The microchipping, a service provided by healthcare plan Pet Health Club, proved invaluable in bringing Densel home. But tragically, just weeks after their tearful reunion, he was diagnosed with a serious tumour and had to be put to sleep.
Vet nurse Sharne said: “I couldn’t believe we’d been reunited, and in such a short time, I had to say goodbye.
“It has been heartbreaking, but at least I know that in his final days he was safe, getting love and attention, and he was happy to be with me.”
Sharne says she’s eternally grateful that microchipping, which is set to become a legal requirement in England next month, allowed her to be with her pet at the end.
“From my experience as a vet nurse, I know how microchipping has helped reunite owners with their lost cats.
“But there have also been such sad cases where there wasn’t a microchip and that didn’t happen. A microchip meant Densel managed to make his way back home at the end and that shows how important they are.”
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Sharne adopted Densel after he was handed into the vet practice where she worked.
But he went missing, aged four, and Sharne reported his disappearance to the microchip company, put posters up, posted pleas on social media and knocked on countless doors in case someone had taken him in.
She heard nothing back, so the recent call from Evesham Cats Protection, informing her that he'd been found just a 20-minute drive from her home, came as a complete shock. “I just couldn’t take it in,” said Sharne. “It had been 11 years, and I couldn’t believe he’d been found.
“I went along immediately and when I walked in and saw him, I burst into tears. I recognised him straight away and he obviously knew my voice as soon as I called his name.
“He was purring happily as I stroked him and started eating which they hadn’t managed to get him to do. It was such a lovely, emotional moment.”
Sharne took Densel home to get him settled back in with her family, but she was worried about his constant diarrhoea, so she took him to the vet who gave him steroids. Further checks a few days later revealed the shattering news that Densel had terminal lymphoma.
“It was absolutely devastating, and everyone was in tears,” said Sharne. “But I’m grateful that Densel’s microchip allowed us to be reunited at last.”
Senior vet surgeon Amelia Battersby, of the Pet Health Club network of UK vets, said that while Densel’s case may have ended tragically, it sums up why microchips are so vital. “Microchipping is over in seconds but the benefits last a lifetime,” she added. “This case shows why it’s so important and why Pet Health Club members get microchipping as part of their benefits, alongside vaccinations and vet-prescribed flea and worm treatments.”
There are around nine million cats in England, and up to a quarter remain unchipped. Microchipping will become compulsory from June 10, and owners who fail to microchip their cats will have 21 days to get one implanted or face a fine of up to £500.
For cat owners anxious about new legislation, Pet Health Club vets have compiled a detailed resource with Q&As, step-by-step guides, and more information, which you can visit by clicking here.