Microchips and mayhem at the Flap-Face - Gah!

[sheilarose]

Just dropping in..

https://www.smartchip.org.uk/store/product/chip-reader

[Judecat (Paula)]

  Good move

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Thanks - we used our leather gardening gauntlets last time.   

[Judecat (Paula)]

Would you like to borrow some motorcycle gauntlets? I find them invaluable with Bob.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Thanks very much for the info, Carol.  That's really interesting to know.  Malt was rechipped free of charge too.  Not managed to get Barley checked yet, and just using the flap as a manual flap which isn't ideal unfortunately.  I may need to take a day off to help OH get Barley boxed up.    Not looking forward to it.

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

Have you got Barley gurlie's chip problem sorted Sue?  I hope it's been a relatively painless process for all concerned Sue, with no serious blood letting.

Interestingly, in 2012 there was an issue with Verbac chips beginning with the codes 900 failing, but neither of these chips are Verbac, and neither begin with that serial number. However, all of the microchip manufacturers website will tell you failure rates are as rare as a snowflake's chances in Hell.

Bunty and Biggles have Virbac chips and when we got the 2012  letter advising us to get them checked we hot footed it to the vet and were relieved to be told that both were working as they should.  The following year when we got a microchip flap for the boat we couldn't get it to work for either cat, and after much frustration I had a lightbulb moment and took them off to vets to get them checked again.  Sure enough, neither chip was working.  The vet re-chipped free of charge but because we no longer had the letter advising us of the potential problem he had all sorts of difficulty getting Virbac to cough up. They claimed they couldn't just have stopped working and must have been exposed to some sort of electrical field that caused them to fail.  A UFO perhaps??? We get a lot those around here. 

Helen (Tiggy's mum) had to have one of her cats re-chipped and then either the original started to work again or it was found to have migrated a surprisingly long distance from the original injection site, can't remember which. Either way he was left with  2 fully functioning chips.  As you say, ruddy technology, it's great when it works........

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Our vet holds a similar view, Rosella.  He does do home visits but usually it's for euthanasia, or special circumstances, fir very similar reasons.   

[Rosella moggy]

At one point I suggested home visit to our vet to lessen stress.  He said care needed when considering if that would be good or bad idea as cats very much attached to places and consider home as safe place so not always a good idea for vet to "invade" safe place. 

[heather sullivan]

Does your vet do home visits? Might be worth finding out and less stressful if they do? I know my vet does 

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

Sorry to hear about this Sue, it's an added problem that you don't need! I do hope you manage to get your gawjus little girl to the V E T without loss of limb (yours, not hers!) 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I love the flaps Andrew - wouldn't be without them, but the chips are the first we've had which have failed.

[hollycat]

My sister had one of those, seemed to have a mind of its own.
Hope you get it sorted Sue

On the subject of micro chips, I may have to get Astro a new one. I think he lost it with his leg. I used to be able to feel it but cant any more

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I know exactly what you mean about squirming and deeply unwilling cats.   

We keep a sureflap disc for testing the flap, but knew anyway because Moray and Malt were able to "click" the flap for each door.

Yes, the thought of them being lost, injured etc and not being able to be returned to us just doesn't bear thinking about, especially as wor little boogas will not tolerate collars.

[Judecat (Paula)]

'S funny you should say that Sue, I disabled out cat flap before we went away last year as Pippa couldn't get in, the trubbl cats haven't tried to get back in so I haven't investigated further.

Maybe I should get her chip checked next time she goes to Mr Vet. I assumed (yeah, I know ) it was the reader rather than the chip, as I had to scan the cats by myself, not easy to hold a wriggling furball under it for long enough to let it go 'beep'. I couldn't bear the thought of losing her over something so simple.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Thanks Rosella.  We've disabled both flaps so she can enter unhindered.  Unfortunately, so can Narsty Ted, which places Malt at risk.

OH steeled to try and catch/box Barley and get her to get to see what the state of the chip is.   

[Rosella moggy]

Oh hell Sue.  Trubble indeed   

I take it you can't just disable microchip function until she's sorted?

I'm pretty sure you've mentioned before that you can't.  I'll get my coat...

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Some of you may recall we had an issue with Malt, or smallest semi feral, whose microchip failed last year, and gave us all manner of problems when we were trying to programme the Sureflap.  The vet re-chipped her without charge, which wasn't a problem.  The issue was of course trying to catch Malt to take her to the vet - a stressful and bloody experience for all  involved .
The issue we now have is that it seems like Barley's chip has also failed.  The flap isn't operating for her, and yet it's working perfectly for Moray and Malt.  Poor Barley found herself locked out in the middle of the night.  I woke from a fairly light sleep to the sounds of what I've learned to recognise as "Trubble at t'flap"    Donning OH's dressing gown I tripped  "literally) down the stairs, flipped the light on, and found Barley growling on one side of the flap, and Malt looking anxious on the inside.  I put the alarm off and let Barley in, but I could see she was unnerved.   

Anyway, this morning, I've ascertained the flap will no longer open for her. 

It works with the disc, and it works fine for Malt and Moray, but poor Barley-Big-Tum is now "persona non grata" to the flap.   

I'm assuming that her chip - which was done at the same time as Malt's original chip - is now playing up. 

We did have some problems over Christmas, and changed the batteries twice in the flap and gave it a good clean, thinking that may be at fault. 

The thing which fills me with frustration here is the thought of trying to get Barley back to the vet to get it scanned and re-chipped (tho on the plus side, if it proves possible  then we can get her booster done, and also discuss the fact that Barley has become a little portly over the Christmas period  )

As you can imagine, the very thought of trying to catch and box her fills me and OH with a feeling of utter hopelessness (and not a little terror  ).

Ruddy technology.  It's great when it works.......

Interestingly, in 2012 there was an issue with Verbac chips beginning with the codes 900 failing, but neither of these chips are Verbac, and neither begin with that serial number.  However, all of the microchip manufacturers website will tell you failure rates are as rare as a snowflake's chances in Hell.  Most annoying.  And now, am going to have to leave the back door open for Barley to get in, and keep her in at night until we can get the little blighter in her carrier.