marbles, my emotions were very high,” added Jade. “As the veterinary nurses brought her to me in the waiting area I burst into tears, I couldn't believe she was actually alive and back in my arms. It was such an emotional, overwhelming reunion.
“Marbles is absolutely loving human contact and cuddles back in her home again. My message to other pet owners is please, please, please ensure your pet is microchipped, and all of your contact details are kept up to date and correct.”
Marbles, who had a full health check at the vets, is now happily settling back into home life.
Bill Lambert, spokesperson for The Kennel Club, which manages Petlog, commented: “We’re so pleased that Marbles was found safely and could be reunited with her family because of her microchip, and due to Jade’s diligence in notifying Petlog as soon as Marbles went missing to ensure the information we had was correct and up to date.
“Sadly not all pets are so lucky. Microchipping gives owners the best chance of being reunited with their pet if they go missing, but it is only effective if your contact details are up to date. Cat owners should also be aware that the Government have announced plans to make microchipping a legal requirement for all cats in England next year. Amid the trauma and heartbreak of losing a pet, in the future owners could also face fines if their cats are not microchipped – so it is really important not to leave this until the last minute.”
A microchip is the size of a grain of rice which is inserted under the skin at the back of an animal’s neck. It permanently identifies pets and connects them with an owner’s contact details, which are held on a database, like Petlog, enabling vets, local authorities and animal charities to scan the chip and match it to the owner’s details to reunite stolen, lost and found pets.
Currently, it is a legal requirement for all dogs to be microchipped in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The UK Government has announced the intention to make microchipping compulsory for cats in England by summer 2024.
More information about this change is available at petlog.org.uk/complusorycatmicrochipping and further advice about keeping your pet safe, as well as information about microchipping and how to register with Petlog, can be found at petlog.org.uk
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