Month: July 2021

Cat Care

How Does a Microchip Keep Your Cat Safe?

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Meredith Hemphill

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Microchip beside rice grain
A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice – Image from HowStuffWorks

There’s a good chance you have heard a story about a pet that was reunited with their owner thanks to their microchip. Everyone loves a heartwarming tale of a family made whole again. But the stories don’t tell you everything about microchipping. Whether your pet is already microchipped or you are trying to make that decision, you probably have questions. It isn’t as straightforward as a collar and tags. Fortunately, it isn’t rocket science, either, so get ready to demystify the microchip.

What Is a Microchip?

Pet microchips are teeny tiny electronic devices implanted just beneath the skin of an animal. Although we may think of them as something for cats and dogs, microchips can also be placed in other animals such as laboratory rodents, cattle, and horses (1). The devices are only about the size of a grain of rice. They don’t contain a battery or other power source (1, 2). Rather, they are RFID chips that contain a unique identification number (2). When a scanner is passed over the chip, the chip is briefly activated and sends back the ID number (1-3). Because there is no battery and no moving parts, the microchip never corrodes, loses power, or wears out (1, 2). It should last a pet’s entire life.

What a Microchip Is Not

There are a few common misconceptions about what microchips are/can do. First, a microchip is not a tracking device (1-3). It does not contain GPS technology or anything else that can keep tabs on your pet’s location (1-3, 6). Second, your pet’s microchip is not an external data storage device (1, 2). The only information the chip can store is its ID number (1-3). It does not track your personal information or your pet’s medical information (1, 2). When someone scans the chip, all they see is that number. If the microchip is registered in a database, they will be able to request your contact information. More on that later.

How Is a Microchip Placed?

A cat gets their microchip placed in the loose skin between their shoulder blades (2, 3). The chip is injected with a syringe a bit larger than the ones used for vaccinations (1). No anesthetic is required, and the procedure can be performed at a routine veterinary appointment (1-3). To your cat, it feels much like any other shot (1, 3). However, if your cat happens to be undergoing a surgical procedure anyway, i.e. sterilization, then the microchipping can be done at the same time (1).

If you adopt a cat from a shelter or purchase one from a breeder, there is a possibility they may already have a microchip (1, 3, 5). Although it won’t hurt a cat to be microchipped twice, there’s no need (1). Any animal shelter should already have checked for a microchip, so just ask. If you adopted a cat a while ago and don’t remember, you can call the shelter to check or have your vet scan your cat for one. They will typically do that free of charge (4, 5).

Why Are Microchips Important?

The way a microchip works is that the identification numbers are stored in databases maintained by the manufacturers and other organizations. Pet owners input their contact information–and more, if they choose–to the database in connection with their pet’s unique chip number. Then, if the pet becomes lost, and someone finds them and take them to a shelter, vet clinic, or animal control center, staff can scan for the microchip. Staff then look up the ID number and retrieve the owner’s contact information from the database. If that information is up-to-date, kitty and family can be reunited!

Before microchips, collars and tags were around for a long time, so why the high-tech upgrade? Actually, it is best practice to use both (1, 2). A collar and tags quickly show people that an outdoor or lost cat has an owner (1). A rabies tag should be included to assure all who meet your cat that it is safe to be around and in compliance with the law, if applicable (1). Plus, a tag with your contact info can greatly expedite your lost cat’s return to you–or prevent your outdoor cat from going to the shelter in the first place (1). However, cats should always wear a breakaway collar, which can obviously come off. Tags can become worn and unreadable, and cat thieves can just take the whole thing off and throw it away. But a microchip is a permanent means of identification (1, 2).

Lord et al found that lost cats without microchips were returned to their owners only 1.8% of the time (1, 6). For cats with microchips, however, the rate of successful reunions was twenty times higher (1, 4, 6)! When cats with microchips couldn’t be reconnected with their owners, it was usually because the information in the database was missing or out-of-date (1). So do not skip the section below!

How to Use Your Cat’s Microchip

Registration and Updating

A microchip is little more than a hunk of metal until you register it. Before you begin, you will need to have your cat’s microchip number and the chip’s manufacturer on hand. If you don’t have that information anywhere, ask the clinic that implanted the chip. If your pet came pre-chipped, find a veterinarian, animal control, shelter, or pet store that can scan the chip and tell you. Then you will need to go online to register the chip with a database. The obvious choice would be the database maintained by the microchip’s manufacturer. There is usually an initial cost and sometimes a periodic fee associated with these databases, however. If the cost is prohibitive, there are a handful of reputable free databases you can use instead, such as Found Animals.

