Another day, another story about a person who can’t tell if the cat they’ve brought inside is their own or a random lookalike.
In this case, a woman named Amber Porter says her indoor-only cat bolted outside, and after a few hours she was able to bring him back in — only to have doubts about whether he’s actually her cat. Meanwhile, an identical-looking black cat is hovering around Porter’s home, and she’s trying to lure it inside.
“I’m still a little worried about it,” Porter said. “I have fully convinced myself I have the wrong cat but I also think I do have the right one.”
This absolutely blows my mind. If someone asked me how long it would take to determine if a gray tabby is Buddy, I’d say approximately half a second. It’s not because of his “bib,” that unique white tuft of hair on his chest, or his pronounced muzzle, although both would offer confirmation.
It’s his behavior, his mannerisms and movement, the fact that if we were separated, he’d meow loudly the second we’re reunited and I’d hear that familiar half-trill, half-meow he does that seems to be Buddesian for “Hello, servant!”
In any case, I hope Amber Porter figures out which cat is hers, and the story looks like it’ll have a happy ending because she says she intends to keep both cats.
Today’s the deadline to get your cats microchipped in the UK
A reminder to our British readers: today, June 10, is the deadline to have your cat microchipped under a new law that makes chips mandatory.
If you’re caught with an unchipped cat, the fine is a hefty £500, or about $635 in ‘Merican greenbacks. That’s some serious chop, so get your little buddy chipped!
Alice Potter, a cat welfare specialist with the RSPCA, told Sky News that microchips with up-to-date information are the biggest factor in reuniting cats with their humans when the former go missing.
“On average, 11% of all cats coming into the RSPCA’s care are still not microchipped. We’ve also rescued cats who have been microchipped but the details haven’t been kept up to date, which is arguably even more frustrating as it means cats spend a long time in our care whilst we fruitlessly try to contact the owner with out-of-date information,” Potter said.
“However, we’ve also seen countless stories of cats that have been reunited with their owners thanks to a tiny microchip – showing what this change of legislation will achieve for animal welfare.”
Pain In The Bud 
Physically impossible for me to not recognise Bella or Bertie, they are imprinted in my brain!! Both are chipped and its value proved itself when Bertie went on one of his “expeditions” and some kind people took him to a vets, he was scanned and returned to us ! – naturally a gift from him was sent – its a great law and I am delighted to see it in place
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Glad to hear your two feline overlords are chipped. I’d like to see a similar law here in the US.
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Is a microchip uncomfortable for the kitty? Other than that, it’s a great idea.
Regarding Little Buddy’s chip, I am confident that LB is loved and protected in every possible way. ❤😻
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The chip is the size of a grain of rice and it’s passive, so it’s not giving off pulses or broadcasting information or anything like that. I’m sure the initial injection causes soreness like any needle, but after that it doesn’t bother them.
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Getting chipped should be entirely voluntary. First cats, next kids. Then adults. I see a future I don’t like.
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I get the privacy concerns, but cat microchips are passive and don’t carry any information except a serial number, so they can’t be tracked like an Airtag (or tracked at all) and even if someone stole a scanner, they wouldn’t get any useful information. The shelters have access to a database which matches serial numbers to contact info provided by the owner.
Since cats can’t tell us where they’re from and there’s no fingerprint system for felines, this is the next best thing.
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I still think it should be optional and not have the government force it upon their citizens.
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I am so GLAD she is going to take her cat AND the OTHER ONE! It would take the same “half second” to figure out if our Spunkmeyer IS our Spunkmeyer too! For one thing, he would be swearing loudly in “cat” and he gets this “look” of disgust on his face that I have a feeling is unique to him! “I wasn’t DONE out there!!!” Hehehe… Only HE can do that!
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Exactly. It would be extraordinarily rare to find a cat who is physically indistinguishable and also behaves the same way.
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I can understand how it could happen. We had 2 outdoor kitties that looked identical. Olive started coming around a couple of years ago. She’s a long haired back cat with white paws and a white patch on her chest. Well, about 2 yrs ago, the showed up with her twin! There was Olive sitting with a kitten that looked just like her! Same markings and everything. I named her Pimento. She grew up and they would come together and I swear to you, you could not tell them apart. Now, I can tell my cats from others because every one of them has some kind of distinctive marking on them that gives them away. But these 2? There was nothing.
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The vet where I took my cat to be neutered microchipped him without telling me. I had no idea that I was supposed to register it. And no idea that I had to change the registration if I moved.
They could have given me a brochure with the information.
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