If you are in the United States, it is important that you use a database which is linked to the American Animal Hospital Association’s Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool (4). There are international registries associated with the Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool as well. Go here for the full list of registries that participate. A lot of places use the AAHA’s tool to check a microchip number in many databases at once (4).

Once you are on your chosen database’s website, you will need to register a new microchip using your cat’s microchip number and probably another identifier, such as an email address or phone number. Then it’s time to input your contact information. Some services give the option to include more, such as a photo of your pet, their medical information, a description, etc. The service I use for Joon’s microchip can generate a digital Lost Pet poster if you report your pet to them as lost and send out an email alert to other members of the database in your area. If all you want to do is put in your contact info, most services will also let you opt out of the other bells and whistles.

You will need to return to the website and log back in to update your information any time it changes, like if you move or get a new phone number (4, 5). You may also be able to do this over the phone with the registry, but your veterinarian cannot do it for you.

Microchip Extras

If your cat is microchipped, you have the option to incorporate various microchip-compatible devices into your cat’s life. There are feeders which sync with your cat’s microchip and only allow that particular cat to put their head in (6). These can be good for monitoring food intake or multipet homes where making sure no one gets into each others’ food is a priority (6). There are also cat doors that only open for the cat with the synced microchip, keeping out any unwanted guests (6). I don’t know how those work in multicat households, but I’m sure someone has thought of that. So microchips come in handy even if your kitty never gets lost even for a minute.

Works Cited

  1. American Veterinary Medical Association. (n.d.). Microchipping of animals FAQ. AVMA. https://www.avma.org/microchipping-animals-faq
  2. Get the facts on microchipping: Separate microchipping facts from fiction. (n.d.). HomeAgain. https://www.homeagain.com/microchipping-facts.html
  3. Burgos, S. (2020, August 24). Everything you need to know about microchipping your cat. Daily Paws. https://www.dailypaws.com/cats-kittens/cat-safety-tips/microchip-cat
  4. Kelley, T. L. (2021, July 8). Updated your pet’s microchip contact info lately? It’s easy. Daily Paws. https://www.dailypaws.com/dogs-puppies/dog-safety-tips/pet-microchip-lookup
  5. Nicholas, J. (2021, July 8). Is you pet’s microchip registered? Up-to-date? Here’s how to do both. Preventive Vet. https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/how-to-update-your-pets-microchip
  6. Top 3 reasons why microchipping cats matters. (n.d.). Sure Petcare. https://www.surepetcare.com/en-us/advice-news/top-3-reasons-why-microchipping-cats-matters

Published July 25, 2021

Breed Profiles

Munchkin: The Pint-Sized Kangaroo Cat

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Meredith Hemphill

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Encyclopaedia Felidae now has a Patreon! Go to www.patreon.com/EncyclopaediaFelidae if you want to help support this content!

Most people have seen a dog with stubby legs before. Dachshunds, Corgis, Bulldogs, etc. are all familiar sights. But did you know that there are short-legged cats, too? Meet the Munchkin. No one told them they’re too short to ride. These furry racecars are very new to the cat fancy, but they made a big splash from the very beginning. It wasn’t exclusively in a positive way. What’s the big deal with these little cats? Let’s start at the beginning.

Journey to Munchkinland

No one knows exactly when the first short-legged cat was born. They may have been around for the entire history of domestic cats. The first time they were described, however, was 1944, in England (2, 6, 7, 9, 10). Veterinarian Dr. H. E. Williams-Jones recorded four generations of short-legged cats (2, 7, 10). Interestingly, this feline family had short forelegs but normal-length hind legs (2, 9, 10). Like many other pedigrees, these so-called Kangaroo Cats went extinct during World War II (2, 5, 7, 10).

Old photo of tabby and white Munchkin
Australian she-cat with short forelegs, late 1800s/early 1900s. Possibly 1st documented short-legged cat. – Image from Messy Beast

Short-legged cats were spotted in various locations throughout the twentieth century, however (2, 5-7, 10). Sometimes they would have four short legs, sometimes just the front legs (2). These cats were just a curiosity, mostly among stray and feral populations, until the right cats met the right people. Sandra Hochenedel was a music teacher living in Rayville, Louisiana (5, 7, 8). In 1983, she rescued two pregnant stray cats that had been cornered by a dog (5, 8). She noticed that both queens were rather unusual–they had very short legs.

Hochenedel named the gray queen Blueberry and the black queen Blackberry (2, 5). She gave away Blueberry and kept Blackberry, who gave birth to a litter of both wildtype and short-legged kittens (2, 5, 7, 9). Hochenedel gave one of the kittens, a short-legged tom named Toulouse, to her friend Kay LaFrance in Monroe, Louisiana (2, 5, 10). Blackberry had a few more litters before disappearing (2, 5).

LaFrance kept her cats intact and free-roaming, and Toulouse soon began to sire a sizable population of short-legged cats in Monroe (5). Seeing the little cats proliferate and survive on their own, Hochenedel and LaFrance wondered if they had a new breed on their hands. They named the cats Munchkins after the diminutive people in The Wizard of Oz (1, 5, 8). They wrote a breed standard, established a breeding program, and recruited other breeders (5). The Munchkin was publicly unveiled in 1991 at the INCATS TICA cat show in Madison Square Garden (5). The response was mixed, and TICA refused a request to recognize the breed the same year (5). However, in 1994 TICA changed their mind and accepted the Munchkin into their New Breed Development program (5, 6, 10). TICA accepted Munchkins for Championship status in 2003 (1, 5, 6, 10).

A handful of other cat fancy organizations have accepted the Munchkin since TICA, but the other major groups still refuse to recognize it (5, 8). Some have gone out of their way to ban the Munchkin and any breed like it (5). The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) made an addition to their rules forbidding “showing as a breed characteristic a dominant gene resulting in shortened limbs and legs and other physical defects, for example, the Munchkin” (5). It could not be more clear which breed they had in mind. The Munchkin is a breed that cat fanciers don’t seem to find much middle ground on.

Characteristics

Appearance

The defining characteristic of Munchkins is, of course, the legs. Their legs are about three inches shorter than the average cat’s (1). The upper and lower parts of their legs are about the same length (5). The hind legs are often a little longer than the front legs, and Munchkins can be slightly bow-legged (7). There is such a thing as a long-legged Munchkin, believe it or not. Long-legged cats born in Munchkin breeding programs are called non-standard Munchkins. Their short-legged peers are standard Munchkins.

Tuxedo Munchkin on steps
My Aunt and Uncle’s random-bred “Munchkin,” Jinxy – Photo by Dorenda Adkins

The short legs are the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation. The mutation in the UGDH gene causes abnormal limb development (9). Munchkins end up born with shorter, thicker long bones in their legs (3, 5, 8, 9). The UGDH mutation is a dominant trait, which means that kittens only need to inherit it from one parent to have short legs (1, 4-10).

In the case of Munchkins, they only can inherit it from one parent. While the short legs may be a dominant trait, the same mutation is also recessive lethal (1, 4, 7, 9). This means that if a kitten inherits the mutation from both parents, it dies before birth. This is why Munchkins have small litters and all Munchkins have both long- and short-legged kittens.

To avoid any kittens inheriting the mutation from both parents, standard Munchkins are usually bred either to non-standard Munchkins or to Domestic Shorthair/Longhairs. This has made the Munchkin a very diverse breed. They can be any color or pattern with short or long fur. However, they still have to conform to a breed standard to be a Munchkin. They are not just short cats. They should have a medium-boned body with a back that slopes gently upward toward the tail. The head is a rounded wedge with high cheekbones and a flat forehead. The eyes are wideset.

Munchkins will carry their tail upright when in motion. It should taper to a rounded tip and be the same length as their body. Both shorthairs and longhairs have moderate, resilient fur, much as you would expect for cats recently descended from random-bred strays.

Personality

People often think that Munchkins are sluggish because of their stubby legs, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Munchkins are extroverted and energetic! They love to play, explore, and run like crazy, just like most cats. If a Munchkin wants to check out something that’s a teeny bit beyond their sight, they will sit up on their haunches like a rabbit to get a better look. They are perfectly capable climbers. The short legs do prevent them from jumping as high as other cats, but they can and do jump. And when a cat has a will, they will certainly find a way, so don’t assume they can’t get on top of something.

These sociable cats pretty much like to hang out with anybody. They fit well into homes with children and other pets. In busy households, though, it’s important to keep in mind that Munchkins have a tendency to hoard small objects. If your favorite watch has gone missing, and everyone says they didn’t take it, you might want to check the cat bed. Munchkins are an intelligent breed, so if thievery has become a problem, perhaps some food puzzles or other enrichment activities might help keep your kitty’s mind occupied. Then again, cats will be cats.

Munchkins sometimes sit up on their back legs like bunnies!

Caring for Your Munchkin

You might expect Munchkins to need a lot of accommodations due to their stature, but they usually don’t. Regular food and water bowls should do fine (7). There might be instances when they would appreciate pet stairs to get up somewhere high, but that really depends upon your furniture. Munchkins are low-maintenance when it comes to grooming, too. Probably the most important thing is that they have plenty of space to run and play. These cats can work up a lot of speed and take corners like it’s nothing (1, 5, 7, 8). A cluttered floor is no fun for a Munchkin.

Health Concerns

Tabby Munchkin kitten
Photo by Tran Mau Tri Tam on Unsplash

There has been a lot of debate about whether breeding Munchkins is ethical because it perpetuates a deformity. After all, dog from breeds with similar mutations frequently suffer painful health problems. There are cases of short-legged cats that have deleterious effects as a result of their deformity as well (2, 3). With Munchkins, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Munchkins don’t usually have the musculoskeletal problems that short-legged dogs do because the feline spine is built differently than the canine (10). And while Munchkins have a form of dwarfism, the mutation they have doesn’t cause the conditions that other forms of dwarfism often do (4).

Munchkins do have a higher risk of lordosis than other cats (2, 7). Lordosis of the spine–not to be confused with the she-cat mating position also called lordosis–is a condition where the spine curves too far inward. It is often painful and may even put pressure on the internal organs. Conversely, Munchkins have an elevated risk of pectus excavatum as well (2, 7). Pectus excavatum occurs when the breastbone is sunken into the chest, compressing the chest cavity.

As pedigreed cats go, though, Munchkins are quite healthy. The large amount of Domestic Shorthairs and Domestic Longhairs, cat fancy language for “mutts,” in the gene pool probably has a lot to do with that. After all, most if not all Munchkins can still trace their family tree back to Blackberry and Toulouse, two random-bred cats roaming Louisiana on their stubby legs.

Fun Facts

  • The shortest living cat, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is a Munchkin named Lilieput. She is a tortoiseshell from Napa, California, and she stands 5.35 inches (13.34 cm) at the shoulders. (1)
  • Paris Hilton has two Munchkins, or “low-rider kitties” as she calls them. Their names are Shorty and Munchkin. (1)
  • Munchkins have been bred with other pedigreed cats to create unofficial “Munchkinized” breeds. There are are now short-legged cats with curly hair, hairlessness, curly ears, and smushed faces. One line has been bred to resemble the jaguarundi wild cat. (2)

Works Cited

  1. Braaksma, H. and Guthrie, C. (2021, April 25). Munchkin. Daily Paws. https://www.dailypaws.com/cats-kittens/cat-breeds/munchkin
  2. Hartwell, S. (2005). Short-legged cats. Messy Beast. http://messybeast.com/shortlegs.htm
  3. International Cat Care. (2018, October 3). Munchkin. https://icatcare.org/advice/munchkin/
  4. Lyons, L. A., Fox, D. B., Chesney, K. L., Britt, L. G., et al. (2019). Localization of a feline autosomal dominant dwarfism locus: A novel model of chondrodysplasia. https://doi.org/10.1101/687210 [Retrieved from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory bioRxiv database]
  5. Munchkin. (n.d.). Petfinder. https://www.petfinder.com/cat-breeds/munchkin/
  6. Munchkin. (n.d.). Vetstreet. http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/munchkin
  7. Munchkin cat: Story in a nutshell. (2019, August 16). Basepaws. https://basepaws.com/blogs/news/munchkin-cat-breed
  8. Sorocco, E. (2017). 11 things to know about the munchkin cat. Catster. https://www.catster.com/cats-101/about-the-munchkin-cat
  9. Struck, A., Braun, M., Detering, K. A., Dziallas, P., et al. (2020). A structural UGDH variant associated with standard munchkin cats. BMC Genetics, 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-020-00875-x
  10. The International Cat Association. (2018, August 13). Munchkin breed. TICA. https://tica.org/breeds/browse-all-breeds?view=article&id=857:munchkin-breed&catid=79

Published July 11, 2021